The Temptation of Jesus
After Jesus was baptized, he returned from the Jordan River filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then led him out into the wilderness, where the devil tempted him for forty days. During this entire time, Jesus ate nothing at all, and by the end he was extremely hungry. The devil approached him and said, "If you really are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread." But Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'People cannot live on bread alone.'" Next, the devil took Jesus up to a high place and instantly showed him all the kingdoms of the entire world spread out before them. "I will give you complete authority over all these kingdoms and all their splendor," the devil offered. "This power has been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose. All of this will be yours if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'" Then the devil brought Jesus to Jerusalem and placed him on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he challenged, "jump down from here. After all, the Scriptures say, 'God will order his angels to protect you and guard you carefully. They will catch you in their hands so that you won't even stub your foot on a stone.'" Jesus responded, "But the Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'" When the devil had tried every possible temptation, he left Jesus alone. But he planned to return at a more suitable time.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
Jesus came back to Galilee filled with the Spirit's power. Word about him spread quickly through all the towns and villages in that area. He began teaching in the synagogues, and everyone who heard him was amazed and spoke highly of him.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
Jesus traveled to Nazareth, the town where he had grown up. Following his usual practice, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read from the scriptures, someone handed him the scroll containing the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the passage that said, "The Spirit of the Lord rests upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners and sight for the blind, to set free those who are crushed by life, and to proclaim the time when the Lord will show his favor." After reading these words, Jesus rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the synagogue attendant. Then he sat down. Everyone in the synagogue stared at him intently, waiting to hear what he would say. Jesus began by telling them, "Today, this scripture passage has come true as you listen to it." At first, everyone spoke favorably about him. They were amazed by the beautiful and powerful words that came from his mouth. But then they started whispering to each other, "Wait a minute—isn't this just Joseph's son?" Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, "I'm sure you're going to throw that old saying at me: 'Doctor, heal yourself!' You want me to do the same amazing things here in my hometown that you've heard I did in Capernaum." Then he continued, "I'm telling you the truth: no prophet is ever welcomed in his own hometown." "Let me remind you of something true," Jesus went on. "During Elijah's time, there were many widows living in Israel when the sky held back rain for three and a half years, causing a terrible famine throughout the entire land. But Elijah wasn't sent to help any of those Israelite widows. Instead, God sent him to a widow living in Zarephath, in the region of Sidon. And during the time of the prophet Elisha, there were many people in Israel suffering from leprosy. Yet none of them were healed—only Naaman, who was from Syria." When the people heard these words, everyone in the synagogue became furious. They jumped to their feet and forced Jesus out of the town. They dragged him to the edge of the hill where Nazareth was built, planning to push him off the cliff to his death. But somehow Jesus walked right through the angry crowd and continued on his way.
Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit
Jesus traveled down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, where he began teaching people on the Sabbath day. The people were amazed by his teaching because when he spoke, his words carried real authority. There was a man in the synagogue who was controlled by an evil spirit. Suddenly, this demon-possessed man shouted out loudly, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know exactly who you are—you're the Holy One of God!" Jesus firmly commanded the demon, "Be quiet and come out of him!" The evil spirit threw the man down hard in front of everyone, but then it left him completely without causing him any injury. All the people were filled with wonder and amazement. They turned to each other and asked, "What kind of teaching is this? He commands evil spirits with such authority and power that they actually obey him and leave!" Word about Jesus began spreading quickly throughout that entire area.
Jesus Heals Simon's Mother-in-Law
After Jesus left the synagogue, he went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was lying there, burning up with a severe fever. The people in the house asked Jesus to help her. Jesus went over to where she was lying and commanded the fever to leave her, and immediately it was gone. She got up right away and began taking care of everyone, serving them what they needed.
Jesus Heals Many
When the sun went down that evening, people brought everyone who was sick with different kinds of diseases to Jesus. He placed his hands on each person one by one and healed them all. Evil spirits also came out of many people, crying out loudly, "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus commanded the demons to be quiet and refused to let them speak, because they knew who he really was—the promised Messiah. Early the next morning, Jesus went away by himself to a quiet place. But the crowds searched everywhere until they found him. When they caught up with him, they begged him not to leave them. Jesus told them, "I have to bring the good news about God's kingdom to other towns too. That's the reason I was sent here." So he kept traveling and teaching in the synagogues throughout Judea.