The Temptation of Jesus, the Last Adam, the New Israel (Luke 4:1-13)

 

Introduction – Jesus was identified with Israel in His baptism and set apart as well through the words of the Father and the anointing of the Spirit.  He has come to do battle, and that battle must begin very privately, very personally, with the devil.  And yet, nothing Jesus ever did in His ministry was done without public ramifications, for what He did and does, He does as our Messiah, our King, our High Priest and Lord.

 

Full of the Holy Spirit and Hungry (vv1-2) – Jesus is the new Israel who, having been baptized in the waters of repentance, is compelled by the Spirit into the wilderness for testing.  Jesus does this not just by the Spirit, but being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is no superman.  The testing He endures are real temptations upon a real man.  Holy Spirit filling is necessary for this son of Adam, just as it will be for the church at the beginning of Acts.

 

First Temptation:  Command These Stones (vv3-4) – God, in His providence, has led Jesus into forty days of fasting.  God has not provided Jesus with supernatural food and so He is hungry – the same physical needs any man would have in such a situation.  God has in some way said, “Do not eat.”  This is how the Father is treating the Son in whom He is well-pleased (Luke 3:22).  The temptation comes from the devil:  Fulfill your needs.  The leading of the Spirit is manifest in unwavering trust in God to supply His needs and not to use His own power apart from His Father.  The devil is tempting Jesus to use His power to serve His own ends.  The temptation is also to doubt God’s lovingkindess and care in the moments (or days) of real needs.  Of course, this test will ultimately happen again on the cross in moments of real suffering.

Answer:  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Deut 8:3) – The son of Man’s ultimate needs are not for bread, but for every word of God.  If God has determined to keep bread from Christ for a time, He will not begin to doubt the love of God the Father.  Not eating is His food at that moment.  This is the providence of God for me today.

                Being a son of God means seeking all of life by every word of God and never apart from trusting the Father.

 

Second Temptation:  Command All Kingdoms (vv5-8) – Satan is the father of lies and he displays the kingdoms of the world to Jesus with these lies, “this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”  The world (oikoumene – remember Luke 2:1) was also declared to be Caesar’s, another false Adam and false king.  The world had been taken from Adam by the serpent in the fall and now is being offered to the second Adam with one little caveat – “worship before me…”  World peace, opportunity to serve all those people, you can even serve your own God as well – just one little compromise towards me. 

Answer:  “You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve.” (Deut 6:13) – The world had already been promised to the Son (Psalm 2:7-8, Luke 3:21-22), and He wanted them.  He had come to get them, but not through compromise, not through trust in sub-princes.  He came to purchase them by His blood and take them from the devil in His exalted state as son of Adam and son of God.

                Being a son of God means receiving the kingdom from the Father and never by means of becoming a vassal in some dirty compromise.

 

Third Temptation:  Command God (vv9-12) – The final test is located in Jerusalem, at the temple, at its pinnacle and where God’s presence and refuge from danger should most be known.  The devil understands that Jesus relies on scripture and so he turns to scripture himself in this temptation.  Here we see the deadly need to rightly interpret the scriptures.  Quoting Psalm 91 (vv11-12), the devil seeks to entice Jesus to show off a bit and test God at His own Word.

Answer:  “You shall not tempt the LORD Your God.” (Deut 6:16) – The point of the Psalm is not to jump off cliffs expecting God to catch you.  The point is that those who dwell in the Most High (v9) will never fall out of the Lord’s care.  And the devil fails to see an even deeper mystery, which Luke’s community (remember: the entire story of Acts has taken place) is a part.  Divine rescue may often come through suffering and death and not only before and from them.

                Being a son of God means going to the cross, or through other sufferings, in obedience to the Father, and doing so with eyes of faith.

 

Beating the Devil (v13; Heb 2:10-18) – Think about how easily the first Adam fell.  Twisting God’s words, planting seeds of doubt about God’s ultimate love and loyalty to him, and promising greater knowledge and glory, the devil brought down Adam and Eve.  And yet, look at how steadfast this last Adam remains against the wiles of the devil, and they encapsulated every area of temptation in which we find ourselves – the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.  Jesus stood against the devil – to what end can we apply this story?

The Spirit and the Word – Jesus had no special advantage (in one sense) as He stood against Satan, defeating the devil with the very gifts He has given us – the Spirit and the Word.

Putting on Christ (Eph 6:10-18) – Here it is for us.  Filled with the Spirit (v18), bearing the Word (v17), we stand dressed in Christ against “the wiles of the devil.”

Jesus, Last Adam, New Israel –“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” (Heb 2:17-18)  He knows your weakness, and He has stood firm for you.  He stoops low to scoop You up into His dwelling place, under the shadow of His care.  He is the great High Priest who stands against the Accuser and says to the Father, “I’ll go – send me – let me stand in their place” in order that He might bring many sons to glory.                                                                                   drh – November 6, 2005