Knowing The Word in Luke 4:1-4, The Temptation of Jesus

What sort of Messiah will Jesus be? Will he use his powers for personal gain or establish a mighty empire greater than the Romans that would rule the world in righteousness or do spectacular miracles for notoriety? He will reject all of these for they are temptations of the devil. Since it is no temptation to us to turn stones into bread or jump off tall buildings to be saved by angels, it must mean that Jesus did have access to unusual powers. Jesus and the Holy Spirit, were perfectly in tune with one another, like a propeller on a plane, such that the Spirit propelled him naturally into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Satan begins with Jesus’ hunger to raise a doubt about his sonship. The temptation tested Jesus to use his powers for the supply of his own legitimate, personal needs. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 to show Satan that what does not agree with Scripture does not come from God.

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 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 by bread alone.’”

Prayer: Lord, for our sake you fought and overcame the temptations in the wilderness. We pray that we may have the strength to fight against our enemy the devil. Be with us today in our thoughts and plans to spread your word to all lands, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea