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| A Study of Luke 4:1-13 | |
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| Introduction We have all gone through times of testing – times which tried our patience and tested our faith. Christians are not immune from troubles. I played in nationally-rated chess tournaments for years. The one thing all tournament chessplayers had to guard against was making a mistake when your position was under attack. The pressure of defending a difficult position would often cause careless errors. I’ll never forget a game I was playing against a much-higher ranked player than myself who was from Fresno. Even though the position was relatively even, I was applying a lot of pressure. Every time he parried one threat I seemed to find another way to continue the attack. Finally, he made a blunder and lost a knight and the game. Afterwards I was analyzing the game with some other Fresno chessplayers. Their attitude was: you only won because our player made a mistake. They didn’t realize that fatal mistake was preceded by a series of pressure-creating moves that finally resulted in a collapse of concentration. All tournament chessplayers face that – they have to try to not emotionally respond to a tense situation on the chessboard and allow their game to fall apart. This is why God allows testing to come our way. He wants us to learn how to not respond to the pressure, and learn how to go through the difficulty without being crushed emotionally. Jean-Pierre de Caussade wrote in the 1700’s, "To live by faith is to live joyfully, to live with assurance, untroubled by doubts and with complete confidence in all we have to do and suffer at each moment by the will of God. We must realize that it is in order to stimulate and sustain this faith that God allows the soul to be buffeted and swept away by the raging torrent of so much distress, so many troubles, so much embarrassment and weakness, and so many setbacks. For it is essential to have faith to find God behind all this." Verse 1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit. Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry and he was led into the wilderness, "by the Spirit." It is God’s plan to lead us into times of testing so we can prove our faith and our commitment to him. Before Moses could lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, he had to spend 40 years in the wilderness. Before Paul would embark on his calling as the missionary to the gentiles, he had to spend time in the desert of Arabia (Galatians 1:17-18). Times in the wilderness are times of preparation for ministry. Verse 2 For forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. This verse does not say that Jesus spent 40 days praying and being in communion with God. This was not a time of refreshing, but he was "being forty days in the wilderness tempted of the devil." Thank God that he shortens our time of testing. How could we ever endure what our Savior must have had to go through for those 40 days? When we are tempted, Jesus will give us strength to overcome. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises us, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Notice that it was only after the time of testing that Jesus had that time of refreshing. The parallel passage in Matthew 4:11 tells us, "Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." Although Jesus was tempted during other times of his ministry, Geldenhuys points out, "Nevertheless the temptations in the wilderness were special temptations. They were not merely intended to tempt Jesus as Man, but to attack Him as the Messiah. This is evident from the fact that the temptations came immediately after His baptism when He had finally taken upon Himself His vocation as Saviour, and when God, by means of the heavenly voice, had given His approval to His decision and conduct, and had also equipped Him for carrying out this vocation by the special impartation of the Holy Ghost in all His fullness." Observe that this time of temptation was framed by two times of spiritual blessing. The first was Jesus baptism in Matthew 3:13-17 when he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove upon him. Now we know from Matthew 3:14-15 that Jesus did not need to be baptized. He did this for our benefit. That we might understand, not only the need for baptism, but also realize that after times of great spiritual blessing may come times of testing. But after the testing once again came a time of refreshing as the angels ministered unto Jesus. If you are going through a trial, know that soon after your time of testing is over, God will be sending his angels to encourage and uplift you. Verses 3-4 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.’" In verses 3-12 Satan brings three temptations to Jesus. First (verses 3-4) the appetite of the flesh, second (verses 5-8) the desire for fame and honor, and third (verses 9-12) spiritual pride. If Jesus were tested in these areas, you can probably figure that we will face similar temptations. In verses 3-4 Satan tempts Jesus with the appetite of the flesh. Remember, Jesus had been fasting for forty days and no doubt was very hungry. Satan came at Christ's weakest moment. What appetite of the flesh are you tempted by? Our society has become so focused on our own pleasures that we may find it difficult to not give in to our own whims and desires. Self-indulgence seems to be the rule of the day. Lust, pornography, alcohol, drug use, and sexual immorality are common occurrences in peoples’ lives today. Notice that Jesus overcame this temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, "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 that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." When we are tempted by things of the flesh, let us be ready to stand firm and trust in God’s word to give us strength to overcome. Verses 5-8 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 shall all be yours." