You might have noted that the title of this particular post is Part 1. This is because as I was looking at Luke 4 I realized that I had absolutely no desire to cover everything inside it in one post. I felt this way because I didn't want to have to cherry pick one thing and leave a whole lot out, nor did I want to write one really long post, so these next 3, or perhaps even 4, posts will all cover Luke 4. To that end, we begin in the desert.
And why wouldn't we? John has recently been in the desert. Further back the Israelites were also in a desert, in a time before God allowed them to enter into the land that was prepared for them. I tend to think that Jesus was also about to enter into a land that had been prepared for him. I do not know what made the 1st Century world the best place for Messiah to enter into the drama that is life on earth, but it obviously did its job since we sit here, 2000 years later and we are still talking about Jesus, perhaps more so now than we ever have. But let's get back to the desert.
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John and then Luke says that he was filled with the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit is what led Jesus away from the cities and towns and crowds and religious elite and everyone that would soon want a piece of him and into the wilderness, into the desert. Luke says that the Spirit led him around the desert and that the devil, Satan, Lucifer, punk, whatever you want to call him would tempt Jesus. Toward the end of his 40 days without food in the desert the devil once again comes and tempts Jesus. The devil starts with the base need of the moment and tells Jesus to command the stones to become bread. Next the devil offers Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the earth. Finally the devil suggests that Jesus should jump from the pinnacle of the temple to have the angels catch him.
I want you to take a second and think about these specific temptations, base needs, power, and protection. First off I want you to think about what these temptations would look like in your life, what is THE base need you want in your life, where or when is it that you would like power in your life, what is it that you would like protection from?
Ok, now that you've thought about these temptations in your life, think about them in Jesus's life. Think about how over and over again throughout the gospels where Jesus's life would have been easier had he had his base need met, had he taken power, and had he been protected. Let's start at the end.
Imagine how things would have been different if Jesus called on the angels to take him down from the cross? Imagine the songs you wouldn't be singing on Sunday mornings, imagine the cross that isn't hanging from your neck or on a wall in your house, imagine what Jesus would mean to you if he hadn't sacrificed himself. The devil asks Jesus to jump and Jesus says that you shouldn't test God, in essence Jesus says don't test God, trust God. Jesus asks for the cup to be taken, but he accepts it when it isn't.
Now, imagine if Jesus had been the Messiah that all the people had been expecting. Imagine if Jesus had come riding on a horse and kicking Rome's ass. Imagine how strong you might think Jesus was, how powerful you might say he was, and how scared of Jesus you would probably be. By allowing people to make up their own minds, both for and against him, Jesus shows us a whole different kind of power. He shows us a power where obedience is not forced, where love is not coerced, where peace is actually peace and not just the cessation of hostility. The devil offers that which is not his to give and Jesus says if it means not treating God like God I don't need it.
Finally, THE base need, imagine if Jesus choose the easy way in each situation. Imagine if Jesus had just been a vending machine God, dispensing everything that both he needed and everyone else needed. Imagine how cheap blessings would be, imagine how cheap goodness would be. The devil offers Jesus a chance to get fed and Jesus tells him that food is only one aspect of what we need and without the spiritual aspect the physical will soon pass away.
Well, there's part 1, next in Luke 4, Jesus's Mission Statement
Peace and Love,
Kenny
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