Jesus Tempted
TRANSLATION
(1) And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (2) for forty days where he was tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. When they were ended, he was hungry. (3) And the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” (4) And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
(5) And the devil led him up to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. (6) And he said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone whom I desire. (7) If you will worship me, it will all be yours.” (8) And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him alone shall you serve.’”
(9) And the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the highest point of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, (10) for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you, (11) and on their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (12) And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (13) And when the devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time.
OBSERVATIONS
Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness contained several important repetitions which help us discern its message. Luke used two titles to speak of the Savior: “Jesus” and “Son of God.” The first appeared four times, once at the beginning of the passage (vs. 1) and then three times in the repeated phrase, “And Jesus answered him” (vss. 4, 8, & 12). Twice in the first verse, Luke employed the term “Spirit” to emphasize that Jesus was both “full of the Holy Spirit” and “led by the Spirit” as he encountered his enemy. “Devil” occurred four times (vss. 2, 3, 5, & 13) while “tempted/temptation” occurred twice (vss. 2 & 13). Other repeated words included “bread” (vss. 3 & 4), “it is written/it is said” four times (vss. 4, 8, 10, & 12), “give” (twice in vs. 6), and “worship” (vss. 7 & 8).
OUTLINE
Led by the Holy Spirit and quoting from God’s Word, Jesus overcame the devil’s temptations…
– to satisfy his appetites by turning stones into bread. (1-4)
– to gain immediate authority by bowing down and worshiping him. (5-8)
– to demonstrate his divinity by testing God’s promises. (9-13)
IDEA STATEMENT
We overcome Satan’s temptations by countering his attacks with the skillful application of God’s Word.
APPLICATION
Each temptation Jesus faced was something to which the devil had himself aspired and failed to obtain in his rebellion against God. In the first case, Satan had sought to satisfy his own yearnings apart from God. In the second case, he had desired to establish his own power and authority independent of God. In the final case, he had made every attempt to become like God without submitting to God.
In each temptation the devil offered Jesus a shortcut to something which already belonged to him by the promise of the Father. As someone fully devoted to the Father’s glory and to waiting on the Father’s perfect timing, Jesus, the living Word, skillfully used the written Word to overcome each temptation by the Holy Spirit’s power. If we, like Jesus, were to know God’s Word and were able to use it as skillfully as he by trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit, we would be able to overcome whatever temptations come our way. What an example he set for all of us in resisting the enemy of our souls!