Old Testament Reading: Zephaniah 3  

“Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The LORD within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame. ‘I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. ‘Therefore wait for me,’ declares the LORD, ‘for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.’ Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: ‘Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,’ says the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 4:31-44

“And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’ And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region. And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” (Luke 4:31–44, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Brothers and sisters, it seems evident to me that there is a ditch on both sides of the road as it pertains to the proper interpretation of this passage.

On the one side, you will find those who read this text and assume that Jesus came for this purpose: to free all who are sick and oppressed so that they might be healthy and prosperous on earth today. You have probably encountered this view. It is very popular in our society. There are many who claim to be Christians who will read stories like the one here in Luke 4 and think that this was Jesus’ mission – to make people healthy, wealthy, and prosperous in the here and now.  

Honestly, it is not difficult to see where such a view comes from. A careless and narrow reading of this passage (and others like it) can give the impression that this was Jesus’ mission. 

When I speak of a careless reading, I mean a reading which focuses on the miracles performed by Jesus – his casting out demons and healing from diseases – while ignoring the beginning and the end of the text, which stresses that Jesus was devoted to preaching the good news of the kingdom of God in the synagogues. In fact, in Luke 4:43 we hear Christ say, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV). So, Christ’s stated purpose – his mission – was not to make everyone healthy and prosperous now. No, his purpose was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and to establish this kingdom in power. The miracles that Jesus performed must be interpreted in light of this stated purpose. Did Jesus cast out demons? Did he heal people from their physical affliction? No doubt! But the question we must is why? Did he cast out demons and heal because this was his purpose – to make everyone whole and well in the here and now? Or did he perform these miracles for another reason, perhaps as a demonstration that the kingdom of God had come with power? A careful reading of the text will show us that this was the case. Jesus stated purpose was to inaugurate God’s kingdom, and these miracles performed by him were a demonstration, or sign, that the kingdom was here. In fact, in Luke 11:20 Jesus explicitly states that this was the meaning of the miracles when he said, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20, ESV). Let us not be careless in our reading of Scripture, brothers and sisters. When we learn that Christ healed and cast our demons, we must ask the question why?

And when I speak of a narrow reading, I mean a reading of this text (and others like it) that ignores other passages of Scripture that make it quite clear that it is not always the will of the Lord to heal and to make his people prosperous in the here and now. To put it bluntly, a person would have to ignore a great deal of the New Testament and the Old to claim that God’s will is to make his people healthy and prosperous on earth now through faith in Christ. Consider a few things:

One, Christ himself suffered in the flesh even to the point of death. When he cried out to the Father in the garden to take the cup of suffering from him, he added, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42, ESV). And we know that it was the will of the Father that Christ would suffer unto death.

Two, those who have faith in Christ are called to identify with Christ in his suffering. Consider Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” So then, true followers of Christ are not immune from suffering. On the contrary, we are called to suffer with Christ. As you can see, this teaching that Christ came to free us from all suffering runs counter to the clear teaching of Scripture.

Three, even the Apostles of Jesus suffered in this life. They suffered, even to the point of death. For example, Paul tells us about a thorn in his flesh. Now, we do not know what exactly this “thorn” was, but it was certainly an ailment of some kind that bothered him deeply. In 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Pauls says, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8–10, ESV). The Greek word translated as “weakness” may also be translated as “incapacity”. “Insults” means “mistreatments”.  The word “hardships” is a generic word referring to “troubled times”. To be persecuted is to be harassed by others. The word “calamities” refers to difficult circumstances of any kind. You see, Paul pilled up these words to communicate that he would gladly endure afflictions of any kind if it was the will of God to use them to draw him into a closer dependence upon the Lord. 

Four, consider that devout Christians throughout the history of the church have suffered afflictions. Consider also that all will eventually face death. 

And five, do not forget the many passages of Scripture that instruct the believer concerning the way they are to respond to afflictions.    

Christians are to rejoice in their sufferings, knowing that God will bring good from them. As Paul says in Romans 5:3, “but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5, ESV)

Christians are to comfort one another in their afflictions even as they are comforted by God. Listen to 2 Corinthians 1:3ff. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:3–6, ESV).

Christians are called to patiently endure while experiencing afflictions. Listen to James 5:10-11: “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:10–11, ESV).

