Bible Materials

Luke 4:1-13 (2010)

by Paul Choi   09/19/2010   Luke 4:1~13

Message


THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS

Luke 4:1-13

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

  Temptation is one of the most difficult tasks which we must overcome. Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything but temptation.” We are tempted almost every day by a wide variety of sins, from small things such as temptation to surf the internet while we should be doing home work to temptations from greed and lust. We are vulnerable and are exposed to all kinds of temptations which take us away from our faith. No one is exempt from temptation. Our Lord Jesus was also tempted by the devil in the desert just before he started his messianic work. Today we will study how the devil tempted Jesus and how Jesus defeated the devil’s temptations. All men failed to resist temptations, but Jesus defeated temptations. May God help all of us to overcome temptations while studying this passage. Amen.

  Look at verses 1,2. “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 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.” In 3:21-22 we see that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus was being baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove and a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Now being led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus went to the desert to face the devil’s temptation. Then, why did Jesus have to face the devil’s temptation? There are two reasons. First, Jesus was tempted to redeem the first man Adam’s failure (Ro 5:17). Second, Jesus was tempted to help all those who are tempted. In other words, Jesus teaches us that temptation does not end in sin, but can be overcome. Hebrews 2:14,15 explain these. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death 1) he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is the devil-2) and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

  What was the devil’s first temptation? Look at verse 3. “The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Why does making bread with stone become the temptation to Jesus? What’s wrong with that? At that time, Jesus was extremely hungry since he had fasted for forty days. The devil knew it. The devil tempted Jesus to use his divine power for his own needs. In short, the devil tempted Jesus to solve his hungry stomach problem first rather than other things. The devil tempted Jesus to become selfish by abandoning his divine mission. The devil tempted Jesus in the same way when Jesus was in extreme pain on the cross. The people who watched him said to Jesus, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” (Lk 23:35) The devil continued to tempt Jesus through the soldiers and the criminal to come down from the cross in order to save his own life. “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us.” (Lk 23:39)  The devil tempts us in the similar way. “Solve your security problem first rather than doing the work of God.” “Be selfish and become smart”.

  What did Jesus answer the devil’s temptation? Look at verse 4. “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.”Matthew 4:4 adds the words, “…, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. In his answer Jesus did not deny the need of bread for our hungry stomach. But he meant that we need the word of God for our spiritual hunger as we need bread for our physical hunger. Man is both body and soul. We need bread for our physical need as well as the word of God for our spiritual need. However, our physical body is mortal and bread spoils, but our spirit is immortal and the word of God stands forever.(Isa 40:6-8, 1Pe 1:24,25) So Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn 6:35) He also said to the crowd who came to him for the sake of bread, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (Jn 6:27)

  Now we know the answer when the devil tempts us saying, “Solve your bread problem first.” “Think of yourself and be selfish.”  As Jesus quoted the answer from the word of God, so we also face the devil’s temptation with Jesus’ promise, Matthew 6:33. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” At that time, Jesus’ disciples worried about their future security since they had left everything to follow Jesus. Especially Peter who was married and had a family. He needed money to support his family. But Jesus encouraged them saying, “Have faith in God! When you trust in God and seek his kingdom first, God in heaven will protect you and provide all the necessary things for you and your family.” One of our church members has a heavy responsibility to support his family. His physical body is also not strong enough to work. However, he is not selfish. He cares about his Bible student more than his own problems. He knows how to follow the way of Jesus.

These days the devil tempts us in the similar way especially when we are extremely tired or weak as he tempted Jesus while he was extremely hungry. The devil also tempts us when we are alone as he did the woman in the garden while she was alone. So don’t be alone when you are weak. What should we do? We must hold onto the word of God and resist the devil saying, “Jesus said, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Amen.

What was the second temptation of Jesus? Look at verses 5-7. “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 splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’” Why was it a temptation to Jesus? Some scholars say that it is temptation for political ambition. But, I believe that the devil tempted Jesus to give up the way of cross and to go an easy and quick way to fulfillment of God’s will. In other words, the devil tempted Jesus to compromise so that he may put down the cross. The devil knew that Jesus came to this world to die on the cross for the sins of the world. The devil knew how difficult and painful it was for Jesus to take up the cross. Jesus himself was well aware of the difficulties of the way of the cross. So the devil tempted Jesus to avoid suffering and take it easy.

