October 30, 2023 -- Luke 4:5-7 -- Tempted but victorious

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

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.’”
Luke 4:5-7 ESV

What drama is contained in this passage. Jesus, the LORD of Glory, now in flesh, is facing temptations. Jesus fasted forty days, and He was “being tempted by the devil” verse 2. So the temptations we read are just the tip of the iceberg. Jesus was constantly assailed and badgered. Now, at the end of the forty days, Jesus is being offered short-cuts to satisfy His longings.

The devil is offering Jesus a shortcut to victory. No need for all this suffering and pain, just worship me the devil whispers and all of it is yours. You can understand why the devil is tempting Jesus with this; it is the devil’s own dearest desire, his pride prompts him to seek the highest place. What would be higher or richer or better than the Son of God offering the devil worship? This is the dark truth about all the temptations we face. They would ultimately destroy us and our betrayal of our Gracious God would magnify the devil.

Jesus, Who upholds the universe by the word of His power, is in His flesh tempted by the shortcut. But He does not think about it, savor it, or commit a sin by considering it. He rejects it firmly and He shows this by His quotation from Deuteronomy 6:13. It is the greatest commandment. Man must worship the LORD and Him alone. Had Jesus failed at this point, He would not be the Savior of the World. He could not be. His Own sin would require Him to have a sacrifice offered to atone for His sin. Why did Jesus resist? Jesus, in His humanity, filled with the Spirit, is utterly satisfied and fulfilled in His relationship with His heavenly Father. No temptation, no shortcut, nothing that might interfere with His wholehearted walk with the LORD of Glory could sway Him.

Do you know the Father in this way? Is His presence and grace and goodness so rich in your life that all other things are dull and ugly in comparison to knowing Him? It is the challenge of our faith. To daily put to death the shouts of temptation and the lures of sin and the invitations to evil which are clothed in brightly deceiving colours. It is the challenge of our faith to see Jesus as the Beloved, the prize of the heart and soul, Who by His Spirit, leads us into the presence of our Father in heaven, where there are eternal pleasures forevermore.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Help us by Your Spirit to think about Your splendor, to marvel at Your goodness towards us, Your children. As we meditate upon You, give us the grace we need to consider the reconciling work of Jesus which brings us into ever fuller communion with You so that we will be able to resist temptation and evil. With the inspired author of Hebrews we pray help us to strive for the holiness without which no man shall see God. Amen.

https://youtu.be/V0qZ3h_dMGs?si=FGrFGXGgRKMw4n5O “Arise, My Soul, Arise”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.