The Temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-12)

I suppose a question that often comes to mind is, ‘What may happen to us after we have had a significant spiritual experience?’ Jesus had recently had a wonderful experience at his baptism when he was empowered by the Spirit for engaging in his public ministry. Moreover, he had received an amazing personal endorsement and expression of appreciation from the heavenly Father. We may want to ask, if we did not know the story, ‘What would happen next?’

It is worth noting that so far Jesus does not have any disciples. The forty-day period in the desert when he was tempted by the devil took place before John the Baptist announced to Andrew and his friend that Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. As we know, Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t mention those initial meetings with Jesus that were given to Andrew, Simon and probably John the apostle. Their meetings with Jesus occurred after Luke 4:13 because we know from John’s account that they returned with Jesus to Galilee. So before Jesus could call any disciples, he first had to deal with the enemy of their souls.

A declaration of war

The apostle John wrote many years after this period that the reason why the Son of God came was to destroy the works of the devil. There is more than one way to destroy a person’s power. We can do so by using our power if it happens to be greater and prevent them attacking us; we could prevent any help coming to our opponents and isolate them; or we could let them use their strongest weapons and show that they are ineffective against us.

The obvious feature of the onset of the period of temptation is that Jesus was led to go there by the Holy Spirit. Mark even says that ‘The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness’, which points to a powerful persuasion and desire to participate in the engagement. There was a strong determination in the heart of Jesus to go and deal with the devil. Moreover, the Spirit also led him in the wilderness for forty days as well as into the wilderness initially.

Why would he want to deal with the devil? One answer is that Jesus gave a clear indication of what his public ministry would involve. During it he was going to deal with various activities connected to the enemy of our souls. This explains why Jesus chose to deal with people who were obviously under the influence of demon possession. Individuals like Mary Magdalene and the deranged man from Gadara who were indwelt by numerous demons were delivered by Jesus. So we could say that Luke here is telling his readers to expect episodes of spiritual warfare until the campaign of Jesus comes to a close.

Another answer to the question about why Jesus wanted to deal with the devil is that he was determined to defeat the devil because of what he had done to the human race in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of earthly history. We know from the Book of Genesis that the devil had found it very easy to tempt our first parents and cause them to depart from God’s requirements. The devil did this in an environment that would have helped Adam and Eve to resist the temptation. After all, they were living amid the beauty and the bounty that the Lord had given to them.

Of course, it is not possible on earth to find such an environment now. Instead, the earth is enduring the consequences of the curse placed on it at the beginning. So the engagement had to take place in a location that showed the effects of the devil’s defeat of Adam and Eve. This is why it is taking place in a desert, which was not like the garden of Eden; this is why, as Mark says, Jesus was with wild animals, which was not like the garden of Eden; this is why Jesus found himself in a place with no provision, which was not like the garden of Eden.

A two-stage engagement

Luke divides the period in the desert into two: he mentions the period of forty days and then he mentions a shorter period in which Jesus faced three particular temptations. We would like to know what Jesus did during those forty days because it looks like it was a period of intense consecration as indicated by it also being a period of fasting for Jesus. All Luke says about the forty days is that Jesus was tempted throughout them and that he did not fall to any of the temptations. We don’t know what those temptations were, and since we are not told there is no point speculating.

The Gospel writers, however, tell us about the three specific temptations that occurred after the period of forty days was over. What do they tell us about what the devil was trying to do as he fought back against Jesus? One suggestion is that the first temptation was about something personal, the second temptation was about something global, and the third temptation was about something connected to worship in the temple. Another way at summarising them is that they were about provision, power and protection, and whether or not Jesus would look to God to provide those blessings.

Temptation 1

The first temptation in Luke’s order is connected to two things. One of them is linked to the endorsement that the Father gave at the baptism when he said that Jesus was his beloved Son. Here the devil says, ‘If you are the Son of God…’ The second connection is linked to the physical state of Jesus at that time – he was hungry and the devil suggested to Jesus that he could turn stones into bread. What was the devil tempting Jesus to do? It looks as if he was suggesting to Jesus that he should use his deity to help his humanity. Imagine if Jesus were to do so. Instead of making chairs as a carpenter, he could create them immediately. Instead of having nowhere to lay his head, he could create a house everywhere he went. Instead of being hungry, he could create the best bread that had ever been seen.

