We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
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Luke 4:1-13
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,’
11 and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Devotional Thought
The focus of this familiar passage is the temptation of Jesus. But let’s call it for what it is! This is the TESTING of Jesus. The writer Luke has just given the account of Jesus’ baptism and the affirmation that Jesus is indeed God’s own son in whom He is well pleased (Luke 3:22). As if to underscore Christ’s identity, Luke then gives the ancestry of Jesus. Yes, this Jesus is God’s son alright! It is as prophesied in Scripture. But then the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert. It is in the desert that the very identity of Jesus is questioned, if you are the Son of God … (Luke 4:3,9). Sounds a lot like when the serpent asked Eve in the Garden of Eden, Did God say, ’You shall not eat from any tree in the Garden?” (Gen 3:1). There are assumptions and mis-quotes of the Scripture that seek to manipulate and undermine Jesus’ (and Eve’s) identity.
Two competing ways are shown here. One way is the offer of self-indulgence and to satisfy physical wants/needs; self-aggrandisement and have popular acclaim; self-serving religious identity and show the world what we can do. The other way is one of acknowledging that eternal life is found in relationship with God which is so much more than temporal needs or appetites; that worshipping God alone is humankind’s supreme purpose and privilege; that there is an assurance of God’s presence because of His covenantal faithfulness. Seeking a sign of assurance is like saying, ‘If you are God …’. It is in this second way that true human identity is to be found.
Lent is a time to reflect on our own journey with God. As we read the account of the testing of Jesus, here is our question to consider: Have we resisted the temptation to be a self-indulgent, self-aggrandising, self-serving disciple of Christ? This is a time to humbly confess that sometimes we get squeezed into the way of the world and don’t live out of our identity in Christ. As we confess and seek God’s forgiveness, we can rest in the fact that our identity is in Christ, and Christ alone. By faith, we lose ourselves in God’s love and, amazingly, find our full human identity.
Prayer
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for creating us to be in life-giving relationship with you. Forgive us for those times when we are shaped by temporal needs and self-centredness instead of living out of our identity in Christ through your Spirit. Grant us the grace to be followers of Jesus and trust in you fully. We magnify your name and worship you this day. Amen.
Revd. Dr Bruce Allder
Senior Lecturer in Pastoral Theology