Luke 4:1-13 (NRSV)
In Luke 4:1-13 (Year C, First Sunday in Lent) and Matthew 4:1-11 (Year A, First Sunday in Lent) is the story of the test of Jesus in the wilderness. despite all that has been narrated thus far in this gospel, it remains for Jesus fully to embrace his status and mission as the Son of God. this scene establishes his commitment and competence to set forth with his ministry and message by demonstrating his resolve and authority in the context of diabolic testing. The episode closely parallels the testing of Israel in the wilderness as this is sketched in Deut 6-8 with the exception that Jesus renders to God the obedience and trust that Israel failed to give. The story foreshadows the life and destiny of Jesus. It has its basis in theological and Christological reflection. Thus, we need to resist calling this a temptation narrative, for it can lead to a form of moralizing that lead us away from the purpose of this account. Like Abraham and Job, after his calling in the spirit of the suffering Servant, he is tested with political messiahship, a test that led to his embrace of his mission. The early church is clear that political messiahship has no home in its thinking and life, but it did have a home in the Judaism of the first century, especially in the presence of the zealot movement. The temptation to embrace political messiahship would accompany the ministry of Jesus like a shadow. This possibility would reject the way of suffering. It was part of his struggle with Satan, which could show itself in Peter as well as in his opponents. This narrative shows that Jesus emerged from his test faithful to his calling and accepting of his mission. He emerged from his ordeal. He would need to obediently treat the hard path marked by the suffering Servant.[1] The test of Jesus alone in the wilderness mirrors the test of the human representative, Adam/Eve. It also mirrors the wandering of Israel in the wilderness as they also succumbed to the temptation to turn from the covenant established through Moses. In contrast to both Old Testament stories, Jesus confirms who he is as the Son and the path of obedience to the Father that will characterize his life. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to experience testing (πειρασθῆναι) by the devil (διαβόλου). Luke has referred to the Spirit in 1:15, 35, 41, 67, 80, 2:25-27. The Spirit will continue to receive mention in this gospel, but comes into fullness in the Book of Acts. Mark simply refers to this experience of testing (1:12-13). It is 40 days, mirroring the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:15 also testifies to Jesus' temptation episode. The author of Hebrews used the temptation narrative to show that Jesus, like us, faced threats to his own fragile humanity. The background for this role of the devil is Job 1-2, whereby the one testing Job is part of the heavenly court. He is the prosecuting attorney. His job is to read the charges and to hold humanity accountable for them.[2]We see here a similar relationship between the Spirit and the devil. The Spirit, in a sense, sends Jesus to Satan, confident (as God is of Job), that he will resist the temptations offered him and be proved worthy of his calling. It is as if the ancients felt that without the test, loyalty was cheap and not to be trusted. What was required was steadfastness of purpose, which can only be demonstrated in the face of testing. Thus, while Israel proved to be a disobedient son in the wilderness, Jesus will prove to be a loyal and obedient Son. He represents the people of God in a way that Israel failed to do. His long fast had the design of bringing him close to the Father. The Spirit led him to the wilderness for that reason.
After the 40 days Jesus is hungry, so the tempter (πειράζων) begins a series of three temptations. He begins with the Christological affirmation that refers to him as the Son of God. significantly, Job 1:6 refers to the heavenly beings or “sons of God” gathering before God, with Satan appearing in that assembly. It is also significant that Israel could be referred to as son (Ex 4:22, Ws 18:13, Hos 11:1). The complaint of the wicked is that the righteous professes to have knowledge of God calls him a son of God (Ws 2:13). Since Jesus is hungry, and if he is the Son of God (υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ), he should command the stones to become bread. Thus, as Moses provided the Israelites manna in the wilderness, Jesus could provide himself bread in his hunger. He refuses in verse 4 by referring to Deut 8:3, part of the wilderness wanderings: It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ Jesus showed the path to passing the test. The temptation Adam and Eve faced was to “take and eat” of the fruit of a divinely forbidden tree, thereby becoming like God. They were not even hungry. Jesus will resist the one tempting him where Adam and Eve failed. Jesus will later teach his disciples to pray for their daily bread, trusting that their heavenly Father will provide such needs (Matthew 6:11). He will teach them not to be anxious for their daily needs, for their heavenly Father knows they have such needs, so they should seek first the rule of God, for each day has enough troubles of its own (Matthew 6:25-34). The point is, the temptation Jesus faces here has nothing to do with filling his stomach and everything to do with fulfilling his call to obedience and fidelity before God. If he would override God's will by creating bread in this wilderness, Jesus would participate in an act of willful disobedience against God. Such behavior, even about such a small act, would undercut Jesus' identity as the obedient, loyal Son of God.
A second temptation involves the devil taking Jesus to a high mountain and showing him the kingdoms of the world in their glory and claiming to give it all to Jesus, since it has been given to Satan, if he will fall at his feet and worship him. He wants only what God deserves. The promise is that the God will give the kingdoms to the Messiah (Ps 2:8) and to the Son of Man (Dan 7:14). The devil claims such pre-eminence in this world. Satan has made humanity prisoner (Gal 4:3, Col 2:8). Satan is prince of this world (John 12:31). For this reason, humanity needs redemption, which is why Jesus came, giving his life as a ransom (Mark 10:45), justification in before God being through the redemption by Jesus Christ (Rom 3:24), delivering humanity from the dominion of darkness through the redemption won by the beloved Son (Col 1:13-14)Here is a seductive gift, but only if he will give up his identity and acknowledge the pre-eminence of the devil. Political power is always tempting. The response of Jesus in verse 8 is to send Satan (Σατανᾶ) away, referring to Deut 6:13: “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” Jesus would later teach the disciples to pray that their heavenly Father would hallow the name of God and would accomplish the will of God on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). He will teach them to realize that their true treasure is in heaven (Matt 6:19-21). He will teach them that they cannot serve two masters, and thus, cannot serve God and wealth (Matt 6:24).
