Sermon Tone Analysis

There are fascinating parallels between the three temptations of Christ, the three temptations in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:6), and the three kinds of temptation 1 John 2:16 lists to summarize “everything in the world.”

Jesus’ temptations

Adam & Eve’s temptations

1 John 2:16

turn stones into bread

tree was good for food

lust of the flesh

see all kingdoms

pleasing to the eye

lust of the eyes

save life spectacularly

desirable for gaining wisdom

pride of life

Whether or not any of these parallels was intentional, together they point out that Jesus did experience representative temptations of all kinds; therefore, the writer of Hebrews could declare that Christ was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15 NIV).42

Luke has just reminded us of Jesus’ membership in the family of Adam.

If there had been any doubt about his being really human, Luke underlines his sharing of our flesh and blood in this vivid scene of temptation.

If Jesus is the descendant of Adam, he must now face not only what Adam faced but the powers that had been unleashed through human rebellion and sin.

Long years of habitual rebellion against the creator God had brought about a situation in which the world, the flesh and the devil had become used to twisting human beings into whatever shape they wanted.

In particular, after his baptism, Jesus faced the double question: what does it mean to be God’s son in this special, unique way?

And what sort of messiahship was he to pursue?

There had, after all, been many royal movements in his time, not only the well-known house of Herod but also other lesser-known figures whom we meet in the historian Josephus.

Characters like Simon (not one of the Simons we know in the Bible) and Athronges gathered followers and were hailed as kings, only to be cut down by Roman or Herodian troops.

There were would-be prophets who promised their followers signs from heaven, great miracles to show God’s saving power.

They too didn’t last long.

What was Jesus to do?

The three temptations can be read as possible answers to this question.

The story does not envisage Jesus engaged in conversation with a visible figure to whom he could talk as one to another; the devil’s voice appears as a string of natural ideas in his own head.

They are plausible, attractive, and make, as we would say, a lot of sense.

God can’t want his beloved son to be famished with hunger, can he?

If God wants Jesus to become sovereign over the world (that, after all, is what Gabriel had told Mary), then why not go for it in one easy stride?

If Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, why not prove it by spectacular displays of power?

If there are in this story echoes of Adam and Eve in the garden, with the serpent whispering plausible lies about God, his purposes and his commands, there are also echoes of Israel in the wilderness.

Israel came out of Egypt through the Red Sea, with God declaring that Israel was his son, his firstborn.

There then followed the 40-year wandering in the wilderness, where Israel grumbled for bread, flirted disastrously with idolatry, and put God continually to the test.

Now Jesus, coming through the waters of baptism as God’s unique son, the one through whom Israel’s destiny was to be fulfilled, faces the question: how is he to be Israel’s representative, her rightful king?

How can he deliver Israel, and thereby the world, from the grip of the enemy?

How can he bring about the real liberation, not just from Rome and other political foes, but from the arch-enemy, the devil himself?

The answer is that he must begin by defeating him at the most personal and intimate level.

Christian leaders today sometimes make the mistake of thinking that as long as they are pursuing the right aims in their public life, what they do in private doesn’t matter so much.

That is a typical lie whispered by the same voice that Jesus heard in the desert.

If God is working by his Spirit through a person, that person’s own life will be increasingly formed by that Spirit, through testing at every level.

If Jesus could not win the victory there, there was little point carrying on.

Jesus responds to the devil, not by attempting to argue (arguing with temptation is often a way of playing with the idea until it becomes too attractive to resist), but by quoting scripture.

The passages he draws on come from the story of Israel in the wilderness: he is going to succeed where Israel failed.

Physical needs and wants are important, but loyalty to God is more important still.

Jesus is indeed to become the world’s true lord, but the path to that status, and the mode of it when it arrives, is humble service, not a devilish seeking after status and power.

Trust in God doesn’t mean acting stupidly to force God into doing a spectacular rescue.

The power that Jesus already has, which he will shortly display in healings in particular, is to be used for restoring others to life and strength, not for cheap stunts.

His status as God’s son commits him, not to showy prestige, but to the strange path of humility, service and finally death.

