Luke 4   Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit: In Luke 3:21-22 we read of how the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in an unusual way at His baptism. We should not infer that He was not filled with the Holy Spirit before, only that He was now filled with the Holy Spirit in an unusual and public way.

We can say certainly for the most part, and perhaps entirely that Jesus lived His life and performed His ministry as a Spirit-filled man, choosing not to rely on the resources of His divine nature, but willingly limiting Himself to what could be done by the guidance of God the Father and the empowering of God the Holy Spirit.

After identifying with sinners in baptism (Luke 3:21-22), He then identified with them in temptation. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

We sometimes think that Jesus’ temptations were not real because they were not exactly like ours. There was never a sinful pull or a sinful memory inside of Jesus, as there is in us. But in many ways, Jesus’ temptations were more real and more severe. For us, most often the pressure of temptation only relents when we give in – and Jesus never did. He had to withstand a much greater pressure of temptation than you or I ever will.

The word or idea of temptation is used in three different senses in the Bible.

·1. Satan, working through our own lusts, tempts us to perform evil acts –                   a solicitation or enticement to evil.

(1 Corinthians 7:5 and James 1:13-14).

·2. We may tempt God in the sense of wrongly putting Him to the test

(Acts 5:9 and 1 Corinthians 10:9).

· 3. God may test us, but never with a solicitation or enticement to do evil   (Hebrews 11:17).

There were no disciples that accompanied Jesus during this time. This is one of the most sacred of stories, because it can have come from no other source than Jesus' own lips. At some point in time he must have himself told his disciples about this most intimate experience of his soul. Luke had to have interviewed one if not several of the Apostles to capture this significant event.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit and then led by the Spirit into the wilderness: Even though He was walking in the Spirit, Jesus was still led into the wilderness where He was tempted. The Holy Spirit leads us into seasons of wilderness as well as seasons of green pastures.

Jesus was tempted for the entire forty days. What follows are highlights of that season of temptation.

The first temptation: transform stone into bread for personal needs.

And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 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.’“

He ate nothing… He was hungry: To tempt a man with food, who had fasted for forty days seems almost unfair; yet the Father allowed it because He knew Jesus could endure it. God will never allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The fact that Luke the physician noted that afterward… He was hungry is important. After such a long fast, renewed hunger often points to a critical need for food. Jesus was beginning to starve to death.

Jesus was hungry, but full of the Spirit. We, on the other hand are sometimes just the opposite – full stomachs and empty spirits.

And the devil said to Him: The Bible clearly teaches the existence and activity of an evil being of great power and cunning, who sets himself against God and God’s people. This one is sometimes referred to as the devil, sometimes Satan (Luke 4:8), and many other names or titles.

If you are the Son of God: This could be more accurately translated since You are the Son of God. Satan didn’t suggest doubt about Jesus’ identity. Instead, He challenged Jesus to display His identity.

The temptation was basically this: “Since You’re the Messiah, why are You so deprived? Do a little something for Yourself.” The same temptation comes to us: “If you’re a child of God, why are things so tough? Do a little something for yourself.”

Command this stone to become bread: Satan enticed Jesus to use the power of God for selfish purposes. The temptation to eat something inappropriate worked well with the first sinless man (Genesis 3:6), so the devil thought to try it on the second sinless man.

This wilderness was not just a wilderness of sand. It was covered by little bits of limestone exactly like loaves.

By this, we also see how temptation often works. Often, this is the pattern of temptation:

· Satan appealed to a legitimate desire within Jesus (the desire to eat and survive).

· Satan suggested that Jesus fulfill this legitimate desire in an illegitimate way.

But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Jesus countered Satan’s suggestion with Scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3). What Satan said made sense – “Why starve yourself to death?” But what is written makes even more sense. Jesus reminded Satan of Biblical truth, that every word of God is more important than the very bread we eat.

Jesus used Scripture to battle Satan’s temptation, not some elaborate spiritual power inaccessible to us. Jesus fought this battle as a Spirit-filled, Word-of-God-filled man. He drew on no divine resources that are unavailable to us.

 We can effectively resist temptation in the same way Jesus did: filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to answer Satan’s seductive lies by shining the light of God’s truth upon those lies. If we are ignorant of God’s truth, we are poorly armed in the fight against temptation. This precept is essential when fighting a Spiritual war.

The second temptation: all the kingdoms of this world in exchange for a moment of worship.

