Day 7, Temptations of Jesus, Lk 4:1-13; Gn. 3:6; 1 Jn 2:16

The god of this age, who tempted our Lord, has made hedonism, materialism and humanism the foundation of worldly philosophy (1 Jn. 2:15-17).  He appealed to this, both in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-6) and the desert of Judea.

·        The lust of the flesh (hedonism), 4:2-4.  Eve saw that the fruit was good for food.  She ate it and gave it to Adam.  Adam disobeyed God.  Jesus was hungry.  It is not a sin to eat when you are hungry.  But for Jesus to use His divine powers to diminish His earthly affliction would deny His incarnation.  He would not be our High Priest because He would not be able to say He shared our weaknesses.  He concluded from Scripture (Deut. 8:3) that hunger did not drive His life; His life was driven by every word of God.  How often have we assumed that the path with the least pain must be God’s will?

·        The lust of the eyes (materialism), 4:5-8.  Eve saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes.  She ate it and gave it to Adam.  Adam disobeyed God.  The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, kingdoms that were promised to Him by His Father (Ps. 2:6-9).  The devil ruled these kingdoms, whereas in God’s plan Jesus would only get them after great suffering.  The devil offers them without the pain if He would only bow to him.  Scripture is clear: we must worship and serve God and God alone (Deut. 6:13).  How often have we sought the prize (Phil. 3:14), assuming that the easy way must be God’s way?

·        The pride of life (humanism), 4:9-12.  Eve saw a tree that was desirable to make one wise.  She ate it and gave it to Adam.  Adam disobeyed God.  Jesus must have followers from Israel.  The devil had a great idea and even quoted Scripture to back it up.  “Put yourself in harm’s way, in front of the people.  God will miraculously save you.  You’ll be famous in Israel.  It will be great.”  The problem was that it defied Scripture (Deut. 6:16) and that meant it was a very bad idea.  Jesus waited until the time God exalted Him.  How often have we thought that the accolades of men are proof of the blessing of God?

Satan used all his tricks.  He covered all the points we experience.  He would return at an opportune time to try again.  He comes to us, often, and with better results for sure.  How can we resist the devil so he will flee from us?  Submit to God (Jas. 4:7).  Be steadfast in the faith (1 Pt. 5:8-9).  But how do we do that?  

It is time that we recognize that Spirit-filled people resist the devil with Scripture.  The Spirit does not work apart from Scripture.  We need all the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20) but what we lack is the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.  Jesus said, It is written … it is written … it has been said.  He had it memorized.  He resisted the devil the same way we must.  He did not have any advantage over us.  Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11).  Failure in this area is the reason why we and our children cannot stand up to the god of this age!

Day 6, Background on Jesus’ temptations, Luke 4:1-13

Let us continue to meditate on the terms of our passage.

·        Tempted, v2.  The Greek pierazo refers to a test, a problematical situation where we can trust God or trust ourselves or some other god.  God does not test us to get us to do evil (Jas. 1:12-16) but to reveal our hearts.  Jesus taught us to pray that we would not be led into temptation (Mt. 6:13; Lk. 11:4), and that we should pray so as not to enter into temptation (Mt. 26:41).  So note that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and it was then the Devil tempted Jesus.  We note several things: 1) temptation itself is not a sin; 2) God will not always keep us from these tests; 3) and Jesus experienced temptation from the Devil on other occasions (Lk. 4:13, the devil left until an opportune time).

·        Forty days, v2. 

o   Forty is used often in Scripture.  Several kings reigned forty years (e.g. 2 Sam. 5:4; 1 Ki. 11:42); it rained forty days in the flood (Gen. 7:12); Israel was forty years in the desert (Num. 14:33-34); Moses’ life was three forty year periods (Acts 7:23,30,36).  Forty could be seen to signify fullness, but sometimes it was fullness of good and sometimes fullness of bad.  

o   One thing we might be reminded of is Moses on Mt. Sinai forty days and nights when he first received the stone tablets with the Law and then for another forty days and nights interceding for Israel (Deut. 8:2).  The Scriptures make a connection between Moses and Jesus, Moses being faithful in all His house as a servant but Jesus faithful as a Son over His own house (Heb. 3:1-6).  Further, John reminds us the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:17).  