This was a subtle temptation that Jesus should cease to be a servant. Instead of doing what the Father wanted him to do, he should do what he was capable of doing. Jesus had the power to avoid pain, but what would have happened to us if he had chosen that path? Of course, Jesus did use his divine powers to help others when they were in situations of need, but he did not used them to benefit himself. Jesus was on a mission to deliver us from the penalty of sin and not on a mission to perform miracles for selfish reasons. Therefore, the devil was told that the food of Jesus was to live according to what the Bible said he should do, which was to obey God’s Word. Nothing would distract him from doing so.

Temptation 2

The second temptation was connected to the promises found in Psalm 2 where the Father says to his Son that when he asks for them he will be given the nations for his inheritance. Here the devil claims that he is the one who can give this to Jesus. We should be appalled at the flagrant assertions that the devil makes here, lying in the presence of the eternal Son. The devil somehow is able to show to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. I doubt if the devil knew how Jesus would obtain universal authority – it would be his reward for his achievement on the cross. Yet the devil’s ignorance would not have diminished the force of the temptation, which was for Jesus to get glory without the cross.

The devil used a biblical principal to try and persuade Jesus. It is only the one who deserves worship who can give this reward. Of course, the devil did not have the power or the desire to give anything to Jesus. And he discovered that he could not divert Jesus from obtaining his promised inheritance by serving the Father, who had sent him into the world.

Temptation 3

The third temptation involved the suggestion that Jesus perform a spectacular stunt that would show to everyone that he was being looked after by the heavenly host. Satan quotes from Psalm 91, although the promise in the psalm is not connected to jumping off the temple. Instead it is a promise about how one walks through life. The devil was taking a verse out of its context, and he still uses that method. Jesus refused and again quoted from a verse in Deuteronomy. Satan tried to get Jesus to make a leap of faith that would be presumption rather than faith.

Did the devil realise that with this third answer Jesus was claiming to be God? After all, Satan was trying to test Jesus, and the Saviour’s response was to rebuke the devil for suggesting that Jesus should test God. Yet the reply of Jesus could be a claim to deity, as if the devil was being told that he should not be testing Jesus because he is God. Whether the devil realised it or not, he decided to leave the field of battle. Jesus had won in the wilderness.

Applications

There are many lessons that we can draw from this incident. First, we see in it many wonderful truths about Jesus. We observe his humility in allowing himself to be attacked by the devil. It would not have been difficult for Jesus to destroy the devil. But that was not the kind of victory that was required from Jesus. Instead, he was to succeed where Adam failed. Adam failed in disobeying the word of God. Jesus succeeded by obeying the Word of God consistently.

We are not to imagine that Jesus succeeded merely by quoting verses at the devil. His triumph was the outcome of living according to the requirements of the Bible. If Jesus had not been living according to the Bible, the devil would have focussed on those areas. There was nothing in the life of Jesus that gave the devil an opportunity to defeat him.

Nor are we to imagine that Jesus because he was sinless was tempted less than we are. Often when we are tempted we give in very quickly. Those who hold out the longest feel more of temptation’s power. Jesus broke the power of temptation by refusing to give in to any of the ones suggested by the devil.

We should also note that all of the temptations that Jesus faced came from outside of him. They did not arise from within him. This is a reminder of his perfect holiness. In him was no sin. We can be tempted by an action because we want to do it. Often we don’t mind being tempted. Jesus hated the experience of temptation and despised the possibility of succumbing to it. There was nothing in him that was attracted to the devil’s suggestions.

Jesus is the perfect example of resisting the devil and doing so until the tempter gives up. The obvious response to temptation is to say no, and keep on obeying the instructions of God. It is also the case that we need to understand the Bible because sometimes the devil can misuse it in order to persuade us to do something wrong.

So the campaign has started in a public way. There would be many more skirmishes between Jesus and the devil. Yet when this first one was over, Jesus would know that he was a step nearer the battle with darkness that would take place on the cross.

Preached on 31/7/2016