Get behind Me, Satan!

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written,

'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written,

'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,'

and

'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

- Luke 4:1-13

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. At what is called an Epiphany or Theophany, the Holy Trinity was revealed: the Holy Spirit "descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him," and a voice came from heaven declaring "You are my beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." This revelation marks the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry.

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, . . . My study bible notes here that, "This exodus of Jesus into the wilderness following His baptism has a dual symbolism: (1) the Old Testament type of Israel in the wilderness Exodus following the 'baptism' in the Red Sea, and (2) our new exodus of salvation from darkness to light, though yet in this world." I think it's significant that the great revelation of the Trinity (and Jesus as Son) is not immediately met with fanfare and public works, but Jesus is instead led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Three is important work to do first. Our baptism with the Spirit is an initiation into the deepest levels of self, not just how we approach the world and reflect who we are there. This initiation period is serious and sacred: for Jesus it will last a full forty days.

. . . being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." My study bible notes: "Satan's attempt here was to exploit the extreme hunger which the Lord experienced in His humanity. The phrase, if You are the Son of God, shows Satan was seeking to generate self-doubt in Christ concerning His divinity, and to control His actions."

But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" My study bible notes, "The fullness of life sought by mankind is not found in material satisfaction, but in the revealed word of God." John's Gospel teaches us that Jesus Himself is the Word, sent into the world. The evil one, or Satan, tempts Jesus to use power in ways that are not part of the Father's will; Jesus is in the world as the Word in order to perfectly represent the Father to us. It is from the Father that His words and commands come.

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" My study bible writes: "The devil claims to be the possessor of all worldly power and wealth, and attempts to turn Jesus from His true sonship and ministry. Christ does not dispute the claim, but declares that man is to worship God alone (v. 8)." It is another temptation to use power in a "worldly" sense. Once again, Jesus' mission is to use power and to minister as He is taught by the Father. "Get behind Me, Satan!" are also the words Jesus will use with Peter, when Peter tries to persuade Him that He should not face death and the cross. Here, it reads like a command of authority: it is Satan who should follow Christ. The temptation to worldly glory is about power and fame, appearance and "the praise of men."

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" My study bible notes here: "The third temptation (second in Matthew's order) concerns self-aggrandizement and vanity. Is Jesus to base His ministry on new, spectacular acts designed to get people's attention? He declares one is not to tempt God (v. 12), that is, to test His providential love and care by thoughtless and vain acts." Once again, when Jesus does "spectacular acts" they will be those that convey the will of God. His power will be used to create miracles of healing and feeding, even raising Lazarus from the dead, but these acts will be "signs" of the greater power that is behind Him, in whose Name He acts. All that Jesus does in His ministry will be to gather those whom the Father brings to Him; He is the Good Shepherd, and He seeks His flock, loyal and in union and relationship with Father, Son and Spirit. Jesus will call this confession of faith the rock upon which He will build His church, "and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. A note reads: "In Luke's account of the temptations, the devil will bide his time for another opportunity to test Jesus." I think this is an important understanding. Jesus will be subject to the temptations of worldly life that we are - as the "ruler of this world" will try to give to Him.

Let us think about the temptations of Jesus. We think we have various needs, and we do, but Christ puts the love of God first. It is similar to His teaching of the greatest commandments. The first is, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This sets the tone for all else that is to come, all other choices (including the love of neighbor). The Son does not abuse His power simply because He has it. He is here to do something, for specific purpose, to serve something, Someone. Whatever signs He performs will be done with this purpose, to reveal the Father and to gather together those whom He loves in union with Himself and the Father, and to keep them with Him eternally, not to lose a single one. The temptations Jesus faces here are those of worldly and material concern and to use His power in this service. But they all have one thing in common, they are missing the power of the Father and the service to the Father, and this is what Jesus rejects. It is that first Great Commandment that is missing, and that is the whole of the loss that faith remedies. Jesus will minister to bring salvation in the form of "God with us." In that simple step of putting God first lies all the balance in our lives, and what we seek to do with our own might and power and desire. We will be tempted by every possible dare to do otherwise. We will find ourselves by following the power of the Spirit in our lives.