Luke 4:1-13
The Temptation of Jesus
Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, and the devil
came to tempt Him. He had not eaten and was hungry. Taking the opportunity of
His hunger, the devil told Him: “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to
become bread.” (verse 3)
In the Greek language, the word “if” can be understood as
“since”. The devil was saying “since you are the Son of God, and you are
hungry, and you have the power to turn these stones into bread, do it!”
The devil is still tempting people to satisfy their immediate
needs.
Every one of us has our own needs. What’s wrong about eating
when we are hungry? The problem here is that the devil wants us to see these
immediate needs as the entirety of our life.
This is why Jesus answered the devil, “It is written: ‘Man
shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of
the Lord.’” (verse 4)
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, to tell the devil that although
food is our present need, but food is not the whole nor the centre of our
lives. Humans live not by bread “alone”, but even more so on the word of God.
Food is our basic need. But besides having a physical body,
we also have a spirit. We are also spiritual beings. We need to also take care
of our relationship with God. Paul says, “Food for the stomach and the stomach
for food, and God will destroy them both.” (1 Cor 6:13)
Today, what “immediate need” is the devil using to tempt you?
For students, what are their immediate needs? Getting good
marks, good results. So, how does the devil tempt students?
Students will not able to answer exam questions when they are
lazy and do not revise. The devil will tempt them: “You’d better cheat in exam,
or else you will not get good results. You will be a disappointment to your
parents and ashamed to face them. Your parents will be furious at you and your
lives will have no meaning.”
What about the immediate needs of the people who are working?
Their need is money.
There was a sister who gave a testimony about working in a
company that does blood tests. That year, the economy wasn’t good, and the
company was facing financial problems. One day, she found a few small bottles
containing some customers’ blood in the back of her boss’ car. What was the
problem with this?
She knew that the results for these customers were already
out, but these bottles were not sent to the testing lab. When she told her boss
that she could not work in a company that cheated their customers, the boss
lamented that the chemicals for the blood test was too expensive; he would stop
cheating the customers when the financial situation of the company stabilized.
Moving on, after obtaining food and satisfying our need for
food, we will then pursue wealth and power. This is why the devil brought Jesus
to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
This is the second temptation: “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.” (verse 6-7)
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God
and serve him only.’” (verse 8)
What was the devil tempting Jesus here?
The devil was telling Jesus: “As long as you turn your back
against God and bow to me, I will give all the riches and power to you.”
In this current generation where wealth is the measure of
success, this temptation is very real. Every works that is legal, morally
right, God-fearing, and based on the teachings of the Bible does not bring a
lot of money.
A brother shared with me about his experience working in
Singapore. When he first went there to work, he went home exactly at 6 pm every
day. And each day he noticed that his colleagues were still working in the
factory. So he followed their example; sometimes he went home late at night. At
the end of the month, he was surprised to receive two months’ worth of salary!
This slowly became a habit. There was not a day where he did
not work until late at night. The more money he received at the end of the
month, the harder he worked at his job. According to him, he did not know
whether it was day or night; what more whether it was Sunday and time to
worship God in church.
Of course, in the end he woke up. He turned over a new leaf
and did not live his life for money anymore.
After we have wealth and power, we will want to use the
wealth and power to subdue others.
So, the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand at the
highest point of the temple. “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 would not strike your foot against a stone.’” (verse 9-10)
The devil quoted this from Psalm 91:11-12. Actually, the
devil had twisted the meaning of the Scriptures. Jesus understood that the
Scripture meant God will protect us in all our walks of life, but not when we
do harm to ourselves to force God to take action to protect us.
This is a clash between a human’s will and God’s sovereignty.
That is why Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the
test.’”
Actually, to have angels to lift you up in their hands while
falling from the top of the Temple is a great miracle indeed. Surely all the
people will crowd around you and call you a great prophet or a superhuman! They
will be amazed at your power and even exalt you as a divine being.
The devil tempted Jesus by twisting God’s words. This is also
the way the devil tempts us to use God’s word and power to fulfil our own
self-seeking desires. He also tempts us to “play God” and get the attention of
people, lifting up ourselves as if we are divine.
Paul pointed out that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who
being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to
hold on to; 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.
(Philippians 2:6-8)
Jesus served on this earth through dependence on the
anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did countless miracles in obedience to
God’s will and command. Jesus never did anything to force God to lift his
status to fulfil his self-seeking desire.
Because of Jesus humility and obedience to God, 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 2:9-11)
Conclusion
The temptations that Jesus went through are also temptations
that everyone else goes through.
Humans go against God’s teachings when they are desperate to
fill their stomachs, or to fulfil their current needs. After filling their
stomachs, they will think of wealth, prosperity and power. They will not
hesitate to distance themselves from God and compromise with lawlessness,
injustice, and sin.
People forget God when pursuing wealth, prosperity and power.
Not only do they forget God, but also the people around them, and even
themselves.
When people have both wealth and power, they will use it to
make others bow down to them and to praise them, ascribing to them the honour
and glory which only God himself deserves.
