By Randall L. Broad
Read: Numbers 30-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11;
Proverbs 11:20-21
Today …
1Then Jesus, full of the Holy
Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing
during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.
3The devil said to Him, “If You
are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4But Jesus answered, “It is
written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”
5Then the devil led Him up to a
high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6“I
will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said.
“For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. 7So
if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”
8But Jesus replied, “It is
written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”
9Then the devil led Him to
Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of
God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here. 10For it is
written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully;11and
they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot
against a stone.’ ”
12But Jesus declared, “It also
says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
13When the devil had finished every
temptation; he left Him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:1-13
The devil tempted him with food, offered him all
the kingdoms of the world, and challenged him to jump from the highest point of
the temple. And there were others … not every temptation is detailed in any of
the telling of this narrative. We can presuppose most of those battles constituted
spiritual warfare between Jesus and Satan. Thus, it would be impossible for a person
to understand what was endured during those forty days? Jesus at the time was
also fully-man and therefore when all the spiritual battles had been won He was
hungry, tired, and physically vulnerable. Luke makes a point to record the challenges
of the flesh came only after the spiritual battle was already won.
The enemy knows the weaknesses of our flesh. Scientifically,
we know a person can live between thirty to forty days without any food and the
more severe symptoms of starvation will begin around the thirty-fifth to
fortieth day. Physical weakness and mental capability is severely reduced in a
matter of days, but the breakdown of cells and the failure of internal organs
will not occur for weeks. Death is certain somewhere between forty-five and
sixty days–this of course is assuming the person remain hydrated while fasting.
Luke the Physician may have been fully aware of these limits of the human body
when he makes it a point to write, “… He
ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry (v.2).”
He was offered food—what things will a hungry man
do for bread?
The enemy uses our hunger against us to lead us to
sin. In our modern lives, we hunger for more than just food. We hunger for all
the things of the flesh and we are willing to pay a terrible price for them. In
our moment of hunger we turn away from the scriptures, but Jesus turned to
them.
He was offered power—what things will a man do for
power?
The enemy knows the desires of our flesh. He uses
our desires against us and leads us to sin. The original sin that led to the
fall of man was the desire for power. The serpent promised Eve if she ate from
the forbidden tree she would be as powerful as God. She gave into her desires
and Adam did nothing to stop her. In their moment of temptation they turned away
from God, but Jesus turned to his Father.
His faith was tested—how many of us remain strong
when our faith is tested by the sins of our world?
The enemy has one goal–to destroy our faith. The
world challenges our faith every day without exception. Not one of us has made
it through this day without a challenge to something we believe. Many of us
have turned away from God today, but Jesus turned to God even when the devil
tried to use God’s Word against him. Remain focused on God.
Walk with the Lord …
Ephesians 1:17
(RLB250320)
© Copyright 2017: Randall L. Broad
Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.
