How does the Messiah resist temptation?
by Pastor Glenn Crouch
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Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only”’ (Luke 4:8).
Read Luke 3:15–22
The end of verse two always brings a smile to my face. I have no doubt that Jesus was hungry after 40 days of not eating. What an understatement! The purpose of fasting is to draw one closer to their Heavenly Father, but we see that the evil one sees this as a perfect time to wreck God’s plan. The Word has become flesh (John 1:14), so his hunger and weariness are very real, and the evil one will not miss this opportunity. How will Jesus handle this situation?
In each of the temptations, notice Jesus’ response (see verses 4, 8 and 12). Each time, Jesus quotes a passage from Scripture. In fact, they are all from Deuteronomy – two from chapter 6 and one from chapter 8. Some have suggested that as Jesus fasted, he mediated upon the words of Deuteronomy. The evil one was defeated – for now – but Luke knows that there are more assaults to come: betrayal, torture, death.
I hope you saw how this passage began. Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit and is being guided by that same Holy Spirit. A period of trial does not imply the Holy Spirit has abandoned you. Rather, he is with you, encouraging you to remain focused on Jesus. One of the ways that the Holy Spirit works is through Scripture. We should follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus and get to know our Bibles better. Are we not hearing the Spirit because we are not dwelling in the written word?
Be like Jesus. Know and use the Scripture to resist the devil.
Heavenly Father, you are my rock and my salvation. Create in me a strong desire to know my Bible better. Create in me a thirst for prayer and a hunger to worship you. Through your Holy Spirit, help me to be more like Jesus. In his name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Glenn has been married to Karen for 38 years, and they have two grown sons – and their first grandchild is on the way (due March 2024).
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