Matthew 4:23

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

4:23 Jesus ¹  went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, ²  preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:35

Workers for the Harvest

9:35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns ³  and villages, teaching in their synagogues, ⁴  preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. ⁵ 

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ⁶  me. ⁷ 

He has commissioned ⁸  me to encourage ⁹  the poor,

to help ¹⁰  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ¹¹ 

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ¹²  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ¹³  instead of discouragement. ¹⁴ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ¹⁵ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ¹⁶ 

Mark 1:38-39

1:38 He replied, ¹⁷  “Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages, so that I can preach there too. For that is what I came out here to do.” ¹⁸  1:39 So ¹⁹  he went into all of Galilee preaching in their synagogues ²⁰  and casting out demons.

Luke 4:15-21

4:15 He ²¹  began to teach ²²  in their synagogues ²³  and was praised ²⁴  by all.

Rejection at Nazareth

4:16 Now ²⁵  Jesus ²⁶  came to Nazareth, ²⁷  where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue ²⁸  on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. ²⁹  He ³⁰  stood up to read, ³¹  4:17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He ³²  unrolled ³³  the scroll and found the place where it was written,

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed ³⁴  me to proclaim good news ³⁵  to the poor. ³⁶ 

He has sent me ³⁷  to proclaim release ³⁸  to the captives

and the regaining of sight ³⁹  to the blind,

to set free ⁴⁰  those who are oppressed, ⁴¹ 

4:19 to proclaim the year ⁴²  of the Lord’s favor.” ⁴³ 

4:20 Then ⁴⁴  he rolled up ⁴⁵  the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on ⁴⁶  him. 4:21 Then ⁴⁷  he began to tell them, “Today ⁴⁸  this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.” ⁴⁹ 

Luke 8:1

Jesus’ Ministry and the Help of Women

8:1 Some time ⁵⁰  afterward ⁵¹  he went on through towns ⁵²  and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news ⁵³  of the kingdom of God. ⁵⁴  The ⁵⁵  twelve were with him,

Acts 10:38

10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, ⁵⁶  that ⁵⁷  God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He ⁵⁸  went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, ⁵⁹  because God was with him. ⁶⁰ 

[4:23]  ¹ tn Grk “And he.”

[4:23]  ² sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[9:35]  ³ tn Or “cities.”

[9:35]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[9:35]  ⁵ tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[61:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ⁷ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ⁸ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ⁹ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[61:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[61:3]  ¹² tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[1:38]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[1:38]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Because for this purpose I have come forth.”

[1:39]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[1:39]  ²⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.

[4:15]  ²¹ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:15]  ²² tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.

[4:15]  ²³ sn The next incident in Luke 4:16-30 is probably to be seen as an example of this ministry of teaching in their synagogues in Galilee. Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[4:15]  ²⁴ tn Grk “being glorified.” The participle δοξαζόμενος (doxazomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This is the only place Luke uses the verb δοξάζω (doxazw) of Jesus.

[4:16]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:16]  ²⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:16]  ²⁷ sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.

[4:16]  ²⁸ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[4:16]  ²⁹ tn Grk “according to his custom.”

[4:16]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:16]  ³¹ sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.

[4:17]  ³² tn Grk “And unrolling the scroll he found.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead a new sentence has been started in the translation.

[4:17]  ³³ tn Grk “opening,” but a scroll of this period would have to be unrolled. The participle ἀναπτύξας (anaptuxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:18]  ³⁴ sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.

[4:18]  ³⁵ tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”

[4:18]  ³⁶ sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.

[4:18]  ³⁷ tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 ˹ Ï). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ Ë¹³ 33 579 700 892* pc lat sy^s co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western texttypes. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the original.

[4:18]  ³⁸ sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).

[4:18]  ³⁹ sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[4:18]  ⁴⁰ sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message – he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, afesi") translated release earlier in the verse.

[4:18]  ⁴¹ sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[4:19]  ⁴² sn The year of the Lord’s favor (Grk “the acceptable year of the Lord”) is a description of the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10). The year of the total forgiveness of debt is now turned into a metaphor for salvation. Jesus had come to proclaim that God was ready to forgive sin totally.

[4:19]  ⁴³ sn A quotation from Isa 61:1-2a. Within the citation is a line from Isa 58:6, with its reference to setting the oppressed free.

[4:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “And closing.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “closing,” but a scroll of this period would have to be rolled up. The participle πτύξας (ptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “gazing at,” “staring at.”

[4:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[4:21]  ⁴⁸ sn See the note on today in 2:11.

[4:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “in your hearing.”

[8:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And it happened that some time.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[8:1]  ⁵¹ tn Καθεξῆς (Kaqexh") is a general temporal term and need not mean “soon afterward”; see Luke 1:3; Acts 3:24; 11:4; 18:23 and L&N 61.1.

[8:1]  ⁵² tn Or “cities.”

[8:1]  ⁵³ sn The combination of preaching and proclaiming the good news is a bit emphatic, stressing Jesus’ teaching ministry on the rule of God.

[8:1]  ⁵⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[8:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:38]  ⁵⁶ sn The somewhat awkward naming of Jesus as from Nazareth here is actually emphatic. He is the key subject of these key events.

[10:38]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “how.” The use of ὡς (Jws) as an equivalent to ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect or even direct discourse is well documented. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5 lists Acts 10:28 in this category.

[10:38]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “power, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[10:38]  ⁵⁹ tn The translation “healing all who were oppressed by the devil” is given in L&N 22.22.

[10:38]  ⁶⁰ sn See Acts 7:9.