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time: It seems best to understand this as a mental or spiritual vision. The experience and the temptation were real, but there doesn’t seem to be a mountain high enough to literally see all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

All the kingdoms of the world… All this authority I will give to You, and their glory: The devil knew Jesus had come to win the kingdoms of the world. This was an invitation to win back the world without going to the cross. Satan would simply give it to Jesus if Jesus would worship before the devil.

For this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish: Satan claimed that authority over the earth’s kingdoms was delivered to him, and Jesus never challenged the statement. We might say that Adam and all of his collective descendants delivered to Satan when God gave man dominion over the earth, and Adam and his descendants forfeited it to Satan (Genesis 1).

Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31) and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) by the popular election of mankind since the days of Adam.

Since Satan possesses the glory of the kingdoms of this world, and can give it to whomever I wish, it should not surprise us to see the ungodly in positions of power and prestige.

If You will worship before me, all will be Yours: The Father’s plan for Jesus was for Him to suffer first, then enter His glory (Luke 24:25-26). Satan offered Jesus a way out of the suffering.

One day, it will be said that The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15). Satan offered this to Jesus now, before the agony of the cross.

If Jesus accepted this, our salvation would be impossible. He might have gained some sort of authority to rule, delegated from Satan, but He could not redeem individual sinners through His sacrifice.

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Satan brought a powerful temptation to Jesus, and Jesus resisted the influence of Satan, first by saying, “Get behind Me, Satan!” In this, Jesus fulfilled the exhortation later expressed in James 4:7: Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” For the second time, Jesus countered Satan’s deception with Biblical truth, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13. There might have seemed to be an advantage in Jesus avoiding the cross, but Jesus affirmed to Himself and reminded Satan that the command to worship the Lord your God and serve Him only is far above any supposed advantage in bowing to Satan.

Again, Jesus answered Satan with the same resource available to every believer: The Word of God used by a Spirit-filled believer. In resisting these temptations as a man, Jesus proved that Adam did not have to sin; there was not something faulty in his make-up. Jesus faced worse than Adam did, and Jesus never sinned.

The third temptation: testing God through signs and wonders.

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.’”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’“Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Set Him on the pinnacle of the temple: Satan took Jesus to a prominent, high place. From this wall surrounding the temple mount, it was hundreds of feet to the rocky valley floor below. If Jesus followed Satan’s request to throw Yourself down from here, it would be a spectacular event.

The ancient Jewish writing Pesiqta Rabbati records a traditional belief that the Messiah would show Himself to Israel standing on the roof of the temple. If Jesus did what Satan suggested, it would fulfill the Messianic expectation of His day.

Throw Yourself down from here: Satan could not himself throw Jesus off the pinnacle of the temple. He could do no more than suggest, so he had to ask Jesus to throw Himself down. 

For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you": This time, the Devil knew and quoted Scripture in his temptation (Psalm 91:11-12). “Go ahead, Jesus; if You do this, then the Bible promises angels will rescue You, and it will be a spectacular self-promotion.”

When Satan says, “For it is written,” it reminds us that Satan is a Bible expert and knows how to twist Bible passages out of their context. Sadly, many people will accept anyone who quotes a Bible verse as if they taught God’s truth, but the mere use of Bible words does not necessarily convey the will of God.

Some suggest that Satan is such a Bible expert because he has spent centuries looking for loopholes.

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” Jesus answered Satan’s misuse of Scripture with the proper use of the Bible, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16. As Jesus rejected Satan’s twisting of Scripture, He rightly divided the word of truth, understanding it in its context.

Jesus understood from His knowledge of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) that Satan twisted this passage from Psalm 91. Jesus knew how to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Jesus understood that Satan enticed Him to take a step of “faith” that would actually test (tempt) God in an ungodly way. “The temptation may have been to perform a spectacular, but pointless miracle in order to compel wonder and belief of a kind.” 

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time: When Satan saw that he couldn’t get anywhere, he left for a while. The devil will always seek to come back at an opportune time so we should never give him the opportunity.

“Evil had nothing more to suggest. The thoroughness of the temptation was the completeness of the victory.” 

Satan is not stupid; he will not continually put his limited resources into an ineffective battle. If you want Satan to leave you alone for a while, you must continually resist him. Many are so attacked because they resist so little.

Jesus resisted these temptations because He walked in the Word and in the Spirit; these two are the resources for Christian living. Too much Word and not enough Spirit and you puff up (in the sense of pride). Too much Spirit and not enough Word and you blow up. With the Word and the Spirit together, you grow up.