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’" The next test Jesus has to face is the temptation of fame and honor. I wonder how many people have abandoned God and the church to pursue fame and honor. How many popular singers today started by singing in church, but abandoned their heritage for the glamour of the bright lights. They received a moment of fleeting fame, but they turned their backs on God. What honor are you chasing after? Is recognition of man more important to you than God’s work? Are you so busy chasing after a promotion, looking for recognition in community service, or obtaining a bigger and more impressive house that you have no time for God? Jesus was offered all the glory and authority of the world. But he would not abandon the glory and majesty of heaven for a fleeting moment of this world’s honor. Once again Jesus answers Satan’s temptation with scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, "You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve him, and swear by his name." When we are swayed by the glamour of fame and honor, let us not lose sight of the one who grants us true honor and heavenly glory. The glory of this world will soon pass away, but the glory of the world to come will stand for all eternity. Verses 9-12 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 give his angels charge of 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 tempt the Lord your God.’" This last temptation from Satan is the most subtle. It is an appeal to spiritual pride. The devil tells Jesus, If you really are spiritual, prove it. How many times have churches split and new denominations been formed because of spiritual pride? How many times have pastors left a church because they were too proud to humble themselves? And how many Christians have been led astray by leaders who were too stubborn to admit they were wrong? Notice that not only did Satan tempt Jesus with spiritual pride but he quoted scripture to make his point. As Foster points out, "The devil always makes his temptations seem attractive." A lot of people quote scripture to justify their behavior, but they are just as wrong as the devil was. What is your pride preventing you from doing for God? What people in Merced do you feel too good or too spiritual to be able to help? We can all feel very proud spiritually. We can look at our life and think, I have never committed a crime, I have lived a good moral life, I attend church faithfully and tithe regularly. And then we look down our nose at others who have had a difficult life. We say we want to help them, but we reach out with a condescending hand and a haughty attitude. Notice Jesus once again answers with a quote from the Bible, this time from Deuteronomy 6:16, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah." Every time we feel prideful we are testing God’s patience. We are saying that we are something that we are not. Let us not succumb to spiritual pride, but in humility put others ahead of ourselves. In verses 3-12 we saw how Satan brought three temptations to Jesus – the appetite of the flesh, the desire for fame and honor, and spiritual pride. Satan will bring the same temptations to us. When temptation came, Jesus overcame them through God’s word. This is why it is essential that we learn and study the Bible. We need to know scripture that we may use it in times of trial. Knowing God’s word helps us to take a stand of faith, but it also comforts us when we are in need. If we believe that God’s word is important, then we need to learn it. We should be like the psalmist who wrote in Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Revelation 12:11 tells us how the saints will overcome Satan’s accusations, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Geldenhuys comments on Jesus’ use of scripture to overcome temptation, "Here, as throughout the Gospels, we see how Jesus acknowledges the absolute authority of the Word of God and maintains it as guiding principle of His life as Man. What is written therein gives to Him the final, conclusive answer. So He does not argue with the devil, but again and again repels him unconditionally by means of a single pronouncement from God’s word." Verse 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. The trial will end. It ended for Jesus; it will end for us. When we are going through the darkest part of any time of testing, we may not be able to see the end. But we need to stand firm in faith. Our trials will come to an end, and then will come a time of refreshing and renewal. Wait on the Lord and trust in him. We need to be like the early church who, as we are told in Acts 4:41 , were "...rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." And we need to understand what Paul is telling us in Philippians 1:29, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." No time of testing is pleasant. But Jesus went through his wilderness experience so we would understand that trials are part of our Christian walk. When we do find ourselves in the desert places of our life, then we can follow the example of Jesus: stand firm in our faith, believe in his word, and resist the desires of this world. Footnotes: This study on Luke 4:1-13 © 1997 by David
Humpal. All rights reserved. |
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