The
Temptation of Jesus
[Luke chapter
4, verses 1-21]
For this
week's Bible study, we'll be moving on to Luke chapter four. Since
there is so much in here for us to digest, I will be breaking up
chapter four into two parts. This is a very well-known passage of
Scripture, so all you more seasoned Christians bear with me for the
sake of the newer believers. Besides, something tells me that for
many, they will be seeing a fresh point of view relating to this
story of Jesus' temptation in the desert. So let's begin at verse
one.
“Jesus,
full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the
Spirit into 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. The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God,
tell this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'Man does not live
on bread alone'.” (Luke 4: 1-4)
Could
anyone possibly picture themselves in this situation? Jesus went out
into the desert after being baptized in the Jordan river. This was
near Bethlehem, the place of his birth, but roughly northwest of
there in the desert area in what would be southeastern Israel today.
The high temperature in that desert would be about 90 degrees in the
winter, and much hotter in the summer. So here we have ample proof
that Jesus was the Son of God, because a normal human would not be
able to survive alone out in that desert heat without food for forty
days. Presumably Jesus had a little rain water to drink, but the
apostle Luke does not specify about that one way or the other.
So
the devil, or Satan or the 'Tempter', was attacking Jesus right from
the very start of his ministry. Besides having to deal with hunger
and exposure to the elements in a harsh environment, Jesus has his
arch-enemy taunting, teasing and belittling him at every turn.
Testing him, verbally abusing him, and pushing Jesus' patience well
beyond human limitations is what Satan did for forty days straight!
Satan was unrelenting in his attacks on our Lord, though he was
undoubtedly not allowed to harm Jesus physically. If Satan was
unrelenting in his attacks on the Son of God, then how much more is
this true for ourselves? The quote, “Man does not live on bread
alone” is taken from Deuteronomy 8: 3, which in its full context
reads, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that
comes from the mouth of the Lord”. So Jesus was saying to
Satan, “You can keep your bread and your stone. I am in need of
neither of them. I have my Father, and he supplies me with
everything.” We should all take a lesson here from our Lord to do
the same! Let's pick up now at verse 5.
“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 will worship me, it will all be
yours.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: Worship the Lord your God and
serve him only.'” (Luke 4: 5-8)
So
we can clearly see here that Satan showed Jesus every kingdom,
empire, and government in existence at that time, plus all the
empires of the past and into the future, simultaneously. This is
significant because it proves Satan can travel back and forth in
time, but by extension so can the Lord! Moreover, since God and Satan
are spirits and not physical beings, they are trans-dimensional as
well, and the above Scripture proves that to my satisfaction.
Hopefully it is to yours as well. But if not, try praying for more
faith! Remember, God answers all prayers having to do with faith,
that's a given. Also, as you have observed, Jesus turned down Satan's
offer, but that's just what's on the surface. If we go deeper, we
find Jesus rejected all the corruption that is inherent in every
government. As we know, traditional hierarchical governance and
corruption go hand in hand. It is up to us to do something about
that, but that's a Sunday sermon for another time.
“The
devil then led him to Jerusalem and set him up on the highest point
on 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'. Jesus
said, 'It says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test'. When the
devil had finished all his tempting, he left him until an opportune
time.” (Luke 4: 9-13)
I
see two things here that I think bear considerable emphasis. First,
Satan knows the Bible as well as Christ Jesus does, which is
sufficient warning for the rest of us not to ever underestimate
Satan. He is evil personified, the source of every kind of depravity
and immorality, of every murder and deceit, and the ultimate starter
of all the wars ever fought in humanity's history. This brings me to
the second thing, “he left him until an opportune time.”
Satan is relentless, he never gives up, he is obsessed with our
destruction, and he's determined to never stop until he either
achieves his objective or gets destroyed in the process. Satan is not
only evil, he is fanatical about it. It is for this exact reason that
we are to be equally fanatical while we continuously resist him! The
devil never stops trying, and neither should we! The Bible says,
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4: 7). Never
stop resisting Satan and the wrong temptations he brings! Otherwise,
the devil can and will consume you. Bearing this in mind, let's wrap
up the remainder of this week's study, taking up where we left off.
“Jesus
returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him
spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues,
and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been
brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was
his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah
was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is
written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed
me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to
release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat
down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened upon him,
and he began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in
your hearing.'” (Luke 4:14-21)
So
here's the scene – Jesus has gone into the synagogue at Nazareth on
the morning of the Sabbath (the Jewish Sabbath goes from sundown
Friday to sundown Saturday by our calendars today). It is his turn to
read on this particular morning, so he reads a quote from Isaiah
chapter 61, verses 1-2. First, Jesus proclaims 'good news to the
poor'. Contrary to popular belief within much of Christendom,
particularly here in the US, this verse does not tell us that Jesus
wants us all to be rich! On the contrary, it foretells a day when we
won't need money any more, because a time is coming when that entire
capitalist economic system will soon be destroyed. This is not an
idle threat, it is a fact and if Jesus said it will occur through one
of the prophets of his Father, then it surely will!
Jesus,
through the prophet Isaiah, then proclaims 'freedom for the
prisoners' and 'recovery of sight for the blind'. This does not mean
Jesus wants to let all the convicts out of jail, but that he wants to
set their spirit free and so to redeem their souls from the fires of
hell. He wants to give sight, not just to those who are physically
blind, but to all those individuals who are blinded by the deception
of Satan and his minions, so that they may see the light of truth,
which is Jesus Christ. Jesus also wants to free the oppressed! Show
me a dictator and I'll show you someone who is the polar opposite of
Christ, just like Satan. So it's safe to say here that all dictators
are demonic people, without exception.
Finally,
Jesus proclaimed in the middle of a church service that it was “the
year of the Lord's favor”. This 'year of the Lord's favor' refers
to a Jubilee year, which is a mutual canceling of debts (see
Leviticus 25, verses 8-17 for a detailed explanation of a Jubilee
year). As it is with many, so it shall be with property – this
entire economy of excessive profit at the expense of numerous others
is unjust, and it will come to an end. So hang in there, the era of
indebtedness is coming to a cataclysmic end. But, be watchful,
because it is likely that it will do so quite suddenly, catching many
people unawares. Don't let that day sneak up on you – get prepared
now! Stock up on nonperishable food, and get bottled water by the
gallon to make sure you have enough. You will need 1-2 gallons per
day per person in the event of a national emergency. Get your money
out of Wall Street or you will lose it all! Yes, I know, the Dow just
hit 19,000 the week this was written, but anyone who thinks it will
continue to up indefinitely is only fooling themselves.
In
closing, Jesus finished by saying, “Today this scripture is
fulfilled in your hearing.” So he was telling the entire
congregation, which probably was relatively small, that he was here
to finish the job Isaiah started. He was telling them that he was the
Jewish Messiah, yet not in so many words. What did the rest of the
men in the congregation think? Did they believe Jesus or not, and did
the rest of the town believe along with them? The answer to that
question comes next week, when we will (God willing) finish up Luke
chapter four. Until then, take good care, and keep Jesus in your
heart!
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