Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 4:31

"And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day:" — Luke 4:31 (ASV)

Luke has already mentioned Capernaum (v.23), a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, as a center of miraculous activity in the ministry of Jesus. The expression “went down” reflects the descent necessary from the elevated situation of Nazareth to the coastal plain.

As was his custom, Jesus attended the synagogue (v.33) and began to teach there. The people listening to him, like those in Nazareth, were amazed, especially because this teacher, who in their eyes was not even a rabbi, taught with authority. The majority of rabbis would base their teaching on the chain of tradition, citing the opinions of their predecessors. Jesus’ teaching, however, had authority inherent in his message (cf. v.36).