Hi all! We continue on our journey through Luke with today's stories being Luke's account of Jesus' temptation, interactions with demons, and the calling of the first disciples. A thought I had never really entertained before is that Jesus and Satan (proper name or temptor depending on your interpretation of that word) travel together during this wilderness experience. I always imagined the temptation to look more like Satan just appears to Jesus wherever he presently was and tries to tempt him and then goes away again. But in Luke's account Satan "takes Jesus to Jerusalem" implying that they travel together. I'm probably way too captivated by this but I would LOVE to know what their conversation looked like. Does this interest anyone else? Someone?? haha.
Scripture to Read
Audio Bible
Questions to Consider
What does this reveal to me about Jesus?
What about this is meaningful to me? What does it inspire in me?
What is the universal "theme" of these readings?
- Commentary -
You might not have noticed it but Matthew and Luke switch up the order of Jesus temptations with Jesus. Matthew ends on the mountain while Luke ends at the temple. This is because these two things represent the 'focal' point of Jesus to each author. Matthew wants to connect Jesus to the other great prophets of the faith who revealed the glory of God from a mountaintop experience while Luke wants to reveal that the temple was a significant place of teaching and instruction for Jesus. For the devil to take Jesus to these respective places for each gospel was to reveal this was the ultimate and most powerful temptation.
The underlying theme that follows chapter 4 is Jesus as a person of authority. Jesus teaches in the synagogue as a person of authority and presses that authority further by claiming that it has become true. When Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law it says that he "stands over her" in a position of authority and in the scene when Jesus casts out the demon he "commands" it and "rebukes" it. Jesus wasn't just a healer like the other healers (or physicians) of the day - he was someone of exceptional influence.
(The preceding information is paraphrased from The New Interpreters Bible Commentary)
Today we examine part two in the series from Bible Project on the Gospel of Luke. A deep dive on chapters 3 - 9.
Praying the Hymns
I know there have been a few times now where the hymn is good for our reading but today's might actually just be PERFECT. This hymn is "Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days" inspired by Jesus own temptations in the wilderness. Like our reading for today. CRRAAAZZZYYYY how that worked out. As you pray this hymn may you feel yourself walking aside Jesus in solidarity that your own temptations are not foreign to Jesus. If he can overcome, so can you :)
Also, I LOVE this version. It's so well done.
Lord, who throughout these forty days For us did fast and pray, Teach us with you to mourn our sins And close by you to stay.
As you with Satan did contend, And did the victory win, O give us strength in you to fight, In you to conquer sin.
As you did hunger and did thirst, So teach us, gracious Lord, To die to self, and so to live By your most holy Word.
And through these days of penitence, And through your Passiontide, Forevermore, in life and death, O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us, that through this life Of doubts and hope and pain, An Easter of unending joy We may at last attain!