Luke 4: Who Can Receive a Miracle

Rebecca Lynn Hardy
Oct 3
13 min read

If we want to walk in the power of God, we should know how our Lord received His power and how He used it. The fourth chapter of Luke centers around the power of our Lord. It begins with a “wilderness” experience. The term comes from the time when Israel left the sinful land of Egypt. Often it has a negative connotation, but when we look at Luke chapter 4, we see it can have a positive result.

In the first “wilderness” experience, God promised to bring His people to a land of “milk and honey,” referring to Israel as a land of great resources. Before He fulfilled this promise, they endured a time of testing to see if they would walk in God’s ways. Before Jesus received the full power of the Holy Spirit, He was in the wilderness for 40 days. Because Jesus fasted during that time, He was in a weakened state as Satan came to test Him. Everything said during that encounter was echoed in what happened to Israel during its 40 years in the desert.

The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (Luke 4:3-4 ESV)

And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)

In the wilderness, God’s people needed to prioritize God’s word and realize that God would miraculously supply their basic need for food. Jesus quoted the scripture from Israel’s journey in the desert. where Satan tried to tempt Him to use God’s power to provide for His own need for food.

And the devil took Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to Him, “To You I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If You, then, will worship me, it will all be Yours.”

And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’” (Luke 4:5-8 ESV)

And it shall be, when the LORD your God shall have brought you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and goodly cities, which you built not, And houses full of all good things, which you filled not, and wells dig, which you digged not, vineyards and olive trees, which you planted not; when you shall have eaten and be full; Then beware lest you forget the LORD, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall fear the LORD your God, and serve Him, and shall swear by His name. You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you… (Deuteronomy 6:10-14 AKJV)

When God gave the Ten Commandments to His people as they began to travel through the wilderness, He also reminded them of the promise He had spoken: the good things to come. Along with the promise, God reminded them that if they worship anything other than Him, they would be destroyed. Jesus used those Words to reject Satan’s temptation to gain authority and power through something other than God.

Jesus quoted something Moses said twice to refute Satan’s temptation. Then Satan used Moses’ words to tempt Jesus a third time.

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:9-12 ESV)

“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. (Deuteronomy 6:16 ESV)

Satan is smart and has been around for a long time. He quoted Psalms 91, perhaps Moses’ most well-known psalm, to tempt Jesus a third time. The Lord replied with another scripture, a warning God gave to His people while in the wilderness. So what happened at Massah?

In Exodus 17, the people were thirsty so they grumbled and said, “Why is this that have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” They were demanding a provision instead of worshiping God and knowing He was able to provide. When we do this, we are provoking God’s wrath. Jesus knew better. He refused to do something that would force God to save Him. This would be rebelling against God’s authority and seizing His power rather than submitting to Him.

Before God empowers us to do His work, we will be tempted in these same three areas. Will we:

Provide for our own needs instead of trusting God for our needs.
Submitting to other spiritual powers instead of remaining loyal to God.
Try to force God to do what we want instead of surrendering our will to His will.

This is the purpose of “being in the valley” or having a “wilderness experience.” Jesus endured 40 days without food, then overcame the temptation of the enemy to override God’s will with His own. If we want the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we must resist these temptations not only once but continually throughout our lives.

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13 ESV)

When Jesus refused to submit to Satan, he left, but not for good. He would return and try to attack Him again at another time. This happened as Jesus hung on the cross.

So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:41-43 ESV)

These words are very similar to the words Satan spoke, “If you are the Son of God…” It was Satan speaking through these people to tempt Jesus at His weakest point, when He was in tremendous pain. When we are suffering, that is when Satan comes to attack us. Overcoming these attacks allows God to move more powerfully in our lives. Jesus overcame the most powerful of all temptations and through that, broke Satan’s power upon this world for anyone who would submit to Him as Lord. The rest of the chapter gives us an example of who would receive freedom and who wouldn’t.

Who Will Not Receive Miracles from God?

Jesus returned from the wilderness full of power from the Holy Spirit. The region of Galilee welcomed Him and His teachings. Then on the Sabbath, Jesus went to His hometown of Nazareth to the synagogue to teach, as was His custom.

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:17-21 ESV)

Jesus read the scripture about the coming Messiah, then proclaimed that He was the fulfillment of that prophecy. He was operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. At first, people were impressed and spoke well of Him, but how did they respond to Jesus’ claim that He is the Messiah?

And all spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from His mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” (Luke 4:22 ESV)

They saw Jesus as Joseph’s son, not the Son of God. Jesus responded to this, explaining why this mattered.

And He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to Me this proverb, “‘Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.’”

And He said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. (Luke 4:23-28 ESV)

Jesus knew the people would demand that He perform healings to prove what He said. If He submitted to their demands, he would have done what Satan had tempted Him to do: use a miracle to prove who He is. To prevent this, Jesus gave examples of why He wouldn’t submit to their demands. What do the two examples have in common?

Elijah was sent to a widow on the border of Israel in a town that had not been taken over by Israel.
Elisha healed a leper from another country.