The devil tempted Jesus in the same way later through Peter. When Jesus predicted his suffering and death on the cross, Peter put aside Jesus and rebuked him. Peter was loyal but fearful of suffering. So the devil came into Peter to tempt Jesus to stop going through the cross. How did Jesus answer Peter? Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mt 16:23,Mk 8:33) 

The devil tempts us in a similar way today. People say, ‘Take it easy’, ‘Compromise in order to get mutual benefit.’ We are not born lazy. In the beginning, after God established the Garden of Eden and put the man there to work it and take care of it. (Ge 2:15) Nothing should be taken for granted. We must work hard to pass exams and to get paid. Above all, we must work hard to please God and to become influential Christians. However, the devil tempts us to be lazy. The devil says, “Don’t work too hard. Take it easy.” Above all, the devil tempts us to compromise with social consensus, an easy-going mentality. Lazy people expect to become rich and successful in quick and easy way. So the lottery is very popular in America. In St. Louis we have more Casinos than any other cities in USA except for Las Vegas.  We must resist the devil’s temptation saying, “No cross, no crown. No death, no resurrection. No work, no pay. No fishing, no sheep.”

Let’s see how Jesus defeated the temptation. Look at verse 8. “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Jesus did not compromise with the temptation. He did not worship the devil. Instead, he strongly held the word of God from Deuteronomy 6:13. By doing this Jesus overcame the devil’s second temptation.

When Jesus said, “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only,” he meant, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut 6:5) It seems impossible for us to live in this world without compromise. But, when we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength, God provides us faith to worship Him and to live a victorious life without compromise. Amen.

The devil did not give up on Jesus. What was his third temptation to Jesus? Look at verses 9-11. ‘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. 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.’”’ Now the devil led Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, the highest spot of the temple and tempted Jesus to jump down from there by quoting Psalm 91:11,12. Why is this a temptation for Jesus? What’s wrong with the fact that God would send his angels to protect Jesus? We wonder what the devil’s third temptation really is. We can gain the answer from Jesus’ word. Look at verse 12. “Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” According to Jesus’ word, the devil’s plan was to put the Lord God to the test. In other words, the devil tempted to Jesus to test the Lord God if he really protects him and cares him.

The devil tempted Jesus in the same way while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane just night before he was arrested. Jesus took his three disciples to the garden and asked them to pray saying, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” (Lk 22:40) Then, he withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42)  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. (22:43) Through these verses we know how much Jesus struggled to deny his will in order to obey God’s will. Jesus knew well that his death on the cross was at the door. He knew all about the coming suffering, pain, shame, scorning, betrayal, separation and so on. His suffering and death on the cross was more painful than just jumping down from the highest place of the temple and dying. The devil continually tempted Jesus to give up the cross. The devil tempted Jesus to reassure himself as to whether God really would take care of him or not.  The devil’s temptation was so severe that even an angel from heaven came to Jesus and strengthened him.

  How did Jesus defeat the devil’s third temptation? Jesus said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus meant that there is no doubt about God’s absolute love and his faithfulness. God’s love and his faithfulness should not be tested, but believed.

  The devil tempts us in the similar way. The devil plants doubt and complaint in our hearts especially when we are in difficult time. The devil says, “You see that God does not love you. If he loves you, why does he leave you in such suffering?” “What’s wrong with you since you have no sheep for the last five years?” What should we answer the devil?  We should say, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test. God loves me no matter what. He will make me a blessing for the world.” We must pray so that we may not fall into temptation. Look at verse 13. “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” The devil lost this round, but he had not given up. He left Jesus until the next chance to tempt him.

  In the temptation of Jesus we learn several common points in the devil’s temptation. First, the devil tempts us when we are weak and tired physically and mentally. Second, the devil tempts us to give up the cross of mission and the life of faith. Third, the devil’s temptation does not end in our fall, but with God’s help we can stand. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  Our Lord Jesus asked his disciples to pray to overcome temptation. We must pray with the Lord’s Prayer, “...And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Mt 6:13) May God lead us not into temptation. When we are tempted, may God provide a way out so that we can stand. Amen.

  • “In a survey on temptation among readers of the “Discipleship Journal”, the respondents noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81%) and when they were physically tired (57 %). Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 %), avoiding compromising situations (76 %), Bible study (66 %), and being accountable to someone (52 %)” [Discipleship Journal, November / December, 1992.]


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