In their theological duel Jesus and his antagonist express two very different interpretations of the role and mission of the messiah. In the first temptation, Jesus refuses to be a messiah magician who turns stones to bread. He counters the devil with the verse, “Not by bread alone do people live” (8.3). God’s Son refuses to be a divine show-off.
Jesus recognizes that our relationships with others and with God nourish us as surely as food does. We are social beings who cannot grow out of infancy without care and who flourish in the bonds of family and friendship.
Although Jesus refuses to turn stones to bread, he is always eating with people in Luke’s gospel. These meals with the messiah often turn the expectations of the righteous upside down, for Jesus welcomes and reconciles sinners at these meals. Jesus nourishes us, ultimately, by pouring out his love and life for us in meals, miracles, and the cross.
Today in North America we exercise our freedom endlessly at malls and groceries. Choices abound. What bottled water do we prefer? What flavoring do we like best in our double latte?
Our choices determine personal style but they may not nourish Christian identity. Jesus challenges us not to live by consuming alone but by choosing to lift up those who have little chance to thrive without our help.
- By which of God’s words do you live?
- In what ways this Lent will you nourish your spirit?
- With whom do you need a renewing meal?
The devil’s second temptation envisions Jesus as the world ruler many people expected the messiah to be. Instead, Jesus chooses to live Israel’s first and greatest commandment — to worship and serve God alone (Deuteronomy 6.13).
The devil’s challenge is the same one onlookers hurl at Jesus on the cross. “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one” (Luke 23.35).
Daily our news reports tempt us to trust violence will make peace in our world. The daily gruel of murders, fires, rapes, robberies, terrorist attacks sicken us. We lock our doors and often our hearts against people unlike us. Easily we become cynical spectators in a world gone awry instead of creative participants whose love and work for justice join in making Earth a global neighborhood.
- Who do you serve?
- What change does serving God alone ask of you this Lent?
The devil’s third and climactic temptation invites Jesus to prove he is God’s Son. The devil mocks the poetry of Psalm 91.11-12, which describes God as protective, bearing up the faithful person to protect him or her from stumbling upon a stone. The devil mocks God’s intimate caring for Israel and for Jesus.
God Almighty is an image of God that leads to unbelief for many. Reasoning goes if God is all-powerful, why doesn’t God use the power to end war or violence or suffering. Jesus’ Father, the faithful and steadfast God of the Old Testament, accompanies us in our failures and sufferings. This is God who brings the impossible to be but not without us.
- How has God borne you up in your life?
- What tests your faith in God? How do you live with your doubts?