Luke
4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was
led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil.
He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was
famished. 3 The devil
said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become
bread.” 4 Jesus
answered him, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone.’” 5 Then the devil led him up to a
high place and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “To you I
will grant this whole realm—and the glory that goes along with it, for it has
been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. 7 So then, if you will worship
me, all this will be yours.” 8 Jesus
answered him, “It is written, ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and
serve only him.’” 9 Then
the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of the
temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from
here, 10 for it is
written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘with their hands they
will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered him, “It is
said, ‘You are not to put the
Lord your God to the test.’” 13 So
when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a
more opportune time. 14 Then
Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and news about him
spread throughout the surrounding countryside.
For the first Sunday of Lent it's, of course, very
traditional to begin with Jesus in the wilderness. This is a rich passage that
takes on much more meaning than is simply implied in the narrative due to the
Lenten themes at work.
Here are a few general observations: This event happens directly on the heels
of Jesus' baptism. And while Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit (a
positive sounding description), it was nonetheless the same Spirit who led
him out into the wilderness where for forty days he was tempted by the Devil.
The flow of the text indicates that temptation was ongoing throughout the
forty-day period, but we only get to listen in on the conversation at the end
of the forty days ...where it says and at the end of them he became hungry. While
it is not explicitly stated, the narrative gives every indication that this
'testing' (ekpeirazo) was the whole point of being led out into the
wilderness in the first place. Several questions result from this: (a) is God
the sort of God who throws his loved ones under the bus like that? (b) If
'testing' were required, why go all the way out in the middle of nowhere,
surely Satan could've tested Jesus in Capernaum or Nazareth?
In response to the first question... it doesn't always fit neatly into modern
theologies, but it must be admitted that the Bible presents God as regularly
'testing' his followers. This is especially true of the Patriarchs in the Old
Testament. The million dollar question that usually follows is whether or not
such 'tests of faith' are likely to be thrown our way--with the follow-up
observation usually being "I SURE HOPE NOT!" I think a helpful image
for us when we think like that is to remember what life as a toddler is like.
Anyone who's had kids knows that they don't usually go right from crawling to
running. There's an intermediate step of cruising around in a 'walker.' It
helps them get the hang of the whole walking upright thing. But parents know
they can't keep their kid in a walker. S/he has to be taken out & given a
chance to try it on their own. For the young child it's a faith issue. Yes the
walker is being taken away. Yes this seems a bit scary & wobbly. Yes, you
may even fall down and go boom,...but mom & dad are right there. It will be
ok. In many ways I think tests in the Bible can be seen in a similar way.
In the case of Jesus, of course part of what's going on is the presentation of
Jesus as perfectly holy and victorious. Often times we talk about how
"the devil is tempting us," when in reality it's just our old inner
sinful nature that's having its way. Jesus, on the other hand, was oppressed by
the Devil face-to-face and emerged victorious.
As far as the matter of being out in the wilderness for this temptation
experience, it seems to me that this is a way of setting the bar higher. Jesus
is alone; completely without any other resources. He has only his relationship
with the Heavenly Father... and of course The Word to see him through. Luke's
Gospel is not as overt as Matthew's in comparing Jesus as the faithful son in the Wilderness vs OT
Israel's unfaithfulness, but the underlying implications remain: God's OT
"son" the Children of Israel failed their test, God's ultimate Son
passed his. (See Deuteronomy chapters 6-8 for background)
One of the things about this narrative that has always struck me as very
pertinent for believers of all ages is that Jesus did battle with Satan under
the same limitations you and I face. He did not call an army of angels to his
defense. He did not throw lightening bolts at Satan. He didn't even engage in
lengthy rationalizations. He simply responded to every temptation with GOD'S
WORD. Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. In that sense, Jesus provides for us the
ultimate usable example of how to confront our own 'tempter'...whether
it's Satan, or just our old sinful nature.
Cheers,
T.M.
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