The 1st Sunday in Lent ----- 10 March 2019

Luke 4:1-13

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." 4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone.' " 5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying 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 protect you,' 11 and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

§  Whenever you’re down and troubled, if ever you’re wrestling with temptation, remember Jesus was truly tempted in the wilderness. It wasn’t fake; he was really tempted! The fourth chapter of the letter to the Hebrews (4:15) tells us For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 

§  Jesus’ temptations, however, were geared to him and were specific to him and to his vocation as Son of God and Saviour. Jesus’ temptations are quite real, and Jesus’ temptations are not the more simple and pedestrian temptations we endure daily. They are not like a desire for a second cookie or ‘ten minutes more’ after the alarm goes off. All these temptations are his and they are focused on his Sonship and his ministry.

§  He was tempted by things he could have actually had… miraculous food when famished, control of the world as it was, and divine intervention if and when he might be hurt.

§  All he had to do was surrender his desire to do the will of the Father and do his own will or the will of the evil one who could twist what Jesus saw as good.

§  Did Jesus see these things as good? In cases like this, it pays to remember that no one is tempted to do the bad; we are only tempted to do what appears to be good. It is often the cost of it or the consequences that make the difference.

§  The devil first tempts Jesus to fill his hungry belly with bread. Jesus is vulnerable so that’s the place the evil one picks on. Since the devil hits the points of vulnerability maybe Jesus’ desire to reform the world and to trust his Father’s providence are the apparent goods. The difference is that the devil tempts Jesus to seek those good things on his own terms rather than his Father’s.

§  The devil is a cheat. He never offers something he can actually give. “Turn these stones to bread” tempts Jesus himself to act. The devil has offered nothing except to question Jesus’ identity; If you are the Son of God… If Jesus does this, why wouldn’t he do it again and feed everyone everywhere?

§  As for the second temptation, we need nto as ourselves whether or not the devil actually own all the kingdoms of the world? Well, he doesn’t, even if his corruption is in all of them.

§  Psalm 24:1 says

“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,

the world, and those who live in it;
 for he has founded it on the seas,
    and established it on the rivers.” There can be no mistake that the earth is God’s and remains so.

§  In this, the devil is revealed as a snake oil salesman and a swindler, although a crafty one. I hear he has a bridge in Brooklyn for sale, too.

§  In the third temptation, would Jesus’ Father not uphold Jesus if he leapt from the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem? What would it prove if God did that? If this temptation was followed through, what about Calvary?

§  Jesus says Do not put the Lord your God to the test. God will not be managed or forced to act. This temptation returns later in the Gospel of Luke when the crucified Jesus is mocked by the crowd and the soldiers, who tell him to save himself.

§  Don’t you think that Jesus was tempted to save himself then? This is seen as the final temptation, because When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

§  The Good New today is in Jesus holding to his Father’s will despite temptations. It is through that perseverance that we are graced and saved. So we should know that our temptations are known to and understood by Jesus since he’s been there and if we struggle, he struggles along with us.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.