Luke’s account of what happened right after Jesus was baptized by John is similar to Matthew’s…but Luke gives more details.
Matthew mentions the temptation, and then moves to the selection of disciples and concludes with a brief discussion of some miracles performed. We know from reading the other Gospels that there are a few details in each of these that aren’t mentioned in the others, and vice versa. Maybe that’s why the Holy Spirit had 4 different men record what they heard and saw…because that’s the only way we would get a more complete picture.
I hadn’t ever thought about Jesus telling the disciples how satan tempted him in the desert, but that’s the only way they could have written about it. Jesus wouldn’t tell them to brag, and we know that everything Jesus did had purpose, so why did he tell them? I think it’s because satan is limited in the tricks that he can use, and what he tried to pull on Jesus he will try to pull on us. Also, the way Jesus defeated him is important for us to know. Jesus had a through knowledge of Scripture. He could use it wisely, and he knew enough about it that it couldn’t be twisted and used against him. We should make ourselves that familiar with Scripture as well.
It would seem a small thing to turn a stone into a loaf of bread. And the devil never said that Jesus had to eat the bread…only demonstrate his power by changing it. I’m not sure that Jesus knew this was the last day of his fast, either. The lesson I take from this is that the devil will tempt us right up to the very last hour. He knows that if he can get us to compromise, even a little bit, we will lose part (or all) of our sensitivity to the Lord’s leading. Perfect obedience leads to perfect harmony with God, and the ability to recognize and operate in our spiritual identity perfectly. Any compromise changes that.
The demonstration of the Spirit’s power in Christ is directly tied to His obedience in the desert. When no one was looking, Jesus was obedient. Now that crowds are surrounding Him and power is coming from Him He is popular, but that began in the desert, or even before that…with John the Baptist.
I think that we say we want to be like Christ, but what we really mean is we want to be like Christ after the desert and before the cross. We want the excitement, the crowds, the demonstration of the Spirit’s power. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, because Jesus said we would do greater things than He had done, and His disciples certainly did all of those things after Christ ascended.
But I don’t think the miracles are possible without the suffering, or self denial. Self denial creates the possibility of loving others as Christ loved them. It moves us out of the way so that God can operate through us. Self denial can only come about through hardship…a desert experience, if you will.
I wonder if small “desert experiences” such as fasting a meal or two, or donating the money I would have used for coffee or lunch, will provide an opening for God’s love to operate in me. Jesus was moved to a large, lengthy experience. I wonder if God moves us in the same direction by degrees.
Living loved,
Pastor Rick