I could pill up many more Scripture texts that make it clear that faithful Christians living in this present evil age should not be surprised (1 Peter 4:12) when they experience trials of various kinds (James 1:2), but I think this will do for now. The point is this: A careful and broad reading of Scripture makes it impossible to think that Christ came to free his people from afflictions and to make us healthy, wealthy, and prosperous in the here and now. Only a very careless and narrow reading of Luke 4 (and other passages like it) could produce such a view. So let us take care lest we begin to slip into that ditch of misinterpretation. 

But there is a ditch on the other side of the road that we must also be sure to avoid. I would imagine that most who end up in this ditch land there because they overreact against the error just mentioned. And so what is the other error that must be avoided? I think it can be stated like this: Jesus came to provide for the forgiveness of our sins and to save our souls, but he is not at all concerned with our physical bodies or our prosperity on earth. To hold to a view like this one would have to spiritualize these stories of Jesus healing the sick. They would view these physical healings as mere signs of Jesus’ power to heal the soul. Though somewhat true, this view is ultimately incorrect.

Brothers and sisters, please hear me. Jesus came to save whole persons, body and soul. 

He came to set his people free from the tyranny of the devil, body and soul. 

He came to reverse the effects that man’s fall into sin has had on us, body and soul. 

Christ came to establish a new creation and to do away with the old which has been wrecked by sin. He will bring his people – that is to say, all who have faith in the Messiah – safely into this new creation, body and soul. 

There in the new heavens and earth, “the dwelling place of God [will be] with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV). Christ will bring his elect into the new heavens and earth, body and soul.

Stated in one more way, Jesus the Messiah came to destroy the devil and his works. He came to overthrow Satan’s kingdom and to establish his kingdom – the eternal kingdom of God. He came to redeem his people from the kingdom of darkness and to bring them safely and securely into his eternal kingdom of light, body and soul. 

So then, there is a sense in which it is true that Christ came to give his people health, wealth, and prosperity on earth. The trouble with the Prosperity Gospel (as it is often called) is not its insistence that Christ has earned health, wealth, and prosperity for his people, but rather its insistence that those of faith will have all of these blessings on this earth now. You see, the prosperity preachers have gotten ahead of themselves. They have failed to distinguish between life in this present evil age and life in the age to come. When, brothers and sisters, will God wipe away every tear from our eyes? When will death be no more? And when shall there be no mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore? Answer: in the life to come after Christ returns to judge and to make all things new? For then, at that time, the former things will have passed away (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV). And where will these pleasures be enjoyed? Answer: Not in this fallen, sin-sick world, but in the world to come – that is to say, in the new heavens and earth, which Christ has earned by his death and resurrection. You see, it’s about timing and location. 

I think it is important that we speak of all this in terms of the kingdom of God, for that is how Christ spoke of his mission in the passage that is before us today. He performed these miracles while preaching the good news of the kingdom (Luke 4:43).

 So let me ask you, when will Christ’s kingdom be present with power? If you have been here for any length of time you have probably heard me say that Christ’s kingdom is here now but not yet in its fullness. 

Christ’s kingdom broke into this world in power when Christ came for the first time to accomplish our redemption through his life, death, and resurrection. It was then at his first coming that he said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). It was then that he defeated Satan (Luke 4:1-15). It was then that he cast him down from heaven (Luke 10:18). It was then that he bound him so that he could plunder his house (Revelation 20:1-3; Matthew 12:29). It was then that Christ, having accomplished his work through his humiliation, was exulted to his heavenly throne and sat down Hebrews 1:3). Christ is King now (Revelation 19:16). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:18). 

Christ kingdom is present on earth now. It is present wherever the church is present. It is present wherever God’s people assemble to say, Jesus is Lord. But is the kingdom of God here in fullness? No. The kingdom has been inaugurated but not yet consummated. When will the kingdom of heaven be here in full? When Christ returns. As 1 Corinthians 15:24 says: “Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet…” (1 Corinthians 15:24–28, ESV).

You see, there is something progressive about the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. The kingdom broke into the world with power when Christ came for the first time. The kingdom will grow and expands until Christ returns. And when Christ returns, the kingdom will be consummated. Then, there will be no more sin, sickness, and death, for then Satan will be fully and finally judged and his kingdom cast out. 

