| Luke 4:1-13 |
| 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” 5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 9Then the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. |
| There was a history of great biblical figures retreating for solitary fasting and contemplation before embarking on their greatest missions. Similarly, Jesus, just baptized, heads out into the desert. This would not be a debate between God and Satan. This would be a testing of the fully human Jesus. (I had to remind myself; Jesus was not half God and half human, but fully divine and fully human.) After 40 days, He is a weak, hungry human being; highly susceptible to temptation. Satan tempts Jesus to place Himself above His Heavenly Father’s wishes … “Jesus, You can exploit your power for selfish ends. You can have all the riches you desire, so why not start simply by making yourself comfortable with a nice feast (or at least a loaf of bread). Or perhaps, power is more important to you. Be the greatest earthly king ever known with Israel’s enemies avenged and with every nation bowing down to you on the throne of David. What’s not to like about that? But hey,” Satan continues, “if you insist on going through with this heavenly assignment, let’s actually put God to the test. Avoid the cross, and make it easy by revealing your divine nature to all humanity with such miraculous signs that all the world will immediately worship you!” Jesus prevails, but verse 13 ominously reminds us the devil is coming back. Jesus’ resolve is tested again in the garden just before his betrayal. Thanks be to God He prevailed – for us. Prayer: Lord, Grant us strength sufficient for our temptations. We are humbled that You resisted such great testing, choosing the path of difficulty and suffering to redeem us with Your death and resurrection. Infinitely indebted to you and unworthy of such grace, we give You thanks. —Marc Hanson |