Scripture Luke 4:1-13 (NRSVUE)
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 tested 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 all this authority and their glory, 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 led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said 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.
Sermon
When I was eleven years old my mother took me to Hawaii. My favorite island was Kona, because it was so wild. Our hotel was in the middle of nowhere, with exotic vistas in every direction, and during breakfast we could see whale pods dancing in the ocean. One day I went swimming on a beach with no lifeguard but my mother. There was a steep drop-off—different from anything I’d experienced in my hometown. The depth went from ankle-deep to neck-deep very suddenly, so I tried to stay ankle deep. But even that was not protection from the gigantic wave that picked me up and slammed me down on the sand. After ten minutes and getting my breath back, I went back in.
Here’s the funny thing about the wild: It can be terrible, and it can be beautiful. And it can be both at the same time. If I’m honest, most of my life, with the exception of my life in the ocean, I’ve only been wilderness-adjacent. By which I mean, I’ve seen the Grand Tetons up close, and they’re gloriously beautiful, but I’ve never climbed a mountain. I love the idea of hiking in the wilderness, but I’ve only hiked in safe places, with paths I could easily follow and my cell phone in my pocket. Except for the ocean, I haven’t experienced all the beauty and terribleness of the wilderness.
The other kind of wilderness, though. I’ve definitely been there, as I’m guessing most all of us have been. The pain of losing relationships that were dear to us. Chronic physical pain. Grief for loved ones who have died. Think of the wilderness of the hurricane-ravaged Black Mountains of North Carolina. Think of the wilderness of the burned out neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Some wildernesses are more terrible than they can ever be beautiful.
Throughout scripture, wilderness experiences are so potent and memorable, the wilderness is practically a character in the story. The wilderness into which Hagar and her son Ishmael were exiled. The wilderness where the Hebrews wandered for forty years. And this wilderness, the wilderness of Jesus’ time of testing.
Jesus has just come from a beautiful experience—a heavenly one, really. His baptism in the Jordan, after which the Spirit has led him to the wilderness for testing. But first things first: In any story, it’s important to get your cast of characters right. Our characters here are the wilderness, Jesus, and the devil.
We’ve already spoken about the wilderness, so let’s talk about the devil.
It’s complicated.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, there is no “devil.” There is a creature called Satan, which means “Accuser.” This Satan is a member of the heavenly court—he’s basically on God’s staff—and his job is making sure God’s that creation is working well. In his most famous appearance, Satan challenges God to let bad things to happen to Job, to test whether he is really as upright and faithful as God believes he is.
In the New Testament, we have demons and devils. Demons are malevolent supernatural entities—they do harm to living things, including humans, by inhabiting their bodies. This devil, on the other hand, is described as a tester—very much like the accuser of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Then, there’s Jesus. To those who met Jesus at the beginning of this ministry, Jesus seemed to be a man—just a man. Over the course of Jesus’ lifetime, he gained fame and acclaim for his preaching, his teaching, and his healing. He also performed miracles and signs. Eventually that acclaim turned to praise, as the people who surrounded him came to believe he had the power of God within him. By the fifth century, most Christians held to the doctrine we call the Incarnation—that Jesus was, at once, both fully human, and fully divine.
What difference does all this make? It makes a very big difference in this story of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness. Jesus is being tested to see if, when, and under what circumstances he will act according to his divine nature.
Jesus is led to the wilderness to be tested, for forty days. Jesus didn’t eat anything during this time. At the end of the forty days, when Jesus was exhausted and weak from fasting—at his most vulnerable—the devil performed these three final tests.
The first is the test of bread. After forty days without food, Jesus had to be starving. So, the devil says, “Why don’t you eat one of these stones? If you are the Son of God, you could certainly transform a stone into bread.”
What will Jesus do? Can he change a stone into bread? If he is fully God, sure he can. But Jesus doesn’t do this kind of miracle anywhere else in the gospels. He multiplies loaves and fishes, yes. He turns water into wine, yes. But in all the cases in which Jesus performs wonders concerning food, he does them for the good of people other than himself. Here, Jesus chooses not to exercise Godly powers, but, rather, to endure this test as the human being he is.
So, he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 to the devil: “It is written: One does not live by bread alone…”
The devil moves on. The next test is the test of power. He takes Jesus to a high place and shows him the whole world. Then he makes an amazing claim: This is all mine. I will give it all to you…all you have to do is bow down and worship me.
This is a deceptively difficult test for Jesus. On the one hand, why would he worship the devil? It doesn’t make any sense. On the other hand, Jesus came to save the whole world. He could do so much good if all those lands were in his power! That had to be more tempting than the stone-to-bread challenge. But… Jesus came into the world in a particular time and place—to be God-With-Us in Nazareth, and Judea, and throughout the occupied territory of his people—and a little beyond, into Gentile territory. This time, Jesus uses a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 6:13. “It is written, The Lord your God you shall fear, him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear.” In other words, no. I won’t worship you. Only God.
For this third test, the devil seems to have tired of the scripture quotes, because he hurls one right back at Jesus. This is the very test of God, Godself. The devil takes Jesus to the highest point of the Temple, and says,
Jump off, why don’t you. Fly! God will catch you. For IT IS WRITTEN,
For he will command his angels concerning you…
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
Which, of course, is a quote from today’s Psalm, Psalm 91:16.
Again, Jesus never performs a miracle that is entirely for show—he doesn’t do things to impress, or to gain status. He does nothing like this brazen dare would suggest. And so he responds, again with a quote from scripture, this time saying, “It is said…Don’t test God,” Deuteronomy 6:16.
Jesus, fully human and fully divine, chooses, at each point in this time of testing, to cling to his humanity. He comes among us, not to give us a show, but to be with us. He comes among us, not to flaunt God’s power, but to live and die because of God’s steadfast love for us.
How beautiful that the one who came to show us the love of God should cling to his humanity through these first tests of his ministry. How terrible his time of testing must have been. But then, Jesus came to live a human life, didn’t he? He came to show us God’s grace, to be the grace of God among us. Presbyterian writer, Frederick Buechner wrote:
The grace of God means something like: “Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.”
This is grace. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. God will be with us in our safe places and our joy, and God will be with us in our wildernesses and despair. God is with us, through it all.
Thanks be to God.