Since the earliest days of man when Eve uttered these words, “"The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’’ (Genesis 3:13b NKJV) we have attempted to blame Satan for every time we go astray. While it is true that the devil and the demons have played a role in our separation from God, ultimately the fault lays with us.
In our Gospel reading for today we taken to Jesus near the end of his forty days in the wilderness. We see and hear Jesus and Satan in their conversations, as the devil tries to persuade Jesus into using His powers for His own preservation and self-servitude.
So why mention the fall of man before taking us to the Gospel lesson? My reason is this; Satan was using the same old tricks and lies on Jesus that he had used on Adam and Eve. From testing God to save him from certain death, to offering him god-like powers and dominion over the world.
Let’s look at each temptation of Jesus again:
And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’’ But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ‘‘(Luke 4:3-4 NKJV)
What kind of symbolism or meaning is there behind these words? Why does Satan want Jesus to turn the stones into bread? What’s the big deal with that? Moreover, why does Jesus respond the way he does?
According to William Barclay, this exchange could be retranslated to read this way;
The tempter said to Jesus, "If you want people to follow you, use your wonderful powers to give them material things." He was suggesting that Jesus should bribe people into following him. Back came Jesus’ answer in a quotation of Deuteronomy 8:3. "A man," he said, "will never find life in material things." (Barclay’s Study Bible).
This rings very true in our modern era of worship; the philosophy is less Word, more show. The bigger, the better the show; we only need a verse or two of scripture, and maybe ten minutes of sermon. The flashier the better, the lighter on theology and truth and more about self-esteem or feeling good about how one is living their lives. This is the temptation that some churches are giving into more and more. I am not saying all churches are this way, but some are.
Remember Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ In other words, while the flash is filling, it is God’s Word that provides the true nourishment of the soul. It provides the true necessary direction for our lives, as well as the means to understanding how God can work in our lives.
The second temptation offered by Satan reads like this:
“I will give you all this power and their splendor, for it has been handed over to me, for me to give it to anyone I choose. Do homage, then, to me, and it shall all be yours."
But Jesus answered him, "Scripture says: You must do homage to the Lord your God, him alone you must serve." (Luke 4:6-8 NJB)
Satan has used this temptation many times by playing on the egos of those that strive for power and fame. How many of us are familiar with those stories of people selling their souls to the devil. This is the same temptation that Satan has used to lure people into following him.
However more often then not, people do this to themselves. The best examples include young celebrities and athletes who are thrown into the lime light well before they are mature enough to handle the pressures. They create this false sense of reality and the self-importance surrounding them.
They are taken in by all the lure of indulging of ones self, so even though they may not be serving Satan, they are worshipping something other than God, whether it is money, power, or themselves.
You see Satan was trying to play on Jesus’ human needs, for these things. Our human/flesh side wants things now. Jesus tells us we will have all the glories in heaven if we give ourselves to Him. It might not be an easy road, but the reward is great. Our worldly side sees all that can be had if we compromise our ethics, or make choices that are only in the best interest of our selves rather than the whole.
While in the short term, these might bring us a sense of enjoyment or pleasure. We might even advance ourselves to living a comfortable life in the here and now. However as Jesus said in the Beatitudes namely Luke 6: 24-25:
"But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.”
You see nothing we receive here on earth will ever compare to the reward we will receive in Heaven by putting our trust in Jesus, for no one is higher or more powerful than our Lord and Savior.
The third temptation of Satan from Luke 4: 9-11
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
"For it is written: `He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You,’
"and, `In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’ ’(Luke 4:9-11 NKJV)
This is the temptation of the pride of life, in other words our need to push God. Satan tries to tempt Jesus into proving he is God’s Son by suggesting He do some act that puts His life in jeopardy so that the angels will save Him.
People often fall into this temptation usually by trying to challenge God to do something for them, as a sign of His love for them. Sometimes people will try to “make deals” with God to have something go their way in life, rather than prayerfully look at the situation they are in and ask God for guidance and strength. In other words, they need to allow God to lead their lives by their faith and trust in Him, not by testing His love for us on a whim. As James said in chapter 4 of his letter;
Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’’
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.(James 4:6-7 NKJV)
In other words humble yourself before God, and He will protect you.
You see while people like to use the excuse,” The devil made me do it.” The truth of the matter is, the devil only plays on the tools we give him. Whether it is pride, jealousy, angry, resentment, or the countless other emotions, the truth of the matter is that need is already with in us. Remember what Jesus said;
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You shall not commit adultery.’ "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5: 27-28 NKJV)
You see this is an example of a temptation, and in the eyes of the Old Law just thinking on this temptation was considered a sin. This sin would have required a sacrificial offering to be made.
For example, one of the first things I have my confirmation classes to look at is the book of Leviticus and all the sin and cleanliness laws. Not necessarily to show them what is right and wrong, but to show them how much burden could be upon the heart. How many small animals could lose their lives for the actions the people could possibly commit each day. In other words, how often do we give into temptation and its repercussions before the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
However, through Jesus Christ we have been given a new lease on life. No longer are bound we bound to the sacrificial rituals found in Leviticus and in Deuteronomy. Our sin offering was made for us long before even asked for the forgiveness given to us through God’s loving grace and mercy. For as it says God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).
You see the greatest belief and lie of Satan that runs through all the temptations he tried on Jesus, all the temptations he put before Eve, and all the struggles he put before Job was this, the belief we do not need God in our lives, in order to make it. Moreover, we are capable of doing everything on our own and that we know as much or more than God, of what is best for us and our lives.
However because Jesus resisted and defeated Satan, we live with the hope and knowledge that when we put our whole trust in God, all the lies of those temptations will pale in comparison to what Christ will do for us. First off all our needs will be met both physically and spiritually. We will receive an inheritance greater than any king or emperor had upon this planet, we will rule with Jesus in Heaven. Lastly, God will protect us from harm no matter the danger. He will surround us with his arms of mercy and be with us.
He will forgive us when we go astray and bring us back into the flock like the shepherd searching for that lost sheep. He will guide us in the ways of the path of righteousness when we are willing to follow.
My prayer for each of us today is that we will continue to stand firm in our faith and allow God to lead and guide our lives each day. I pray that we will continue on the path, which the Lord has placed us on so that we may be where He wants us.
I know that living in today’s world can be difficult for Christians today. Society does not always make it easy for people, who want to follow God, to do so.
But, I want to leave you today with some words from Jesus which can give us hope to continue on in our faith and in putting our trust in Him. It is a very powerful verse from John 16:33 which states; "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Amen.
