Anybody?
Anybody?
Special Note: Hi Katie! You're awesome!
"Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time."
-Luke 4:1-13
Today's gospel is one of my favorite passages from Luke (or the Gospels in general). It's worth going (almost) verse by verse...
Jesus was led by the Spirit...to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit knew he would be tempted...God didn't try to shield Jesus from the devil. Nor does he shield us. Sometimes the Spirit leads us into temptation...only so we can develop the strength to get out of it.
Side note: This passage contains what is, in my mind, one of the greatest understatements in Biblical history. "He ate nothing during those (40) days, and when they were over he was hungry." Really? I had no idea. Turns out if you don't eat for forty days, you will be hungry at the end.
Hunger
Satan's first attempt is to appeal to a very real concern of Jesus - hunger. He hasn't eaten for forty days, and he is very, very hungry. Satan works by reminding Jesus of his power: if he wants, he can turn some rocks into bread and eat it.
Satan appeals to Jesus' physical needs. Jesus, being fully human, experienced all of the same physical quandaries we do.
Jesus, though, recognizes this and rises above the purely physical - "Man does not live by bread alone".
Power
Next, Satan appeals to Jesus' want for power. We all want power. Satan offers Jesus power...with one condition: worship him. Needless to say, this does not fly with the Son of God.
It's worth nothing a particular verse here, though. "It has been handed over to me." Satan admits he has power over earth. We can never forget this. I always quote the passage about "If the world hates you" and its true: the world is run by Satan. We're called to rise above the darkness, into the light.
Safety
Satan, in a last ditch effort, calls upon a real power of Jesus. He quotes Psalm 91 saying "For to his angels he's given a command to guard you in all of your ways - upon their hands they will bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus recognizes this as a test, though.
What does Satan want from all of this? He wants Jesus to surrender to him. He wants Jesus to give into his physical wants, or his lust for power, or his urge to "Just let God take care of it." Jesus, rather, embraces denying himself of the easy way out.
That's what Lent is all about. We can't take the easy way out. We can't avoid pain because that's what life is all about.
Remember, also, that Satan only leaves him "for a time."
We might escape the devil, but not for long.
Ad Crucis.
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