Luke 4:1-13                                                         Tempted by the devil!!!                                                14/02/16

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 

2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” 

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 

6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 

7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” 

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 

10 For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 

11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Too much today we think we don’t need to worry too much about the devil; if he is there at all. After all, we haven’t seen that little red guy with horns running around with his pitchfork. In this regard it is surprising the number of Christians today who think that the devil is simply a metaphorical figure that we do not need to be all that concerned about.  For many others he is simply someone we can blame when we have done wrong ourselves. On the other hand there are a few who give him undue attention and credence, which is also a problem.

But here today in this reading we are reminded by Jesus that he is real and that he is out to do what he can to lead Jesus and us away from God and his plan for our lives. Here we are also reminded that he is very wily and deceptive. Elsewhere we are told that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and elsewhere still, like a roaring lion.

At the same time we don’t have to look very hard to see how the devil’s temptations have led many throughout history away from God and his promises. Not that we can blame the devil alone for this – sure he tempts us just as he tempted Jesus, but we are responsible for listening to him and the world around us, rather than heeding what God has to say in his Word.

Here we also need to be very wary of our own thinking and feelings. Because of our sinful human nature we can very easily be sucked in by the devil. So much of it can sound so good to us. Here we only need to think of these temptations that Jesus was subjected to. 

In the first Jesus has not eaten for forty days, so would have been quite hungry. The devil tells him; “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 

Now we would have thought that this was a very reasonable thing to do; and justified it by saying that we would not be able to effectively carry out God’s work if we are malnourished, or some other such thing. We do almost anything to satisfy our physical needs.

Likewise with the second temptation:   The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 

We too often think that the end, justifies the means. In this case, Jesus could have control over all people, all he has to do is to worship the devil once, then he could make all people Christians. No big deal. Eve thought she could eat the ‘apple’ and then she would be like God. Likewise we give way to things and then think that in the end it will all be good. And we are caught out!

Then with regard to the third temptation the devil even used God’s Word to give the impression that something is quite okay; in fact good. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.  For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 

So for us we are often tempted to used one part of the Bible to justify our disregarding another, and that it is all good: as in the case of the women’s ordination debate. Or we can use the Gospel to say that we can disregard many other things that the Bible says, as long as it gets the people in, or makes us look good.

In so many ways the devil tempts us to disregard God and what he would have for us. All too often we don’t even realized it, until we are caught out big-time. Our selfish, self-centred nature all too often takes on board these temptations because they sound good to us, but in the end they are disastrous. So there is the ever need to be wary and careful in life. Here we only need to think of those many people who have been brought up as Christians and who now have very little to do with the church, to see the dangers.

Not one of us can stand against the devil in our own strength and knowledge. All of us, all too often, don’t think there is much of a problem here, and are caught out by thinking these things are no big deal. We have not and cannot combat the devil on our own.

However that is where this reading is so important for us today. Here we are encouraged to see that Jesus has faced the temptations that we face and did not succumb. So we can look to him and find everything that we need in order to go forward confidently as Christians. In him alone we can find what we need so that we can stand against the devil’s temptations and what is needed when we have failed.

The first thing that we find in this regard is that this event happened right at the beginning of his ministry. Here the devil was out to destroy God’s plan of salvation. God’s Son has come into the world as a human being in order to be the perfect human being who could then be the sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world. We are told that he, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:5-11]

Jesus takes our human nature on himself and is sent into the wilderness to see if he could do what we are unable to. He is tempted as we are but was without sin.

We read in the book of Hebrews: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. [Hebrews 4:15-16]

Because Jesus did not succumb to any of those temptations we now can look to Christ with confidence and know that he has stood up to the devil and won. He then went to the cross and defeated the devil by taking his power to condemn us away from him. He took our punishment on himself so that we can no longer be accused; for forgiveness has been extended to us.

Jesus’ resurrection three days later guarantees that he has won the victory over the devil, and that he, [the devil], has no power over him or anyone who is connected to him. In our baptisms we were connected to him and his death and resurrection and all that he has won for us.

Jesus death on the cross and resurrection he has won the victory over sin death and the devil, and all we are called to do is to believe it. That is to look to him and trust what he has done for us. Then go forward to live in this close connection with him: looking to him for help to stand against the devil and his temptation: looking to his Word to guide us in what is right and wrong: trusting him to keep us safe.

So at the beginning of this Lenten journey we are here reminded that as we turn to, look to and trust in Jesus, we have one who truly can help us through this life.

He has stood up to the devil and not given in to his sneaky lies and temptations. He has proved that he is able to be our help and salvation.

With that in mind, let us recognise our weakness and lack of wisdom in being up to see his temptations and lies for what they are, and the dangers of giving way to them.  In so doing then may we readily turn to this one who can lead us through this minefield, and trust him and what he says to keep us safe. In that may this coming Easter be as special time for us as we remember and celebrate the greatness of who he is and what he has done for us.

To him then be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish