Luke 4:1-15
A. INTRODUCTION
We all see things from different perspectives. We come from different backgrounds, we think differently, and we have different hopes and aspirations. Indeed, no two people see things exactly the same. Oh, yes some of our basic assumptions, some of our basic beliefs, and some of our understandings may be the same. But each of us sees things, in a unique manner, different from each another.
As a consequence, if we all went to the same play or concert we would all come out offering a different opinion. Some of us would have loved it, others hated it, and others with all shades in between.
If we all went to the same reception or dinner, we would all come out either having enjoyed it, or been bored stiff, or something in between.
And if, by some chance, something unusual happened—which we all witnessed and were asked to explain—no doubt, we would come up with a number of variations of the event, dependent upon what we saw from our own unique perspective.
Perspective is an amazing thing. And is it any wonder, then, that when it comes to relationships that we get things wrong and that we tie ourselves up in knots. Because even though two people can be talking about exactly the same thing, and maybe using exactly the same words, at times, they can be seeing things from two completely different perspectives.
B. THE THREE TEMPTATIONS (Luke 4:1-15)
And one of the Bible stories, where a matter of perspective is important, is the story about Jesus being led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Because while he was in the wilderness he fasted, and he fasted for forty days and forty nights. Then, at the end of his fast when he was at his weakest, he was tempted by the devil. On the surface, then, it looks as though it’s a nice easy story, and one where Jesus successful beats off all three temptations of the devil. But it’s not quite as simple as that.
But let’s begin with the temptations themselves.
1. First Temptation
Because, firstly, Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread. In other words, he was tempted to use his own powers for his own ends.
As a consequence, he was tempted to do something that would strike at his relationship with the Father. And his response was that human life does not depend primarily on physical food, but had a far more basic need to be met. And that was a relationship with the Father. And Jesus believed that God had looked after him up until then, and he was confident that he would continue to look after him from then on.
2. Second Temptation
Secondly, Jesus was tempted to worship the devil. And in doing so, he was taken to a very high mountain and shown the kingdoms of the world. ‘All of this will be yours,’ the devil said, ‘if you pay me reverence.’
But again, Jesus refused. His concept of the world was that the realms and authority were not the devils to give away. They belonged in the hands of God. The temptation was therefore to give to the devil what properly belonged to God. So Jesus’s answer was to simply reaffirm the truth that Father was the only one true god. And therefore the relationship of Jesus with the Father remained intact.
3. The Third Temptation
And thirdly, Jesus was tempted to test God, by standing on the highest part of the Temple and throwing himself off. ‘You will come to no harm,’ the devil sneakily quoted from the Psalms. ‘God will protect you from all kinds of danger; God’s angels will rescue you.’
To which Jesus’s response was to refuse again. But then, he refused to put God to the test. He knew that God would protect him, and he didn’t need to do a stunt like that to prove it.
4. Comment
As I said, on the surface, a simple straightforward story. Except for the fact that behind each of Jesus’s responses there is a history lesson. And one of which many of his listeners, steeped in the Old Testament stories, would have recognised.
C. AN OLD TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE
Because this was not just a story of Jesus being tempted by the devil, this was a story of contrasts between how Jesus responded to temptation and how God’s people had responded to temptation.
Because in the dim dark past God’s people had wandered for forty years in the wilderness. And they had faced many troubles and temptations of their own. However, at one particular point in their history they were at the point of entering the Promised Land. But, before they crossed the Jordan, to their new home, Moses insisted on gathering the people together with the specific purpose of getting them to not only admit their mistakes and failings, but to renew their commitment to God as well.
And the words that Jesus used each time that the devil tempted him—those three times—are quotations from this one significant historical event. And that puts a whole different perspective on those three temptations.
1. First Temptation
So, when Jesus responded to the temptation to turn stones into bread—by responding that ‘Man is not to live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Deuteronomy 8:3). yes, Jesus was showing his understanding of the basic need to be obedient to God, but he was doing so from the perspective of a time when the people hadn’t been obedient at all.
Indeed, it had been a time when God’s people had been hungry in the desert. They had trusted God to lead them so far, and to cater for their needs, but for some reason they refused to trust him any further. So, they grumbled against their leaders—against Moses and Aaron—and they yearned for the ‘good old times’ back in Egypt where they had plenty of food (Exodus 16:1-36).
2. Second Temptation
When Jesus responded to the temptation to worship the devil—and his response was ‘You are to worship the Lord your God. You are to serve only him’ (Deuteronomy 6:13)—yes, Jesus was showing that he accepted God as the only true God, but he was doing so from the perspective of the time that God’s people chased after other gods.
Because even after all the things that God had done for them, they had chased after other gods. While Moses was up the mountain, they had made a golden calf, and had begun to worship it (Exodus 32:4). And that wasn’t the only time that God’s people had adopted other gods on their journey.
