Angels looking down at St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican.
“If you are the Son of God, jump off!” Luke 4:9
Do we leave God’s protective cover, inadvertently or through willful disobedience? When I was at university, one of my closest friends was killed in a car accident. I was later stunned when a friend explained that she died because she had left God’s protection and was outside his will. Not exactly words of comfort. I turned to my Bible in desperation, trying to make sense of this tragedy, and came across these words: “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?” (1 Corinthians 2:11). I immediately felt peace and understood that I didn’t need to be the judge. I might never figure out why she died, but I didn’t need to have all of the answers.
In our text, Satan is thinking of God’s protective cover when he tempts Jesus the third time, turning to the relationship Jesus has with his Father. Satan would have Jesus test God’s promises, but again Jesus stands firm. He knows his identity; he knows that the true God will fill his needs; he knows that he is loved, safe, protected, and secure. He doesn’t need to exploit the grace of his Father.
Although we live in a fallen world, where loved ones suffer and not all our prayers are answered, yet we know too that the Lord sends his angels to guard over us. We ask for his protection and seek not test his boundaries.
Prayer: Father God, because of your great love you save us. Thank you for all the miracles you’ve performed for us that we don’t even know about. May we be ever thankful. Amen.
“You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” Luke 4:8
When I was a young Christian, I took part in the Navigators’ Scripture memory program. Decades later, I can still recall many of the Bible verses I learned. I love having the riches of God’s word so deeply embedded in me, although of course I wish I had more memorized. (In fact, the renowned writer on the spiritual disciplines, Dallas Willard, said that if he had to choose between a daily “Quiet Time” or memorizing Scripture, he’d choose the latter.)
Jesus relied on Scripture, and quotes from the Hebrew Bible each time he replies to Satan during these three temptations. In just a sentence or two his words of truth slice through Satan’s oily schemes. For instance, when Satan invites Jesus to take control of the kingdoms on the earth, Jesus replies with words spoken by Moses, when he was the Lord’s mouthpiece to give the Israelites God’s law: “You must worship the Lord … and serve only him.” Jesus knows that his allegiance lies with his Father and won’t bow to Satan.
We won’t face the particular tests that Jesus did, but as we grow stronger in our Christian faith, we’ll face other temptations and battles by the father of lies. One weapon against his schemes is the word of God, planted in our souls. Then when we face trials, we can ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind God’s words to counter the attack.
Is there a special verse from Scripture you could put to memory this day?
Prayer: Triune God, increase my love for your Word, that I might take, read and inwardly digest it, and bring glory to you. Amen.
“Do you really think you’re a writer?” In my journey of stepping in to being a writer, having been an editor for decades, I would sometimes hear this question in my head – through self-doubt, or through how I interpret criticism, or perhaps even from the evil one. My path to becoming a writer has been long, for only after many years as an editor did I venture into writing – and then with fear. And yet being an author forms part of my identity – as well as being an editor, and more importantly as God’s beloved, a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend…
Here Satan starts his series of temptations by questioning Jesus’s identity, saying, “If you are the Son of God, then…” He’s asking Jesus to prove who – and whose – he is, even though I’m guessing the devil already knew the answer.
How different are the words of God the Father. After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, a voice from heaven says that this is God’s son whom he loves (Matthew 3:17). And later, when Jesus and two of his disciples are praying on a mountain and Jesus radiates God’s glory (the transfiguration), similarly a voice says, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him” (Luke 9:34). God’s words affirm Jesus’ core identity, while Satan’s seek to undermine it.
Might there be parts of your identity that you have yet to accept?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your words of love and that we are your children. May we never waver from our central identity as your beloved. Amen.
Time for a new devotional series! I’ve loved reading Dallas Willard’s books, and also one that came out shortly after he died, Eternal Living: Reflections on Dallas Willard’s Teaching on Faith and Formation. Dallas stressed the importance of memorizing Scripture and of rereading the gospels, pondering them and chewing them over so that we would become more like our Master, Jesus. Here’s a series on Luke 4:1-13, to help us in that quest.
1Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”
5Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6“I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
8Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
9Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
12Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
13When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
“Brooklyn Museum – Jesus Ministered to by Angels (Jésus assisté par les anges) – James Tissot – Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum
[Jesus] was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil… Luke 4:1-2
Ever heard the adage, “I can resist anything but temptation”? We might smile wryly but then nod, thinking of the secret indiscretions we allow ourselves – the extra chocolate truffle, the bitterness we cling to, the envious glance at our neighbor. Or if we give in to temptation, we might eschew responsibility: “The devil made me do it!”
But Jesus shows us a better way. In the passage we are looking at during this series, we see him resist Satan; instead he follows God’s commands for right living. Jesus was fully man and could have fallen prey to Satan’s whispers. But he doesn’t. Filled with the Holy Spirit and recounting the word of God, he speaks truth to Satan’s lies, showing them to be flimsy and empty.
And look at the highlighted words in this week’s text – God actually leads Jesus into this temptation. God not only allowed the devil to tempt Jesus, but seems to have set up the meeting. For Jesus in avoiding sin becomes the new Adam, the One through whom we may enjoy life abundant. The first Adam, when he and Eve gave into Satan’s temptations and ate the forbidden fruit, brought about death. But Jesus through his sacrifice on the cross brings life. As we become alive in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:22), we receive the power and self-control even to resist Satan. Now that’s good news for today!
Prayer: Father God, please endow me with the fruits of your Spirit. Help me to praise you with my lips and in my life. Amen.
