The Temptations of Jesus, Annotated

Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan [he was full of the Holy Spirit because he returned from the Jordan—from submitting in obedience to baptism like any old sinner, even though he was the Son of God] and for forty days was led by the Spirit up and down the wilderness and tempted by the devil. [Jesus' boot camp. Hell month. A time of testing and definition, initiated by God.]

All that time he had nothing to eat, and at the end of it he was famished. [Either he had been supernaturally sustained, or just ate what he could find—wild locusts and honey-- like his relative John the Baptist did.] The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." ["IF"! This one little word is a dagger of doubt thrust at Jesus' relationship to the Father and to his whole purpose in life. Satan's suggestion is to take a shortcut to meet his physical needs as well as prove his sonship.] Jesus answered, "Scripture says, 'Man cannot live on bread alone.'" [Counter thrust: the Scriptural principle that the supernatural must take precedence over the natural. In deferring to Scripture, Jesus deflected the temptation to do it his own way or to improvise his own course.]

Next the devil led him up and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. [Bested on the last move, Satan jumps to the next.] "All this dominion will I give to you," he said, "and the glory that goes with it; for it has been put in my hands [by whom?] and I can give it to anyone I choose. You have only to do homage to me and it shall all be yours." [This cuts to the heart of Jesus' motivations: what does he really want? Power and glory? No doubt, Satan can grant it.] Jesus answered him, "Scripture says, 'you shall do homage to the Lord your God and worship him alone.'" [Check! Jesus defers to Scripture again in resisting the second shortcut Satan offers. Power and glory belong to the Lord alone, and He gives it to whom He has chosen: His Son.],

The devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the parapet of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said [there he goes again with those whiny doubts] "throw yourself down; for Scripture says, 'He will give his angels orders to take care of you,' and again, 'They will support you in their arms for fear you should strike your foot against a stone.'" [Satan can quote Scripture too, to justify the most brazen shortcut yet. Call out the TV crews! This guy just proved he was the Messiah by throwing himself off the temple roof and walking away! Let's turn the kingdom of God into a media circus!] Jesus answered him, "It has been said, 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.'" [Checkmate. The Scriptural principle to counter the perversion of Scripture is: God is the One with the plan. I cannot accomplish His ends using my means.]

So, having come to the end of all his temptations [you think there were only three in those forty days?] the devil departed [whipped] biding his time [until the time was right for another attack].

Then Jesus, [the winner] armed with the power of the Spirit [rather than just the presence of the Spirit] returned to Galilee, and reports about him [his effectiveness and authenticity] spread through the whole countryside.



© Robin Hardy 2003

The Scripture is Luke 4:1-14, The New English Bible, 2nd edition, published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, 1970.


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