·        Devil, v2.  He is the slanderer (Grk. diabolo), the false accuser.  His temptations slander God, calling us to question His word and character.  (Has God indeed said, Gen. 3:1.  If you are the Son of God, Lk. 4:3.)  His temptations also slander the work of Christ as he seeks to cause the believer to sin.  For this reason the Devil is the accuser of our brethren (Rev. 12:10).

·        He ate nothing, v2.  Some wonder if Jesus’ fast was from food He usually ate.  Luke is clear: this was a total fast.  Fasting is defined by the phrase used in Israel on the Day of Atonement: you shall afflict your souls (Lev. 16:29).  Fasting is a discipline, like prayer and regular reading of Scripture.  

·        Hungry, v2.  This is not hard to define.  We all know hunger to one extent or another.  But this is the point!  Heb. 5:2 says that Jesus was subject to weakness.  Hunger, like being tired or in pain when you stub your toe, these are our weaknesses.  And Jesus experienced these.  He did not shield Himself by using the powers of His deity.  As Phil. 2:5-8 tells us, Jesus came in the likeness of men, humbling Himself even to the death of the cross.

Hopefully this gives us pause to reflect on our own path as we follow Jesus.

Day 5, The Filling of the Holy Spirit, Luke 4:1-13

(In Luke 3:23-38 is one of Jesus’ genealogies, the other being in Mt. 1.  Our study of this is part of our series on The Birth of Christ, in our blog Dec. 8, 2014 at http://ronandcindy.blogspot.com.  Matthew and Mark tell us Jesus’ temptation came immediately after His baptism.  Luke does not deny this but includes the genealogy here because it, as well as the baptism and temptation, belong at the outset of Jesus’ ministry.  The Father’s commendation and the coming of the Spirit [at the baptism], the identification with humanity [in the genealogy], and the sinless Savior [shown in the temptation] are fundamental to the gospel story.)

Let us begin by giving Biblical definition and context to several terms in Lk. 4.

·        Filled with the Holy Spirit, v1. 

o   To be filled with something is to be controlled by that thing.  In Lk. 5:7 the boats were full of fish so that they began to sink.  In Eph. 5:18, as being filled with wine causes us to act in a certain way, so we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  What fills us dictates how we live our lives.

o   Thus to be filled with the Spirit is the command for all believers (Eph. 5:18).  What we see is that Christ lived His sinless life by the same resource that is available to us.

o   We often think that we need to have more and more of the Holy Spirit until we are full of Him.  Actually, that is probably not quite right.  Believers today are indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the time they are born again (cf. Rom. 8:9-11).  The Spirit’s ministry is not to exalt Himself but to exalt Christ (John 15:26; 16:13-14).  Thus being filled with the Spirit is bound up in yielding/presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices (Rom. 6:13; 12:1).  It is letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16).  In this way we will walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16,25).

·        Led by the Spirit into the wilderness, v1. 

o   A comparison of the Gospels is interesting.  Mk. 1:12 says the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.  Matt. 4:1 indicates the Spirit led in the sense of a ship setting sail into the sea.  Luke’s term indicates leadership by accompanying someone to another place.  All these terms fit what is happening here.  When we are filled with the Spirit we are impelled or driven to go where He leads.  At this point in Jesus’ life He is setting sail into His years of ministry.  And as He goes into a lonely place, He is not alone as we are not alone: the Spirit of God goes with Him.

o   When the Holy Spirit controls us He is able to lead us where He desires.  He sent Jesus to a place where there were no other people (that is the definition of wilderness) to be tempted.  The ultimate tests are how we will respond to the Devil’s promptings when no one else is around, no one except the One who fills and controls us!

We will continue tomorrow.