3. Third temptation
And when Jesus was tempted to test God by throwing himself of a tall building in the belief that God would save him—and his response was, ‘You are not to test the Lord your God’ (Deuteronomy 6:16), yes, he was acknowledging that he didn’t need to test God to know that he was genuine, but he was doing so from the perspective of how God’s people had become thirsty, and had lost their faith in God to see them through.
It was a time when the people had started to quarrel with Moses and demanded that he should provide something for them to drink. And, at the time, they even grumbled about how better off they would have been staying in Egypt.
4. Summary
So, when Jesus replied to those the temptations of the devil, he not only showed himself to be a man of God—and steeped in the scriptures—but in his responses he put his replies into perspective with the responses of the people of God who were weak in faith. And, as a consequence, he showed the reality of human weaknesses and failings; the importance of a relationship with God; and the gulf there is between our failings and the goal of faith, to which all people should be striving to attain.
Israel faced with either trusting in God or putting their faith in someone or something else had failed the test. And they had failed it time after time, even with their experiences of God coming to the rescue. With Jesus however, Jesus faced the same temptations as God’s people had before him, and yet he passed each test with flying colours. And that puts a whole new perspective on the story of Jesus’s temptations in the wilderness.
D. IMPLICATIONS
Now, of course, all that is all very well and interesting. But how does it help us? How can we put the story—or even apply the story—so that it’s relevant to our everyday lives? In short, what should we do when we are tempted?
Well, from a general perspective, we need to realise that in none of the three temptations did the devil try to tempt Jesus to doubt his divine sonship. No! They were all designed to put a wedge between Jesus and his Father. What that means for us then is that when we are tempted, we need to realise, what is at stake. And that is our relationship with God, nothing more and nothing less. And if we fail the test, then we really do have a lot to lose.
1. Trusting In God Alone
More specifically regarding ‘Man is not to live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’ the reality is, that sometimes we face situations where we want or need things. And the temptation is that we use our own abilities to resolve those situations. And despite what God has done for us in the past—and what he has provided or even promised to provide—we do things in our own strength, using our own abilities, and leave God totally out of the equation. And it is very easy to lose sight of the fact that God wants to supply our needs.
Now, if we give into temptations like that. If we have the supreme confidence in what we can do for ourselves—by leaving God out of the equation—we too will end up denying God and, effectively, put a wedge between ourselves and God.
Instead, we are required to resist such temptations. We are to rely on God to see to our needs, no matter big or small. And if we do that, then not only will we keep our relationship with God intact but we will be blessed by God with the things that we need for life as well.
2. Serving God Alone
Regarding ‘You are to worship the Lord your God. You are to serve only him,’ sometimes we might be tempted to turn our back on God and find other things that take his place.
However, all these do is to take us away from God. Resulting in us neglecting God, stopping meeting together, stopping reading the Bible, stopping us having faith, and generally relegating God to being either non-essential, irrelevant, or an optional extra.
But if we resist the temptation then we really are making a statement about our faith. And that’s very sensible because there is no other way. There is only one God to be worshipped and adored. And, in reality, we are totally dependent upon him.
3. Not Testing God
And regarding ‘You are not to test the Lord your God’, sometimes we might make demands on God to resolve certain problems or dilemmas.
Now without a doubt we can all go through crises in life. And there’s always that temptation to bargain with God: ‘If you do this, I’ll do that’. Or even there may be times when we risk our own safety believing that God will protect us.
However, what we are required to do is to resist any such temptation. True faith is about respecting God, having trust in him to look after us and protect us; and knowing that we can rely on him, And that kind of faith does not give room for demanding him to prove who he is time after time after time.
E. CONCLUSION
So, there are different perspectives, and we all see things from different angles. Some basic things we share, others we will disagree with, and then there are all the shades in-between.
When it comes to the perspective of faith, however, the story of Jesus in the wilderness is not just a helpful story in itself, but is also helpful in terms of a comparison between Jesus—one man who had perfect faith—and the rest of us, with all our faults and failings.
Because the one thing that stands out in this story is the gulf between our abilities and the high ideals as realised by Jesus. It gives us a picture of the kind of dependence upon God that we have. And it’s a picture of the kind of seriousness we need to have to maintain our faith. And this is what we all would do well to take to heart.
Now none of us are as perfect as Jesus, the model of obedience. None of us get it right one hundred percent of the time. In many ways we’re probably more like the people of God who made mistakes and fell at almost every hurdle.
But, when the people of God looked longingly across the Jordan at the Promised Land and were given a chance to admit their failings and to have a new start, they grabbed it. And that’s what we have to do today, too.
Today, we have an opportunity—an opportunity to take seriously our faith in God, in terms of trusting in God alone for our needs; serving God and no other; and not testing God but giving him all the respect he deserves.
And if we do that. We might not yet be perfect. But at least we are on our way to the ideal that Jesus set so many years ago.
Posted: 12th March 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
