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1Afterward, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to experience the ordeal of testing by the accuser.[#4:1 Or “tribulation.” God also tested Israel for forty years in the wilderness. See Deut. 8:2.; #4:1 Or “devil.” The Aramaic word for “devil” means “accuser.” The Greek word is “slanderer.”]
2And after fasting for forty days, Jesus was extremely hungry.[#4:2 Moses and Elijah both fasted forty days. See Ex. 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8. The number forty usually signifies passing a test or enduring a time of trial. It rained for forty days in the time of Noah, and Jonah warned Nineveh for forty days. God told Ezekiel to lay on his right side for forty days ( Ezek. 4:6).]
3Then the tempter came to him and said, “How can you possibly be the Son of God and go hungry? Just command these stones to be turned into loaves of bread.”
4He answered, “The Scriptures say:
Bread alone will not satisfy,
but true life is found in every word
that constantly goes forth from God’s mouth.”
5Then the accuser transported Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and perched him at the highest point of the temple[#4:5 Or “wing.” See Ps. 91:4.]
6and said to him, “If you’re really God’s Son, jump, and the angels will catch you. For it is written in the Scriptures:
He will command his angels to protect you
and they will lift you up
so that you won’t even bruise your foot on a rock.”
7Once again Jesus said to him, “The Scriptures say:
8And the third time the accuser lifted Jesus up onto a very high mountain range and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the splendor that goes with it.
9“All of these kingdoms I will give to you,” the accuser said, “if only you will kneel down before me and worship me.”
10But Jesus said, “Go away, Satan! For the Scriptures say:[#4:10 Or “Satan.”]
Kneel before the Lord your God
and worship only him.”
11At once the accuser left him, and angels suddenly gathered around Jesus to minister to his needs.
12When Jesus heard that John the Baptizer had been thrown into prison, he went back into Galilee.
13Jesus moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum, which is by Lake Galilee in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.[#4:13 Capernaum means “the village of Nahum.” It was a fishing village on the northwestern shore of Lake Galilee. Nahum means “comforted.” Jesus did many miracles and based his Galilean ministry in the “village of the comforted.”]
14He did this to make the prophecy of Isaiah come true:
15Listen, you who live in the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali,
along the road to the sea
and on the other side of the Jordan,
and Galilee—the land of the Gentiles!
16You who spend your days shrouded in darkness
can now say, “We have seen a brilliant Light.”
And those who live in the dark shadow land of death
can now say, “The Dawning Light arises on us.”
17From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message with these words: “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible.”[#4:17 Or “close enough to touch!”]
18As he was walking by the shore of Lake Galilee, Jesus noticed two fishermen who were brothers. One was nicknamed Keefa (later called Peter), and the other was Andrew, his brother. Watching as they were casting their nets into the water,[#4:18 Or “Simon.” The Aramaic is Keefa , which means “the rock” or “pebble.” Peter ( Petros ) is his Greek name.]
19Jesus called out to them and said, “Come and follow me, and I will transform you into men who catch people for God.”[#4:19 Or “fishers of men.” The Aramaic word can mean either “fishers” or “hunters.” See Ezek. 47:1–10.]
20Immediately they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus.
21Leaving there, Jesus found three other men sitting in a boat, mending their nets. Two were brothers, Jacob and John, and they were with their father, Zebedee. Jesus called Jacob and John to his side and said to them , “Come and follow me.”[#4:21 Or “James.” Most translations of the Bible have substituted Jacob with James. Both Greek and Aramaic leave the Hebrew name as it is, Jacob. This translation will use the correct name, Jacob, throughout.; #4:21 Zebedee’s name means “my gift.” The gift he gave to Jesus was his two sons. All parents have the privilege of giving their children back to God.]
22And at once they left their boat and their father, and began to follow Jesus.
23Jesus ministered from place to place throughout all of the province of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues, preaching the wonderful news of the kingdom and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people.[#4:23 The Greek word didasko is a word often used for providing skilled training.]
24His fame spread throughout all Syria! Many people who were in pain and suffering with every kind of illness were brought to Jesus for their healing—epileptics, paralytics, and those tormented by demonic powers were all set free. Everyone who was brought to Jesus was healed![#4:24 Or “the mentally ill.”]
25This resulted in massive crowds of people following him, including people from Galilee, Jerusalem, the land of Judah, the region of the Ten Cities known as the Decapolis, and beyond the Jordan River.[#4:25 This was the first encounter the non-Jewish peoples of the Middle East had with Jesus. He was proclaiming his universal kingdom and inviting all to enter into it.]