“Whoa! What an ordeal”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Luke 4: 1-13 (Forward, p. 58) CEV p. 1060

It isn’t just the trials, the temptations themselves, that stand out in this account, but also the manner and timing of them. Firstly, there is the timing of them, just coming as they did on the heels of a high point of Jesus’ life, His baptism followed by the affirming voice from heaven. From personal experience I have noticed that problems, difficulties and ‘attacks’ of various sorts often come immediately after some notable success or achievement, after some particularly ‘high point’ in one’s life. That this would happen also with Jesus comes as no surprise.

The second aspect with regards to timing is that the temptations, the trial by fire as it were, continued for forty long days. That, to my way of thinking, is an extremely long time, and to go that long without eating made Jesus even more vulnerable and even more susceptible to failing for the devil’s tricks. Yes, by the time it was over, Jesus was hungry, no doubt about it.

And then there was the manner of the temptations. Our text says that the devil ‘tested Jesus in every way possible,’ so perhaps the three temptations mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg, or perhaps are illustrations that serve to encapsulate in themselves all the possibilities. And the text tells us that the devil was not finished with Jesus, that he left Him ‘until an opportune time.’ We cannot be definite about what these occasions were, but I would surmise that the clamor of the crowds wanting to make Him king (John 6:15) or His time of agonized prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26: 36-46) or His subsequent arrest (see John 26:53) could have been three such occasions. On each of these occasions Jesus could have ‘taken the easy way out’, that is, avoid the Cross, which, of course, is what Satan wanted.

And then there are the temptations themselves. Matthew and Luke vary in the order that they are presented, but I do not think that this matters much. I think that their order has more to do with the gospel writer’s theological point of view than with a concern for ‘factuality’. With Matthew and his emphasis on the kingdom, he wants to make it abundantly clear that Jesus chooses to follow God’s way of the kingdom rather than any tempting alternative. And with Luke’s emphasis on prayer and the place of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s walk with God, he wants to emphasize that we should not go overboard in this, that is, to presume upon God’s care and protection by acting foolishly or recklessly or outside of God’s will and direction.

And turning to the one other temptation for a moment, the temptation to turn stones into bread is a temptation to use God’s power to suit ourselves and our own worldly needs, or to use that power to coerce or unduly influence others. Imagine someone feeding us with something as lowly and common as some desert stones. Surely a man who could do such things would be worthy to be king!

The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in all ways as we are, yet without sinning (Hebrews 5:8), and yet He resisted these temptations, conquered them, with no divine resources, but with only the words of Scripture. And so there is hope, not just in knowing that Jesus fatefully endured the same pressures and hazards that we do, but also that He overcame them armed with no more than the resources that we already have ourselves, namely the Scriptures. Suffice to say, then, that we need to know those Scriptures intimately, and have them imbedded in our hearts and minds for those days when they are so sorely needed. Thanks be to God for such a hope, and such a resource.

Forward notes: “He departed from him until an opportune time” (verse 13).

“When is an opportune time to be tempted?

“Therapy and recovery communities often use the acronym HALT as a reminder to be wary of times when we’re vulnerable to temptation. HALT stands for hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, all scenarios that may lead us to fall into bad habits or make unhealthy or unhelpful decisions. The challenging part for me is identifying when these emotions are driving my thoughts or behaviors.

“An old boyfriend used to ask me, ‘Have you eaten today?’ That was our code for, ‘You’re in a mood, and I know it’s not me, so I’m going to give you a pass and an opportunity to self-reflect.’ This type of kindness and empathy from a loved one who knows us well can be a gentle invitation to pause and take stock of our day and how we are moving through it. We can’t avoid becoming hungry, angry, lonely, or tired; we are human. But we can embrace the opportunities to notice our feelings and offer ourselves the compassionate care we need.”

Moving Forward: “How can prayer help you avoid temptation in ‘opportune times?’”

A concluding note: our author wisely suggests some ‘ideal’ situations for temptations, ‘ideal’ in the sense of being more susceptible. I would like to pick up on the last one, ‘tired’, which often comes after a time of success or achievement, a time when you have been especially honoured or praised. At such times, you can not only be tired, but also lulled into a state of less wariness or awareness than usual and thus be more like to fall prey to less than proper or appropriate behaviours.