Luke 4:1-13 (Lent 1C)
St. John, Galveston 3/9/25
Rev. Alan Taylor
+ In Nomine Jesu +
Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The theme for the Divine Service for the first Sunday in Lent is always the same, that being the temptation of Jesus at the hand of Satan. As you know, Lent is a very penitential season, a season in which we reflect on the struggles we face in this world as people of faith. On the first Sunday of Lent, we are reminded of our struggle with temptation and particularly with the various temptations that come to us from the prince of darkness, the devil himself.
And so, once again we begin our Lenten journey by hearing about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. The devil threw various temptations at Jesus, contorting and twisting the Word of God. In every case, Jesus stood firm against the wiles of the devil by remaining true to the true Word of God. “(The devil) took him (Luke says) to Jerusalem and 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 will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
One of the things we are to learn from Jesus’ temptation is how to handle temptation ourselves. Again, in every case, Jesus stood firmly behind the Word of God, which was, for Him, a shield and a defense. When facing temptation, it is a good thing for us too to stand behind the Word of God, for it is our sure defense and shield in the time of trouble. And yet, we know, deep down, that, we are still going to fail from time to time in our battle against temptation. The fault doesn’t lie, of course, with God’s Word. Rather, it is we who let down our shield, exposing ourselves to the fiery darts of the devil.
I think there is much more to Jesus’ temptation though than Him giving us a model of how to behave when we are tempted. Again, the model is good, but Jesus is, and must be, more for us than simply a model for life. These other aspects of Jesus’ temptation are the purest of Gospel. These are the things that will comfort you when you’ve given into temptation, when you’ve succumbed to it, when you find yourself confronted by God’s word and falling woefully short of what He expects of you.
One of the first things to take note of in Jesus’ temptation is its proximity to His baptism. Three of the four Gospel writers give us an account of Jesus’ temptation, and in all three cases, they move directly from the account of His baptism to His temptation. That three of the four Gospel writers make reference to this sequence of events indicates that there is something here we dare not miss.
Baptism, of course, gives you the strength to live as a newborn child of God. But it also marks you for assaults from the devil. And the truth is, whatever battles you face in life against the devil would be brief indeed, were it not for the power of God given to you in your baptism. It is in and through your baptism that the words of that great reformation hymn that we sang just a few moments ago are absolutely certain and true. I’m thinking particularly of verse 3…
“Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
They shall not overpower us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none.
He’s judged the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.”
So, like Jesus, whatever temptation you face in life, you do so as a baptized child of God. As such, “He’s by your side, upon the plain, with His good gifts and Spirit and He holds the field forever.”
There are two other things though about Jesus’ temptation that are closely connected to the Old Testament and to God’s plan to save the world from sin and death. The first has to do with the comparison between Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Now, as I’m sure you know, Israel came to the end of their 40 years in the wilderness having failed miserably in the eyes of God. You may recall, with the exception of Joshua, they all died in the wilderness with this rather somber epithet of God.
Jesus though enters into the wilderness as the New Israel. Where God’s people failed, He did not! Where they proved to be unfaithful, He proved to be perfectly faithful. Mind you, pointing out this perfect faithfulness of Jesus isn’t to make you feel guilty for your unfaithfulness. Rather, it is to remind you that His perfect faithfulness is ultimately credited TO YOU. Which is to say, He is your substitute in righteousness and purity.
The place of your baptism in facing temptation is critically important, as is seeing Jesus as the New Israel, your substitute in righteousness and purity. There is though one more thing to take note of in Jesus’ temptation at the hands of the devil. As you know, there was a man who faced temptation from the devil many, many years ago. As with Jesus, the devil contorted and twisted God’s word and used God’s word against him. And, for whatever reason, Adam came to doubt God’s Word. In doing so, he thrust the whole world into sin and death, such that each of us was born in the image and likeness of Adam. Indeed,
“All mankind fell in Adam’s fall;
One common sin infects us all.
From one to all the curse descends,
And over all God’s wrath impends.”
The contrast between the temptation of the first Adam and Jesus, who is the second Adam, is starkly evident. Jesus’ faced temptation at the hands of the devil, but, unlike the first Adam, the second Adam emerged victorious. The point is, precisely where Adam yielded and Israel failed, Jesus, Son of God, stood firm. If the the lingering effect of the failure of the first Adam brings you sorrow and struggle, how much more the victory of the second Adam brings you joy and triumph!
Comparing Jesus to Adam, St. Paul says elsewhere, “as one trespass led to condemnation for all men (that is, Adam’s trespass), so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men (that is, of course, Jesus’ act of righteousness). For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
Aside from giving you a model for how to handle temptation in your life, this account of Jesus’ temptation, draws your attention to, and assures you of three Gospel promises. First, you are the baptized of God! You are a new creation and for you fights the Valiant One whom God Himself elected. At the same time, Jesus is your substitute, both as the New Israel and as the second Adam. Where they both failed in their struggle against temptation, He emerged victorious. And, even now, His righteous victory over the devil is credited to you, such that, in Jesus, you have already won the battle with temptation. Indeed, “as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
+ Soli Deo Gloria +