LW Baptist

By Rollan Coburn

Pastor

The Bible in Luke 4:1-13 shows Jesus filled with and led by the Holy Spirit, being tempted just as we are. His sufferings were real, targeting his human nature. Facing the tempter, Jesus broke his power because unlike our first parents, Jesus, the head of God’s redeemed people, refused to doubt the father’s love.

Perfectly dependent on the father, Jesus rejected the temptation to distrust the father’s care and to take matters into his own hands. He became very hungry after days in the wilderness without food, and the devil told him to command a stone to become bread. Jesus answered, quoting God’s word, “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone.”

The devil then “led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the world’s kingdoms. He said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I desire. If you worship me, it will all be yours.’” Jesus replied again with Scripture, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Perfectly confident in the Father, Jesus repulsed the temptation to question the father’s promises, protection and love. The devil took him to the pinnacle of the Jerusalem temple, saying, “If you are God’s son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels orders to guard you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus resisted Satan as before, “Scripture says, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” So the devil, in defeat, left Jesus alone for the time being.

Jesus willingly suffered Satan’s evil attacks to become our merciful and faithful high priest and to pay the death-penalty for our sins. Being fully human, he feels our weaknesses, knows our trials, was tempted as we are—yet did not sin and is able to deal gently with us in our failures and to be the source of eternal salvation.

A gospel song celebrates our Lord’s victory for us: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene/And wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean/For me it was in the garden He prayed, “Not my will, but thine”/He had no tears for his own griefs, but sweat drops of blood for mine/He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them his very own/He bore the burden to Calv’ry, and suffered and died alone/When with the ransomed in glory, His face I at last shall see/‘Twill be my joy through the ages, to sing of his love for me.