The enemy will return to test this resolve again.

For the moment, an initial victory is won, and Jesus can begin his public career knowing that though struggles lie ahead the foe has been beaten on the first field that really matters.

We are unlikely to be tempted in exactly the same way as Jesus was, but every Christian will be tested at the points which matter most in her or his life and vocation.

It is a central part of Christian vocation to learn to recognize the voices that whisper attractive lies, to distinguish them from the voice of God, and to use the simple but direct weapons provided in scripture to rebut the lies with truth.

The Christian discipline of fighting temptation is not about self-hatred, or rejecting parts of our God-given humanity.

It is about celebrating God’s gift of full humanity and, like someone learning a musical instrument, discovering how to tune it and play it to its best possibility.

At the heart of our resistance to temptation is love and loyalty to the God who has already called us his beloved children in Christ, and who holds out before us the calling to follow him in the path which leads to the true glory.

In that glory lies the true happiness, the true fulfilment, which neither world, nor flesh, nor devil can begin to imitate.

BEFORE BEGINNING HIS ministry, Jesus faces off with Satan after being led by the Spirit into the desert.

Luke makes such leading clear by noting both that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and that he was “led by the Spirit in the desert.”

What occurs here, therefore, takes place under God’s direction.

Also important to the event’s background is the fact that it takes place after forty days of fasting.

Forty is a significant number in the Bible (Gen 7:4; Lev.

12:1–4; Num.

14:33; Deut.

25:3; Ezek.

4:6; on fasting, see Ex. 34:28; Deut 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8).

Such fasting probably involved minimum drink only.

The remark is significant, since Jesus’ testing takes place in an environment opposite to the one Adam faced.

The comparison to Adam is suggested by “the son of Adam, the son of God” conclusion to the preceding genealogy (3:38).

The cosmic confrontation of Jesus with Satan recalls that earlier encounter, which had such dire consequences for humanity.

Another major biblical event surfacing in this passage is the Exodus, for Jesus uses the book of Deuteronomy to reply to each satanic temptation.

Jesus’ successful encounter with the devil reveals how thoroughly dedicated he is to God’s will and call.

Jesus will take only the road God asks him to follow.

He will not take any shortcuts.

He knows that a successful walk with God only goes where the Father leads.

The event is built around three distinct temptations.

Two of them specifically make Jesus’ Sonship the issue (vv.

3, 9).

They argue in vivid terms, using a conditional clause in which the word “if” (ei) presents the condition as if it were so, though Satan has more sinister motives.

Satan tempts Jesus to act in a way that supports his Sonship.

Of course, his goal behind these temptations is the exact opposite: luring Jesus to act independently of the Father and thus creating a rebellious Sonship.

In each case, Jesus uses Scripture to counter Satan’s attempt.

The first temptation questions God’s provision and care.

Satan’s premise is that Jesus’ Sonship must mean that God does not want him to starve in the desert, so the mighty Son should simply turn stone into bread and meet his basic needs under his own power.

But Jesus understands that the request is not a challenge to be strong, but to be independent.

Such independence is weakness and leads to failure.

Jesus’ reply comes from Deuteronomy 8:3b, arguing that life is run by more than food.

In fact, in the priority of things, life is not defined by bread at all.

Instead, life is defined by doing God’s will and depending on his leading.

In the Deuteronomy citation, the next line refers to living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

To follow God is to live.

The second temptation is an invitation to worship Satan and abandon loyalty to the Father, a direct challenge to the first commandment (Ex.

20:3).

Satan allows Jesus to see all the kingdoms in the world and promises him authority over all of them if he will only worship him.

The proposal is of an alliance between the Son and Satan.

The temptation is not only to join Satan, but for Jesus to excuse himself from all that lies ahead in his ministry.

He can leave behind the rejection and suffering for quick access to power.

Though Satan possesses great authority (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor.

4:4; Eph.

2:2), he really cannot grant this wish.

The proposal is a delusion and a lie, as are all of Satan’s attempts to get us off track.

Jesus’ reply makes it clear he knows which way is true.