BRETT J. ANDERSON
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2019

Lenten Reflection Series

The Temptation of Christ

3/10/2019

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Picture
Luke 4:1-13 (NRSVCE)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying 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 protect you,’
and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.


I love the temptation in the wilderness, because it really showcases the fullness of Christ’s humanity. It’s said all the time “Christ is fully human, here are reasons X, Y, and Z proving it so.” It’s also enshrined in our creeds. And that’s all great. But in this passage, his humanity isn’t some metaphysical reality discussed by theologians. It is much more visceral—much more real.

Think about it. Would the devil have bothered trying to tempt God? Of course not. God cannot be tempted. God is immutable, by nature. He does not change. But in Jesus, God took upon Himself a human nature. Human nature is mutable. We change all the time. The devil succeeded in tempting man once before, and thrust the world into chaos. So it stands to reason that the devil could do it again. If Jesus is truly man, he is able to be tempted—he is able to change. The devil uses all his wit and all his powers of deception and coercion, because he knows this is his chance. It worked on the first Adam. But this time, with the Second Adam, he fails. Jesus resists the temptations that Adam succumbed to.

This isn’t merely a symbolic story of how the new Adam prevails where the old Adam failed. It instead showcases the reality of what man is capable of becoming, when he is properly ordered to the will of his Father. There is no more perfect union of man to the will of the Father than in Christ. And Christ shows us how to reorder ourselves: through prayer and fasting. Like Jesus, we must spend this Lenten season denying ourselves the material pleasures we too often put above God. All the world offers us is bread. But we do not live by bread alone. Our life comes from above. By releasing our dependency on things of the world, we are able to focus ourselves on conforming to the will of our Father, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. And it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit within us, as He was in Christ, that we will find ourselves able to resist the temptations of the devil.

Christ was tempted, as we are. And we will continue to be tempted. Christ shows us our salvation. Our only hope is to hold fast to our Father, to God. Because it is God who will deliver us from the snares of the devil.
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    Day 10: It's Not Fair!
    Day 11: Today Is The Day
    Day 12: Imitation & Humiliation
    Day 13: Daniel's Prayer
    Day 14: Faith Of Abraham
    Day 15: Enemy Of The People
    Day 16: Faith In Action
    Day 17: Son Of His Old Age
    Day 18: A Routine Faith
    Day 19: The Barren Fig Tree
    Day 1: You're So Vain
    Day 20: The Annunciation
    Day 21: Prayer Of Azariah
    Day 22: The Law
    Day 23: Stubborn Wanderers
    Day 24: The Greatest Commandment
    Day 25: Line In The Sand
    Day 26: Ambassadors For Christ
    Day 27: Signs & Wonders
    Day 28: A Helping Hand
    Day 29: In God's Memory
    Day 2: Choose Life
    Day 30: God Changed His Mind
    Day 31: Would I Recognize Jesus?
    Day 32: Vengeance
    Day 33: Go And Sin No More
    Day 34: Susanna
    Day 35: Christ The Serpent
    Day 36: Out Of Order
    Day 37: What's In A Name?
    Day 38: Lament Of Jeremiah
    Day 39: Imitation
    Day 3: Jesus The Bridegroom
    Day 40: Kenosis
    Day 41: Isaiah's Cave
    Day 42: Light To The Nations
    Day 43: In Times Of Trouble
    Day 44: Handed Over
    Day 45: The Humanity Of Christ
    Day 46: Harrowing Of Hell
    Day 47: Peter's Vocation
    Day 4: Trampling The Sabbath
    Day 5: The Temptation Of Christ
    Day 6: Laws And Signposts
    Day 7: The Life-Giving Word
    Day 8: The First Ninevite
    Day 9: Three Keys To Prayer

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