A third temptation led Jesus to the holy city and placed him on a part of the Temple columns that flared out and begins with the Christological affirmation of Jesus being the Son of God (υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ). This time, the devil urges him to throw himself down, using Ps 91:11-12 to remind Jesus of the promise that the angels will bear him up and protect him. A twisting of scripture can become a vehicle for a test of who we are. Such an act would have denied the Incarnation and his full participation in human life. The response of Jesus in verse 12 is to refer to another part of the wilderness wandering in Deut 6:16: “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” The point of this story is to show that Jesus passes the test by being obedient to the Father. Jesus teaches us to pray that God would not lead us into such temptation (Matt 6:13). He also taught them that properly hearing and doing what he teaches will lead to a life that can withstand the trials of life (Matt 7:24-27). It was not fitting for him to test God.
Jesus would experience other tests, such as from Peter (Matt 16:23). Temptation would face Jesus on the night he was betrayed and deserted. The story concerns who Christ is and explains why Jesus was not the Messiah zealots desired and expected. This temptation narrative foreshadows the whole of Jesus' ministry by indicating that to remain obedient, this Messiah must claim the way of humility, service, and suffering. An interesting parallel to the story of the temptation is the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-23). In both stories, a believer is faced with three threats to faithfulness. In the parable, the three threats are Satan (the bird that comes to snatch the Word away); trouble and persecution, like Jesus' hunger (the rocks that cause the Word's roots to fail); and the cares of the world, including the lure of wealth (the thorns that choke the Word as it begins to grow). By resisting this same sort of temptation in the wilderness, Jesus models for disciples the will to resist those things that destroy a growing faith.
The great significance of this temptation narrative is not that Jesus withstood these trials, but that in them Jesus' true nature and identity as the "Son of God" are celebrated. His fidelity to God and unshakable commitment to carrying out God's plans are what reveal Jesus' genuine "Son of God" identity to the believing reader. As the Devil tries to sabotage the unique quality of this relationship between God and his son Jesus, he begins with a small, even innocuous test of Jesus' power.
Jesus would experience other tests, such as from Peter (Matt 16:23). Temptation would face Jesus on the night he was betrayed and deserted. The story concerns who Christ is and explains why Jesus was not the Messiah zealots desired and expected. This temptation narrative foreshadows the whole of Jesus' ministry by indicating that to remain obedient, this Messiah must claim the way of humility, service, and suffering. An interesting parallel to the story of the temptation is the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-23). In both stories, a believer is faced with three threats to faithfulness. In the parable, the three threats are Satan (the bird that comes to snatch the Word away); trouble and persecution, like Jesus' hunger (the rocks that cause the Word's roots to fail); and the cares of the world, including the lure of wealth (the thorns that choke the Word as it begins to grow). By resisting this same sort of temptation in the wilderness, Jesus models for disciples the will to resist those things that destroy a growing faith.
The great significance of this temptation narrative is not that Jesus withstood these trials, but that in them Jesus' true nature and identity as the "Son of God" are celebrated. His fidelity to God and unshakable commitment to carrying out God's plans are what reveal Jesus' genuine "Son of God" identity to the believing reader. As the Devil tries to sabotage the unique quality of this relationship between God and his son Jesus, he begins with a small, even innocuous test of Jesus' power.
Two stories, one in Genesis and the other in Matthew and Luke. Watch the parallels in both (the temptations of the antagonist), and the differences with which each protagonist meets the tempter.
The first tale:
Humanity is the protagonist in the person of Eve.
That she is alone puts her in the way of danger.
The Tempter challenges the word of God: “Did God say …?”
The Tempter will, in the end, look for an act that manifests her separation from the word, and from the God who spoke it. She will take of its fruit and eat.
She chooses to answer in her own (human) words and herself undermines the sufficiency of the word of God: “Neither shall you touch it.” Her personal addition to the divine prohibition (a kind of a childish whining: “You never let me have anything”) prepares her to hear the universal lie:
“You shall not die.” God wants no other gods around. That lie, should she believe it, turns God into humanity’s (the Protagonist’s) antagonist!
She believes it and humanity begins its long dying.
The second tale:
Jesus is the protagonist, the tempter, the antagonist
That he is alone puts him in the way of danger
The Tempter challenges the word of God: See 3:17 and the Voice whose words are, “This is my son. …” Three verses later: “If you are (what God said) the Son of God.”
The Tempter looks for an act that manifests his separation from the word, and from the God who spoke it. “Command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
He chooses to answer not in his own words but in the words of Scripture (in God’s words). Even so does he refuse to manifest a separation, but rather to manifest an intimacy. He did not take or eat. Moreover, his answer is a direct hit at the Tempter’s effort to implant doubt: “We live … by every word … from the mouth of God.”
[1]
[2] (For more on the Old Testament view of Satan, see Peggy Day, An Adversary in Heaven: Satan in the Hebrew Bible [Harvard Semitic Monographs 43; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988] and Elaine Pagels, The Origin of Satan [New York: Random House, 1995]).
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