On Line Bible Study - For the week February 8 - 14, 2010

Lesson 426

The text under consideration today can be found at the following link - Note: the passage is taken from The Message.

Luke 4:1-13 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204&version=MSG

Once Jesus is presented to us and the details of his baptism are taken care of, we read this fascinating story of his encounter with Satan. Darrell Bock points out several things to be aware of in this pericope:

1. Jesus' allegiance to God is unswerving.
2. The battle between Jesus and Satan begins here, and continues throughout the rest of the Gospel.
3. Jesus succeeds in the wilderness, whereas Israel failed.

This last point deserves further comment. Not only did Israel fail in their "wilderness experience", turning from God to a golden calf; so do we. The various idols of our lives are lined up to give testimony against us - whether our addictions to food, power, exercise, prestige, security. Jesus resists them all, consistently walking the narrow line of absolute faithfulness to God.

Notice that Jesus is both "filled with the Spirit" and "led by the Spirit". The passage is reminiscent of Simeon (Luke 2:25-27), for the "Holy Spirit was on him", and the "Holy Spirit moved him" to go to the Temple. In the Gospels, only Luke has this double-reference to the Holy Spirit. While Mark and Matthew indicate it was the Spirit that led him (or, in Mark, sent him, or cast him) into the wilderness, Luke makes it clear that Jesus is filled with the Spirit.

There are three temptations:

1. To turn a stone into bread, thus assuaging hunger.
2. To attain power and authority by worshiping the devil.
3. To test God's protection (love?).

But are these three different temptations, or various expressions of one temptation? Does God provide, or not, whether we are talking about food, the power we need to meaningfully live our lives, or protection? There is nothing wrong with the miraculous provision of food; Jesus fed the crowds without compromising his relationship with his Father.

Though the setting is different, there is an interesting corollary with Jesus in the wilderness and Adam in the garden. Bock points out that, with every need satisfied, with access to the food and fruit from every tree save one, Adam succumbs to the devil's lies. Jesus, on the other hand, in a state of physical compromise, holds fast to his faith in God and his obedience to his Father. This separates Jesus out from the rest of us.

Much is written about the variation in the order of temptations, the subtle difference in the language between the gospels, the source for the story (Was Jesus himself the source for this, given the fact he was alone, without any disciples at the time? Did he tell them about this experience?). Perhaps the temptations serve to demonstrate the devil's attempt to undo what had happened at Jesus' baptism. Recall the voice from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Jesus believed it. The devil could not alter it. And in his resistance to the temptations, Jesus proved it to be true.