Elijah had to travel to the edges of the country, into a town still controlled by non-Israelites, to provide miraculously for a widow instead of performing a miracle inside Israel. If he had gone to someone in Israel, the people likely would have expected him to end the drought that was destroying their nation. A leprous man who had heard about Elisha had to travel to Israel to be healed. Everyone in Israel believed that only the Messiah could heal a leper, so they wouldn’t have lacked the faith to receive a healing.

Jesus was explaining that even those outside of Israel would receive salvation! This infuriated those gathered. They expected the Messiah to come so THEY would rule the world. They didn’t expect the Messiah to bring others into the special arrangement they had with God. This reveals what keeps people from receiving miracles from God:

Presumption about a person or focusing on the person instead of what God can do, will prevent you from receiving all that God has for you.
- Those who focused on Jesus as a man couldn’t receive from Him.
- Elijah couldn’t perform a miracle for those who insisted on God helping everyone in the nation
Presumptions about what God can do will prevent you from receiving the miraculous.
- Those who demand a miracle as proof never received it.
- Elisha couldn’t perform miracles for those who had presumptions about how God heals lepers

Often, when a person is a new Christian, God will show up when they declare and decree in the name of His Son. After a while, if we don’t begin to learn His ways and apply them, simply using the Name of Jesus becomes less effective. This is because we have been presumptuous instead of being open to receive what GOD WILL DO. More about this can be found in the class: Traps with Praying in the Removing Attacks course.

Because this is the Meat of the Word, let’s relate this to what is happening in our lifetime. Daniel prophesied about a seven-year period that would be divided into two halves: each three and a half years long. Elijah also prophesied about a famine lasting three and a half years. The Book of Revelation is a prophecy that mentions several events that will occur within three and a half years. All of these items are linked.

One of the events described in Revelation is a time when Two Witnesses will prophesy and testify in the world for three and a half years, including declaring a drought for three and a half years:

And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. (Revelation 11:3-6 ESV)

Two people will prophesy a drought lasting three and a half years, just as Elijah did. Yet, many think that the two witnesses are two people groups. What other presumptuous ideas will keep Christians from accepting the Two Witnesses? Are you ready to remove your presumptions so that you can be prepared for what is coming? Subscribe to the Living Word website to hear about the new Revelation classes, including a teaching about one of the Two Witnesses.

Who CAN Receive a Miracle

The final part of chapter four confirms who can receive the miraculous from God:

And He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word possessed authority. And in the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God.”

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. (Luke 4:31-37 ESV)

These people listened to what Jesus said. They didn’t demand a miracle to prove who He was. When a demon showed up, Jesus took care of the problem. Some Jewish priests could remove demons, but they had to know their names. This was a new level of authority over demons, and word spread quickly!

And He arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to Him on her behalf. And He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. (Luke 4:38-39 ESV)

Another type of person who can receive a miracle is those who are working for God, as long as they are not operating in presumption or unbelief. After the disciples asked for help for Peter’s mother-in-law, she got up and began serving them when she was healed. God knows your heart. If you will really follow and serve Him, this can also bring the miraculous into our lives.

Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ. (Luke 4:40-41 ESV)

The final example we have of those who can receive a miracle from God are those who hear about God’s power. Hearing about miracles happening for others may bring the gift of faith into your heart.

It is important to seek the presence of Jesus: this is where healing happens. When you are seeking a person, you are still focusing on the individual, not on God. The truth of presumption and receiving a miracle can be seen in the story of Elisha healing a leper:

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abanac and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:10-14 ESV)

When we presume that God will perform a miracle in a certain way, we may not receive one. If we are prideful, like those in Nazareth who assumed they would rule the world, and Naaman who didn’t want to enter a river that wasn’t as good as the ones in his homeland, then we may not receive a miracle.

Elisha was a prophet, a mouthpiece of God. When Naaman listened to and followed his instructions, he received the miracle. Just as those who listened to Jesus and sought to be in His presence, the presence of God, received a miracle. Going to where God’s presence is to connect with God may help you receive a miracle, but it isn’t always necessary.

I have been instantly, miraculously healed of a medically documented condition (bulging disc causing seizures) by seeking to be in the presence of God. I knew if I could be where His presence was, I would be healed. I sacrificed a family vacation to go to where I knew He would be, and I received an instant miraculous healing back in 2011. I brought that ministry to the body of Christ, ushering in God’s presence, giving an offering to acknowledge what I had received from them. I am still healed today because I have been learning and applying God’s ways.

I have also been healed of a deviated septum and chronic allergies by seeking to be close to God in prayer, right in my bed, as I learned and applied God’s ways to my life. I was also healed of a torn rotator cuff, which happened because I didn’t listen to a warning from the Holy Spirit. This injury occurred after surgery when an excruciatingly painful physical therapy session left me in pain and unable to effectively use my arm. I had to continue walking closely with God for over a year before He healed it completely, and to this day, it remains at 100% functionality.

God is able to bring miracles into our lives in many different ways, if we are willing to do things His way. Are you willing to let go of your traditions and presumptions? I hope you will begin the Removing Attacks classes today!