Resisting Temptation
A Sermon based on Luke 4:1-13
by Richard Gehring

            The number 40 is a significant one in the Bible. It was 40 days and 40 nights that the rain came during the time of the flood when only those in Noah's ark were saved.  Moses spent 40 days on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God.  The Israelite spies were in the land of Canaan for 40 days checking it all out.  Forty years was a common length of time for rulers of Israel to reign.  That's how long Gideon was a judge and how long Eli was a priest.  The greatest kings of Israel, David and Solomon, also reigned for 40 years each.  And there were 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus.

            But the most memorable number 40 is the 40 years that the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness before they reached the promised land.  Time and again the scripture refers back to this important time in the history of God's people.  The 40 days in which Jesus also went out in the wilderness serve as a reminder of that period.  Just as the Israelites had passed through the Red Sea and were led by God for 40 years in the desert before reaching the promised land, so also Jesus after being baptized in the Jordan River is led by God's Spirit into the desert for 40 days before beginning his public ministry.

            For centuries, the church has commemorated this period of Jesus' life with the season of Lent.  Lent is a sort of "wilderness experience" of 40 days leading up to the great holy day of Easter.  So it is fitting that as we begin this Lenten season, we pause to consider Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness.

            The gospels don't tell us many details about what went on during this time.  We know simply that during these 40 days Jesus fasted, a discipline which is typically accompanied by prayer.  But interestingly enough, it is not the conversations that Jesus had with God which are recorded for us.  Rather it is his conversations with the devil that have been preserved and passed on.  Luke and Matthew each record three different temptations which Jesus encountered during his 40-day wilderness experience.

            The first temptation Jesus faced was to turn stones into bread.  The temptation must have been strong indeed to someone who hadn't eaten in nearly six weeks. Jesus was famished beyond what any of us have probably ever experienced, and a field full of bread must have sounded very enticing.

            But this is more than just a personal temptation.  It has economic and social implications to it.  There were a lot of hungry people in Israel in those days.  If Jesus could turn rocks into food for himself, then he could do it for others as well.  And someone who gave out free food could become very popular very quickly with a lot of people in need.  So Jesus was forced to wrestle with not only his own needs of the moment, but the needs of many people and how best to respond.

            Jesus' response to this temptation is succinct, "One does not live by bread alone."  He rejects the notion that he should become some sort of welfare king known primarily as one who gives handouts.  Throughout his ministry Jesus certainly saw many needs and he certainly responded to them.  At times he did even provide bread to hungry crowds.  but his ministry was based on far more than meeting physical needs.  The quotation which Jesus cites here concludes, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."(Deut. 8:3)  Jesus' mission is to be the mouth of the Lord, to spread God's word. And while that mission includes feeding the hungry, it is also much more.

            The second temptation with which Satan confronts Jesus is a political one.  The devil promises to deliver all the nations of the world to Jesus if he only bows down in worship.  Once again, I think that the offer must have been very alluring to Jesus.  Just think of all the good he could do if he had the power and authority of Caesar.  He could institute broad reforms.  He could declare peace throughout the earth.  He could bring about a truly just society.

            But in the end he realizes that this is not God's way.  The transformation of society according to God's plan comes through the cross, not from the throne.  God's way is for real change to begin at the grassroots and work its way up, not to come from the top and trickle down.  Besides, of course, the offer from Satan comes with certain strings attached.  And while Jesus was most likely tempted to think that he could overcome the power of the devil once he became ruler over the earth, he resists this temptation to become king of the world.

            Ultimately, Jesus once again rebuffs the temptation with a simple quote:  "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." It's interesting to note that Jesus never denies Satan's power to do what he promises.  He merely rejects the means by which he could personally achieve the results guaranteed by the devil.

            The third and final temptation takes place in the temple at Jerusalem.  Satan tempts Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle, assuring him through scripture that the true Son of God will be cared for by the angels.  I find it intriguing that Satan is able to cite scripture and to do so accurately.  These words are a direct quote from Psalm 91 where the psalmist offers assurances of God's protection.

            This is essentially a religious temptation that Jesus faces.  If he were to suddenly appear in the air over the temple and float down among the worshipers there, there could be no doubt of his identity as the Messiah.  He wouldn't have to go through all the difficulties and conflicts and misunderstandings concerning who he was that would inevitably arise during his ministry.

            One last time, however, Jesus rejects the devil's advances by quoting scripture himself:  "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."  He refuses to throw himself down off the pinnacle of the temple simply to prove to Satan and to the people of Jerusalem and to himself that he truly is the Son of God.  That would be an abuse of his power and authority.

