..be transformed by the renewing of your mind

*I’m reading a bible study book on the Gospel of Luke written by William Barclay. It has shown me some insights on this well-known part of Jesus’ life. It has shown me somethings that reach rather deep down… Hope I’ll learn from it and apply it into my life…*

Background:

Luke 4 (New International Version)

The Temptation of Jesus

 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

 4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’^[a]“

 5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”

 8Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’^[b]“

 9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:
   ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you
      to guard you carefully;
 11they will lift you up in their hands,
      so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^[c]“

 12Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[d]“

 13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

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• The whole point of the temptations is that they could have come only to a man who could do astonishing things. It is no temptation to us to turn stones into bread or leap from a Temple pinnacle, for the simple reason that it is impossible for us to do such things. These are temptations which could have only come to a man whose powers were unique and who had to decide how to use them.
• First of all the wilderness—- inhabited part of Judaea which stood on the central plateau which was the backbone of Southern Palestine. Between it and the Dead Sea stretched a terrible wilderness, thirty-five by fifteen miles, called Jeshimmon (”The Devastation”). Hills were like dust heaps, limestones looked blistered and peeling, rocks bare and jagged, ground sounded hollow to the horses’ hooves, glowed with heat like a vast furnace and ran out to the precipcies, 1200 feet high which swooped down to the Dead Sea. It was in that awesome devastation that Jesus was tempted.
• We must not think that the 3 temptations came and went like scenes in a play. We must rather think of Jesus deliberately retiring to this lonely place and for forty days of wrestling with the problem of how he could win men. It was a long battle which never eased until the cross and the story ends by saying the tempter left Jesus —for a season.

1. The first temptation is to turn stones into bread.  The wilderness was not a wilderness of sand. It was covered by little bits of limestones exactly like loaves. The tempter was suggesting that Jesus should use his wonderful powers to give people material things if he want people to follow him.  Jesus reply also means that a man will never find life in material things.
2. The second temptation is the temptation to compromise. The devil is like saying, ” I have got people in my grip, don’t set your standards so high, strike a bargain with me, compromise a little with evil and men will follow  you. ” But Jesus’ answer seems to say, ” God is God, right is right, wrong is wrong. There can be no compromise on the war with evil.” My favorite verse from this passage is said by Jesus to the devil, “ Worship the Lord your God and serve him only“ .He quotes scripture Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20. I questioned myself the purpose of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it—- is it for a show of personal glory or fame or to serve God….     It is a constant temptation to win men by compromising with the standards of the world. The Christian must be convicted of the infinite beauty of holiness and the infinite ugliness of sin.
3. The third temptation is to give the people sensations.  Jesus seems to be saying, “No, you must not make senseless experiments with the power of God.”  This is my favorite part: Jesus saw quite clearly that if he produced sensations he could be a nine days’ wonder; but he also saw that sensationalism will not last. 

The main point: 

The temptation incident shows us Jesus choosing once and for all the method by which he proposed to win men to God. It shows him rejecting the way of power and glory and accepting the way of suffering and the cross. The hard way of service and of suffering leads to the cross, but after the cross to the crown.

 Even Jesus my Lord did not go through the easy way to win men, even though he could have easily. But he stuck to the truth behind it all and showed us what really matters. It gives comfort to the poor people or people with little power. In this world where material gain is highly emphasized, this passage reminds me that a person cannot find life in his wealth (even though wealth is not a bad thing), that a person needs to be humble before God and to place Him as He deserves in his/her life. It also shows me that whatever I’m doing now for others need to come from a motive of serving them ( serving God in that way), and not for my own personal glory or benefit. It will not be easy… It takes suffering and hard work. But no short cut for that….

Let God’s words nourish your soul today,

instead of food, money, or other material things…

for it will truly satisfy,

guide,

and help you to see more clearly

the purpose of your existence…