Jesus spoke about the progressive expansion of his kingdom when he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened” (Luke 13:18–21, ESV).

So what does all of this kingdom talk have to do with our passage? Answer: everything. 

Notice that our text begins with the mention of Jesus’ preaching. Luke 4:31 says, “And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority” (Luke 4:31–32, ESV). And what was Jesus preaching about? We are told in verse 43: “But he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV). Christ came to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God was near. And he came to inaugurate the kingdom through his victory over Satan, sin, and death. 

The miracles performed by Jesus in this passage – the casting out of a demon in verses 33-37, the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law in verses 38-39, and the report that he healed many and cast demons out of many in verses 40-41 – are to be viewed as a demonstration of Jesus’s power and authority, and as a sign that his kingdom of was at hand. These miracles also demonstrate the power and authority that Christ has to overthrow the devil and overturn his works.   

That Jesus has power over Satan and Satan’s kingdom is demonstrated by his casting out of demons. By the way, ​​demons are angels who fell along with Satan, the prince of the demons. And notice what the demons said when they were cast out by Jesus. The demon who was cast out of the man in the synagogue said, “Ha!” The Greek word translated as “Ha” communicates the emotion of surprise or anger. “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:34, ESV). So then, the demon knew who Jesus was – God incarnate – and that he had come ultimately to destroy them. In verse 41 we read, “And demons also came out of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ” (Luke 4:41, ESV). These demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God incarnate, the Christ (or Messiah), and that he came to overthrow them and to establish his eternal kingdom. 

Verse 36 says the people “were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Yes, exactly. This was a demonstration of Jesus’ authority and power. He has authority and power over Satan, his minions, and his kingdom, and he demonstrated that authority by casting demons out by his word. 

And what about the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law? Here Christ demonstrates that he has the power to eradicate disease. This does not mean that he has eradicated sickness from the world now, nor does it mean that his people will never be ill, or that it will always be his will to heal. No, to think this would be to read too much into the text. To hold to this view would also require us to ignore many other passages of Scripture, as has already been said. The point is that Christ has power and authority over illness. He can drive it out. It may be his will to drive it out of us in the here and now when we come to him in prayer, just as he did with the mother-in-law of Peter. And so we are not wrong to pray for healing. But when we bring these desires of ours to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit, we ought to follow the example of our Lord and say, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42, ESV). Does Christ possess the authority and power to eradicate illness (and even death itself)? Yes! How did he get this power? Through his victory over Satan and his kingdom. And when will he purge this earth of Satan, his demons, all sickness, suffering, and death itself? On the last day when he will judge and make all things new. Then  “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things [will] have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV). 

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, I have preached rather strongly against the so-called prosperity gospel this morning. This idea that Christ came to make us healthy, wealthy, and prosperous now, and that illness, poverty, and afflictions are always the result of a lack of faith or of God’s displeasure is so wrong and so damaging. This false teaching, if believed, will isolate people from God because all suffering will be perceived as a sign of God’s displeasure. But we know that God is sovereign over our suffering and that he is near to his people in the midst of suffering. He promises to work all things for good for those in Christ (Romans 8:28). And he invites his people to draw near to him in their suffering. In fact, the Lord often uses afflictions to draw us nearer to God and to teach us to depend more on him and less on ourselves. And this false teaching will also drive people from one another. Those who believe that afflictions are the result of a lack of faith or a sign of God’s displeasure will not be able to comfort their brethren in the midst of afflictions, but will be like Job’s bad counselors who could only demand that he repent, for surely, they assumed, the suffering he experienced could only be the result of some personal sin. But Job did not suffer because of personal sin. He suffered because it was the will of the Lord to permit it and to use it for good. God had some purpose in it that no one could see.

Brothers and sisters, I doubt that any here will be tempted to buy into this distortion of the gospel, which is no gospel at all. But I would assume that many of us do wrestle inwardly when we see God’s people suffer. Why, O Lord, would you allow this? we ask. And while we may never have all of the answers to our specific questions, we do know that even our sufferings are ordained by God, that he is with us in the midst of it to work in us for good, and that he will keep us to bring us safely into our eternal inheritance, where Satan, sin, sickness, and death will be no more. Jesus demonstrated his power over Satan, sin, sickness, and death at his first coming so that his people might know for certain that he has the power and authority to save us from these things and to bring us safely into the new heavens and earth where these evils that bring us sorrow now will be abolished forever. 