Application
Verse 13 says when the devil has finished all this tempting,
he left him until an opportune time. Jesus had victory over the devil and
fulfilled the condition to save the sinners of the world.
Today, we have faith in Jesus, and those who are in Christ
should also have victory over the devil’s temptations and ask the devil to
leave us. Let us take a look at the three secrets Jesus has to have victory
over the devil.
The first secret is to
truly know the word of God, and to live it out.
After every temptation by the devil, Jesus used “it is
written” as a response. Jesus used the word of God to counter the devil’s
temptations. We should read, memorize and learn God’s word as it is the best
shield against temptations.
Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:15-16 says, “The Holy Scriptures are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.”
Jesus is very familiar with the word of God, otherwise he
couldn’t have immediately responded with the word of God. Not only that, he is
also willing to obey the word of God, otherwise he wouldn’t even respond with
words from the Scriptures.
A person can be very familiar with the word of God, but that
does not necessarily mean that they are willing to obey it. Jesus is both
familiar and willing to obey the teachings of God.
Are we also familiar with God’s word? Do we spend time to
read God’s word? Do we obey God’s word? If we want the devil to give up on us,
we need to truly know God’s word.
A few missionaries to the Orang Asal in East Malaysia told me
a worrying story. Many Orang Asal in the interior parts of East Malaysia has
been converted to Muslims. One of the problems here is that they have a shallow
understanding of the Bible.
They told me that the last time their pastor read a book was
when they were finishing up their last assignment in seminary. Many pastors
only have about four sermons on hand; they repeat those sermons every month.
These sermons are generally stories or testimonies only.
This is why when the so called “Islamic missionary” come into
their midst, they very easily gave up Christianity.
The second secret is to
have an attitude of not compromising with the devil.
This is why Jesus had victory over the temptation. Jesus has
already decided not to compromise with the devil no matter what benefits the
devil put forward.
In the first temptation, the devil wanted Jesus to turn stone
into bread. What good would it bring? Stomach can be filled with food, but
Jesus did not compromise.
In the second temptation, the devil only required Jesus to
bow down and worship him before giving Jesus all the authority and splendour of
all the kingdoms of the world, but again Jesus did not compromise.
In the third temptation, the devil wanted Jesus to jump down
from the Temple, but what good would it bring? Jesus can be renowned
immediately, but Jesus did not compromise.
What about us? Do we also have an attitude of persevering to
the end towards God, and never compromise with the devil?
Would we bribe the driving inspector after failing the
driving test 5 times? If a job requires us to sacrifice our Sundays which are
used to worship God in church, would it be compromised because the job pays a
high salary?
If we want to have victory over temptation and ask the devil
to leave us, we need to have the determination to not compromise with the devil
and a true understanding of God’s word.
The third secret is to
place God in the centre of our lives.
Jesus had victory over the devil’s temptations because God
was the centre of his life. In all of Jesus’ responses to the devil, it was
with God in the centre.
In the first temptation, Jesus said, man shall not live on
bread alone but on every word of God. In the second temptation, Jesus said,
worship the Lord your God and serve him only. In the third temptation, Jesus
said, do not put the Lord your God to the test.
Who is in the centre of our lives now? God? Ourselves? Our
family? Our career? Only when we place obedience to God as the centre of our
lives, the devil will give up and leave us alone.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of
mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the
rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But
everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is
like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams
rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash.”
There are two kinds of people. A—built his house on the rock,
B—built his house on sand. A’s house is near B’s house. A only needs to look
outside his window to see B’s house. A always look out towards B’s house,
thinking to himself that B’s house is going to fall when a storm comes. A thinks:
“B is really foolish to build his house on sand. I’m different, I do not have
to fear the storm because my house is built on solid rock.”
One day, a storm eventually came. A tells himself that B’s
house is gone now. But when A opened the window, he saw that B’s house is still
here. Instead, his own roof is leaking everywhere. A few days later, he heard
some noise outside. Apparently B is expanding his house. With each passing day,
B’s house just gets larger and larger. When he looked at his own house, it is
becoming older and older. It is incomparable to B’s house.
One morning, A packed up and went out of his house. Where is
he going? He is moving into B’s house.
That very night, a huge storm came, and guess what happened?
I’m sure we all know what happened. As big and grand as B’s house is, but
because it was built on sand, it fell and killed everyone in it.
A’s house was still standing, but sadly A is no longer in the
house that he built.
Once upon a time we might have hungered for God’s word. We
might have persevered against the devil’s temptations, not compromising with
the devil because of God. God was the only centre of our lives.
But as the days went by, when we saw that those who
compromised with the devil, those who built their foundation of faith on sand
were living better lives, would we also imitate A and leave our house that was
built on the solid rock?
May God help us to truly know and understand his words, to
have an attitude that insists on not compromising with the devil, but placing
God in the centre of our lives. That way, we will definitely have victory over
the devil’s temptations and he will surely flee from us.
