Luke 4:1-13 Commentary

For many of us in more evangelical traditions, we think of retreats as pleasant and uplifting spaces where we can reconnect with God, be refreshed, and maybe even have a “mountaintop” spiritual experience. Retreats are hard to make space and time for, so it really isn’t surprising to me that most of us modern Christians shy away from the ones that have a hint of ascetism in them. The ones that include silence or fasting or solitude are for the “more spiritual” among us.

I’m not sure I’d categorize the forty years of wilderness wanderings as a spiritual retreat, but it was definitely a spiritual journey that challenged and tested the Israelites’ faith and trust in their Redeemer. Jesus follows in their footsteps with his forty days in the desert, and many Christians would be inspired by him in the fourth century as they unknowingly started a monastic movement that would last for over a millennium.

The Israelites wandered around, growing and having their faith tested by God in ways that revealed the temptations that they could most easily succumb to. They, for instance, would rather go back to Egypt and be slaves than deal with the fear or discomfort of a growling stomach. And even though God delivered them from Egypt, when they came across people who looked tougher and stronger than them in the land of milk and honey, they wondered if their God was big enough against their foes and able to deliver on his promises. And by checking in on how much they trusted God, the Israelites were also being tested as to whether or not they truly believed that they belonged to God.

So the way the devil tempts Jesus is significant. At each turn, the devil is trying to get Jesus to exploit his Sonship. This close to his baptism, where Jesus heard the words, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased,” the devil now wants to see what Jesus will do with it.

“If you are the Son of God,” the devil says, “prove it!” We all know the taunt… what’s one little loaf of bread from a stone when you’re obviously hungry? Jesus recalls Moses’s words about the manna that nourished the Israelites for forty years: God’s children rely on God’s provision.

“Ah! What has your Father provided?” That’s what the devil tries next, leading Jesus to overlook the kingdoms of the world. “If you worship me, I’ll give you what your Father hasn’t!” Jesus recalls Moses’s words about the dangers of turning to other gods when the circumstances are not as you would have them: God’s children worship and serve only God.

The final recorded temptation goes the furthest one can go: “If you are the Son of God, show me how God will save your life. PROVE IT!” Jesus recalls Moses’s words about the people’s doubt that God was with them at Massah: God’s children do not make God constantly prove he is there; they do not test God.

A final word about how Luke describes the time Jesus spent in the wilderness: he says that the devil tempted Jesus for the forty days he was out there, meaning these three were not the only ones—nor would they be the last. As Luke says in verse 13, “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.” The same is true for us: our temptations will continue until Jesus brings an end to this age. We will struggle to trust that belong to our God and we will be tempted to despair. May we recall not only Moses’s words, but Jesus and his love.

Textual Points

Along with the matching 40 years and 40 days, there is another symmetry that I like in the two wilderness accounts. God’s presence guided and guarded the Israelites in a pillar of fire and cloud and in the tent of meeting. And in verse one, Luke says that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” who then led him into the wilderness.

Jesus quotes come from Deuteronomy (chapters 6 and 8) as Moses gives directions to the people who are about to enter the promised land. All of the commands Jesus is obeying are incumbent on remembering what God did while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness.

[Note: In addition to these weekly sermon commentaries on the CEP website, we also have a resource page for Lent and Easter with more preaching and worship ideas as well as sample sermons on the Year C Lectionary texts.]

Illustration Idea

The desert or wilderness is a crucible unlike our regular surroundings and daily life. Ephrem of Syria (d. 373) is said to have described it this way, “The desert is much better than inhabited places for one who is seeking the glory of God, and the mountains are indeed preferable to cities for anyone aware of the grace that is given him. Consider the little things. The animals of the desert are not subject to the whip and the mountain goats are not victims of the shearers. Look at the wild donkey in the desert; no one rides on his back. Look at the stags on the rocks; they do not have to bear the yoke. Think of the wild beasts; they do not have to have their food doled out to them… The splendour and the beauty of wild beasts vanish on the plains The strongest lions are overpowered, tamed and put in cages. So look to the animals, O man of the hills, and keep away from the dwellings of humanity.”

This quote has to be understood with the historical fact that the desert monks were not isolated or separated from the people who lived in the cities they warned against. In fact, they served the people of the city through prayer, theology, and acts of service. What Ephrem is saying is that the city and the lifestyle it demands of us is likely to lead us away from the glory God created us for, not towards it.