1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit then led him into the wilderness,
2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He didn’t eat anything during those days, and afterward, when they were over, he was hungry.
3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into bread.”
4Jesus answered him, “It is written: ‘People will not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
5The devil led him up to a high mountain and, in an instant, showed him all the kingdoms of the world.
6The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority and their glory, because it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want.
7So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8Jesus answered him, “Get away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
9Next, the devil led him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
10because it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to protect you;’
11and, ‘They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
12Jesus answered him, “It has been said: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”
13When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Jesus until another opportunity.
14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout all the surrounding region.
15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has appointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to announce freedom for prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free,
19and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was staring at him.
21He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
22Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They asked, “Isn't this Joseph’s son?”
23He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself!’ You will say, ‘Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.’”
24He also said, “I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”
25But I tell you truthfully, there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time. The sky was shut up for three and a half years, and a severe famine spread across the entire land.
26Elijah was not sent to any of them, but only to a widow in Zarephath, in the land of Sidon.
27There were many people with leprosy in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet, but none of them were cleansed except Naaman, the Syrian.
28When they heard these things in the synagogue, they all became furious.
29They got up, drove him out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off.
30But he walked right through the middle of them and went on his way.
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath day.
32They were amazed by his teaching because he spoke with authority.
33In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, and he cried out loudly,
34“Leave us alone, Jesus of Nazareth! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
35Jesus sternly told him, “Be quiet and come out of him!” The demon threw the man to the ground in front of everyone and came out of him without harming him.
36Everyone was astounded and asked each other, “What kind of teaching is this? With authority and power, he commands evil spirits, and they obey him!”
37News about him spread throughout the whole region.
38He left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.
39He stood over her and commanded the fever to leave, and it did. Immediately, she got up and began to serve them.
40As the sun was setting, all who had sick people with various diseases brought them to him. He placed his hands on each one of them and healed them.
41Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
42When it was day, he left and went to a deserted place. The crowds searched for him, came to where he was, and tried to prevent him from leaving them.
43But he told them, “I must also preach the good news of God’s Kingdom to the other cities, because that is why I was sent.”
44So he continued preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.