Daily Encouragement Day 223 – Luke 4

Jesus prepared over thirty years (summarized in 2:52) for a public ministry of only three years.  After the infancy narratives and summary of the ministry of Jesus’ forerunner John the Baptist, the ancestry of the Son of Man is traced back to the first man Adam.  Just before Jesus launches His public ministry, He is baptized by John and led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where He encounters the powerful temptations of Satan.  Like the first Adam, the last Adam is tempted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:16), but unlike the first Adam, our Lord resists the devil.  Early in His ministry He is rejected by the people of His hometown Nazareth.  Beginning in Capernaum, Jesus demonstrates His authority over the realms of demons, disease, nature, and human traditions (4:31-6:49).

READING of LUKE 4

Prayer:

Lord, I am grateful for Jesus’ willingness to endure temptation, rejection, spiritual warfare, and physical weariness in order to accomplish His purpose of preaching the kingdom of God.

Meditation passage for today: verses 32, 36, 41, 43