            In the end, all of the temptations are rejected by Jesus.  And it's tempting for us to think that this was all relatively easy for him.  He, after all, was the Son of God, the Messiah.  He had resources to withstand which we do not.  He never really seriously considered giving in to Satan's taunting.  Right? 

            I don't think that's true.  I think that this sort of reasoning denies the very humanity of Jesus.  if we are to take Jesus seriously,  we have to accept that he was fully human.  As such, he could have given in to the temptations in the wilderness.  In order for his life and death to have meaning to us they had to be based on his choices which means that he must have been free to choose otherwise.

            In fact, reading this story of Jesus in the desert makes me question God's wisdom in creating a person such as Jesus.  He was both an ordinary person and God incarnate.  In other words, he was someone with divine power who was also prone to human frailties, and that's a very dangerous combination.  If he had given in to any of Satan's offers, the results would have been disastrous on a monumental scale.  In short, Jesus could have said yes to any one of the temptations, but he didn't.  And if Jesus could say no, then perhaps we can, too.

            How was it that Jesus was able to "Just say no?"  What resources did he draw upon to help him make the difficult choices he faced?  What can we learn from his example?  There are a few things in this passage that offer us clues as to how these questions might be answered.

            In the first verse of our text, Jesus is described as being "full of the Holy Spirit."  He has just been baptized by John at which time the Spirit came down from heaven like a dove and rested upon him.  It is this Spirit then which also compels him to out into the wilderness to fast.  No doubt this same Spirit sustains him during his 40 days without food40 days and nights filled with little but the continual heckling of the tempter.

            It is the presence of God's Spirit that allows Christ to come to the decisions he makes.  The Spirit gives him clarity of thought and clearness of purpose as he wrestles with some very difficult and very crucial choices.  Presumably through a great deal of prayer and meditation, Jesus maintained contact with God the Father through the Holy Spirit.  And it is out of this intense experience in the wilderness that he is able to return home to Nazareth and proclaim only a few verses after our text for today, "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. (Luke 4:18)

            Theologian Marcus Borg in his book Jesus: A New Vision describes Jesus by saying that he was "a Spirit-filled person through whom the power of Spirit flowed.  His relationship to Spirit was both the source and energy of the mission which he undertook. . . . Jesus' relationship to the world of Spirit is also the key for understanding the central dimensions of his ministry:  as healer, sage, revitalization movement founder, and prophet."(New York: HarperCollins, 1987, pp. 50-51)

            While we may not be all or any of those things ourselves, the power and the presence of God's Holy Spirit are available to us as well.  And we have access to the guidance and capacity to refuse temptations just as Jesus did if only we allow God's Spirit to work in our lives.  Jesus' Spirit-filled life is a model for us to follow.

            A second factor that clearly influenced Jesus' ability to persist in his refusals is certainly the scripture.  Each of Christ's responses to Satan relies heavily on the words of scripture.  I find it notable that each of the quotations he uses to refute the devil are taken from Deuteronomy, a book that is rooted in the experiences of Israel in that nation's 40-year exodus through the desert.  When Jesus is faced with his own wilderness experience, he relies on the wisdom his ancestors had come to know during their time in the wilderness.  He is so grounded in the Bible, God's Word, that he is able to cite relevant passages to assist him in his struggle with temptation.

            The Bible for Jesus is more than just a book.  It's more than a collection of stories and sayings.  It's more than a list of rules and regulations.  The Bible for Jesus is one of the primary ways in which God is revealed.  It is a guide not only for one's actions, but for the shaping of a person's thoughts and character.  It is an indispensable component in the education and edification of a god"fearing person.

            If we wish to be able to say"no" to temptations that come our way, we must take the Bible seriously just as Jesus did.  We must not only read it, we must allow the precepts found there to mold who we are and what we do.  We need to know not only certain favorite verses and chapters, but be able to understand and apply the basic principles which the Bible teaches.  This is what it takes to develop the capacity to take on the challenges and temptations we face.

            We may not face the same temptations which Jesus did, or then again we may.  For even though we certainly do not possess divine power, as North Americans we are relatively powerful people.  The personal choices we make can have social, political and religious impact beyond our own households just as Jesus' choices did.  And if we succumb to the temptation to follow our own desires instead of God's, the results can indeed be disastrous.

            If we then follow Jesus' example no matter what temptations we face, if we cultivate a relationship with the Spirit that keeps us ever mindful of God's presence with us, if we ground our character and actions in a deep reverence for God's Word, then we too can successfully resist the devil's lure and make wise choices.  We, too, can resist the temptations of the evil one.