Real Restoration: The Temptations of Jesus

The temptations

In each of the three synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ ministry begins with a series of temptations. Commentators approach these from various perspectives, and it’s likely that no one perspective is the uniquely right one. I’m sure the authors intended to accomplish many things with the story. (Remember: “story” does not mean fiction. There are true stories, which are the  very best kind.)

But we have to figure that Luke is using the story to set the stage for what is to come next. Already, he’s introduced several important themes into his Gospel.

The Gospel is, of course, an edited work. Luke did not tell everything that happened. Rather, he chose to tell some things and not others to make the book of readable length while covering the material he considered of the utmost importance. What makes this story so important that it introduces the ministry of Jesus?

(Luk 4:1-2 ESV) And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness  2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

One point of the story is the fullness of Jesus’ humanity. He was hungry — surely an unfamiliar condition for someone who came down from heaven! He voluntarily chose to become extremely hungry.

Another point is that this was God’s will. Jesus didn’t just happen to be there to be tempted. God led him there by the Spirit. Why?

I think it was preparation. Jesus would face countless temptations in his ministry. The sooner he confronted them, the better. It wouldn’t get any easier later!

(Luk 4:3-4 ESV)  3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”  4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.'”

Now, when I was a child, I was taught that this means that any temptation can be resisted by quoting the right passage from the Bible. I don’t think that’s really the point. Jesus quoted,

(Deu 8:2-3 ESV)  2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.  3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Jesus was in the “wilderness” just as the Israelites had been. Indeed, he crossed the Jordan to get there, reversing the course from Promised Land to desert. And he was there for 40 days, surely in parallel with the 40 years of wandering.

Think of it as performance art if you wish. Jesus was re-entering the world of Israel, re-enacting its journey in order to become the Suffering Servant, to be for Israel what Israel was meant to be.

And while in the wilderness, Jesus was hungry and was tempted to use his miraculous abilities to serve himself. Indeed, throughout the Exodus, God had done many mighty works, all to protect the Israelites.

The Israelites had been hungry in the desert and had cried out for manna. Jesus, like the Israelites, was being tested and he remained true to God’s will — unlike Israel. Rather than begging for physical food, Jesus sustains himself on the word of God — not merely Bible study but finding his place in the story of God and so being fed by his place in God’s mission.

And so, Jesus refuses to accept miraculous help. Rather, while he would do many miracles for others, he never performed a miracle for his own good. He would be fully human, would never cheat, and would find his safety and protection in his obedience to God, in prayer, in reliance on God’s word, and in the mission he was given.

(Luk 4:5-8 ESV)  5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,  6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.  7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”  8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'”

Satan then promised Jesus what he surely wanted most — the world. Jesus came to establish his Kingdom intending that it spread throughout the world. Satan promised him exactly that, except it wouldn’t be the kingdom of God. It would be the kingdom of Satan.

The first temptation was to use his God-given power for himself. The second temptation was take a shortcut and gain the right ends by the wrong means. Yes, God wants Jesus to have authority over the world, but this must be to the glory of God. The goal isn’t the power. The goal is God’s glory.

And merely getting the right result does not glorify God. It matters how you get it done.

(Luk 4:9-12 ESV)  9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said 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 guard you,’  11 and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'”  12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'”

Again, Satan appeals to Jesus to use his powers for his own good. Worse yet, the temptation is to demonstrate his relationship to God by proving that he is immune from the frailties of humanity — that he could jump from a tower and not die.

Of course, Jesus came to die. Showing that he couldn’t die would hardly serve that purpose. However, it would have helped raise an army!  The sort of miracle Satan wanted was a miracle that would draw men to the power of Jesus to win a war. Imagine if Jesus has proven his supernatural powers in Jerusalem. The Jews would have put him in front of their army!

In each case, Jesus was tempted to be less than fully human. He was tempted to be free from physical want, to have power, and to have glory — all of which is the natural, normal entitlements of the Son of God. But Jesus chose another path — the fully human path. He would suffer as fully human and use his power to relieve the wants of others. His powers were to be used in service and instruction.

Thus, Jesus would be a very different kind of king. Yes, he’d rule, but he’d rule by serving others and by surrendering what he was entitled to so that others would be blessed. He would be a self-emptying servant. And yet, he was and is the Messiah, the Anointed of God, king of the world.

If we are to be like Jesus, what should our path be? Imagine a modern church with great political power. What is the purpose of the power? To serve the church by building gyms and weight rooms and coffee shops so we can take our ease and enjoy the blessings of God? To have a neighborhood re-zoned to move sin and poverty out of sight? Or to refuse to enjoy the privileges of power and instead use all that we are and have for others?

You see, I’m convinced that in the last three or so decades, the American church has been tempted and has chosen the path of power rather than the path of sacrifice. As a result, the church often really does have political power, for whatever that’s worth, but yet it’s failed in its essential mission. You can control 218 Congressmen, 51 Senators, and a President and not save a single soul and not relieve anyone’s suffering. And you can incur a lot of resentment.

No, the modern church is often not even a little about self-emptying or becoming the servant of others. Rather, the modern church too often wants to make others servants of the church.