“Jesus, full of the Holy spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was very hungry.” Luke 4:1-2 A forty-day fast! That is a long time to go without food. At the end of forty days, I would think a person would be very weak and have difficulty thinking clearly. It would put a person at high risk for failure at anything.
While we are not told what Jesus did during those forty days other than that he was in the desert, I imagine he was spending a lot of time talking with his Father about how to go about showing himself to be the Christ, the Messiah, and how to help people understand the love of the Father for his children – all of us. They may have talked about whether or not physical healings would help or hinder. They may have talked about how to approach the religious leaders who thought they knew everything there was to know about God, but were missing some very important things.
After Jesus had been without food for forty days, who would show up but the devil – stomping on a man in his weakest moment? “The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Luke 4:3 What is it the devil is tempting Jesus with? Obviously, it was food – sustenance. He hasn’t eaten for forty days and bread would taste pretty good right now. What would be wrong with Jesus making a stone into bread? Probably nothing. But Jesus’ answer would indicate the temptation is more than just food. “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’” Luke 4:4 Matthew adds, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 I wonder if what Jesus was dealing with here was motive. Why do we do what we do? Is it motivated by self-satisfaction, fitting in with others, or is it to honor and glorify God? God had not released Jesus to eat just yet, and certainly not at the hand of the devil! Jesus answer according to Matthew also indicates that God is our true source of everything we need. We need not turn to the world or the devil to eat our fill.
“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’” Luke 4:5-7 Jesus could supposedly have all the riches and power in the world if he bowed to Satan. How far will I go to gain worldly wealth and control over others? What will I bow to? Is it truly Satan’s to give? Again, Jesus responds by quoting Scripture, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:8 It seems Jesus was quite aware of who the true Creator and Master of the universe was and it wasn’t the devil. All the wealth and power in the world would not make Jesus bend a knee to anyone other than the Father in heaven. I wonder if my worship is always in the right place. Am I so sure of who God is that I don’t need to try to gain worldly wealth and power for myself? Is my heart completely focused on God and content with his gifts or do I let myself at times fall into seeking power and wealth that are not mine?
“The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Luke 4:9-11 Wow! The devil basically said, “You keep quoting Scripture. Well here is some Scripture for you.” Would he catch Jesus with this one? What is he tempting Jesus with? I wonder if it has something to do with who is in control? Children are masters of control. If they want their parent to stop doing something and pay attention to them, they will start getting into things they know they are not supposed to in order to get the parent to stop talking on the phone or paying the bills and pay attention to them. Isn’t this, in a way, what the devil was asking Jesus to do with God? Jesus could control the situation by putting himself at risk and ‘making’ God rescue him. But Jesus wisely responds, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Luke 4:12 Jesus knew that taking Scripture out of context was not a good idea and he had other Scripture to help keep his focus and interpretation correct.
I wonder how many times I wonder off on my own thing and try to get God to come with me – “God, please bless my project or detour,” rather than seeking where God is going and try to align my thoughts with his and my heart with his? I wonder why Jesus had to go through these temptations. Yet it seems he addresses the most powerful things in this world that can make us wander away from God. If we can learn from Jesus and respond by always turning our hearts and minds to God, trusting him for sustenance, worshiping only him, and following him rather than trying to lead him, just maybe we can get through this life without major falls. I hope I can get better at remembering to ask myself about my motives before responding to something, worshiping God rather than seeking control, and seeking God’s path rather than asking him to bless mine.
Thank you Jesus for showing me how to interpret and deal with temptations in my life. I don’t have to give in and say, “The devil made me do it.” But I can stand strong, trusting you to care for me, worshiping the one and only God, and seeking to follow you. You are my God, the one I serve, worship and adore.
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