Jesus did not come to save your soul only, brothers and sisters. He came to save you, body and soul. The Son of God took to himself a true human body and a human soul so that he might redeem us body and soul through his victory. We speak often of the salvation of the soul. Yes, through faith in Christ, your sins have been forgiven and your soul is renewed. In Christ, you have a new mind, new affections, and a new will. You are being sanctified in the soul now. You will be perfected in the soul at the consummation – never will you sin again. But do not forget about the salvation of your body. When Christ returns, your body will be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42). It will be glorified and empowered forever by the Holy Spirit. Never again will the body suffer sickness or pain. Never will it deteriorate. Never will it die. Do not forget about the body, brothers and sisters. Christ came to save you, body and soul. In this life, we suffer bodily afflictions for the refinement of the soul. When Christ returns, these former things will pass away. 

Until then, brothers and sisters, we must patiently and faithfully endure. 

We must patiently and faithfully endure in the mind, knowing that God loves us in Christ Jesus and that he works all things for the good of his children. Is your mind strong, friends? Is it filled with God’s truth?

We must patiently and faithfully endure with our affections. By this I mean,  we must draw near to God, and not run from him, when calamity strikes. We must be like Paul in this regard,  who boasted in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ would rest upon him. For the sake of Christ, he was content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For he knew that it was when he was weak that he was strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:8–10). When Paul suffered, he ran to God through faith in Christ and he relied all the more on his grace. And so I ask you, is your heart strong? Is your heart filled with love for God and Christ? Is your heart filled with the assurance of his love for you, even when calamity strikes?

And when we suffer afflictions, we must patiently and faithfully endure with our wills. By this I mean, we must choose to obey Christ, and not sin against him in thought, word or deed. And so I ask, is your resolve to follow Christ in this world strong? 

Lastly, I say to you, to live this way now, in body and soul, requires faith in Christ – we must walk by faith and not by sight. If you have faith in Christ you know that he has redeemed you, body and soul. And it is this faith in Christ that produces within us, peace, endurance, character, and hope (see Romans 5:1-5). In Christ we have peace. In Christ we have hope. In Christ we find comfort.  

I’ll conclude now with a reading of Heidelberg catechism question 1. It’s a beautiful statement of Gospel truth that I will sometime use to comfort those in times of affliction. 

It asks the Christian, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?

Answer: 

That I am not my own,

1 but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—2

to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.3

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,4

and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.5

He also watches over me in such a way6

that not a hair can fall from my head

without the will of my Father in heaven;7

in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.8

Because I belong to him,

Christ, by his Holy Spirit,

assures me of eternal life9

and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready

from now on to live for him.10

1 1 Cor. 6:19-20

2 Rom. 14:7-9

3 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14

4 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2

5 John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11

6 John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5

7 Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18

8 Rom. 8:28

9 Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14

10 Rom. 8:1-17

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 6:1-25

“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised. When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’” (Deuteronomy 6, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 4:1-13

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’’ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’’ And he took him to Jerusalem and set 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 guard you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’’ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:1–13, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

What is the meaning of the story of the temptation of Jesus as found in Luke 4:1-13? What is the point of this passage? If I were to guess I would say that many Christians today view this story about Jesus’ victory over temptation as an example to us. I’m afraid that many interpret this passage as a kind of moralistic story wherein Jesus is set forth as an example to show us how we are to resist temptation when it comes. 

Now, I do not deny that there are wonderful principles found here in this story to be used by the people of God to resist temptation – Like Jesus, we must know God’s word and use it as the sword of the Spirit in our fight against temptation, we must be alert, especially in moments of physical and mental weakness, and we must not take shortcuts in life, but honor God in all situations, even if the path is hard, etc, etc. 

But I am sure, brothers and sisters, that this passage is not meant to function as a mere example to us to help us in our personal fight against sin. No, this story is about Jesus Christ and the victory that he has won for us. Stated differently, Jesus is not to be viewed (primarily) as a moral example, but as our victorious Savior. Luke presents Jesus to us here as the second and greater Adam and the true Isarel of God, who, through his perfect and perpetual obedience, has defeated Satan, dethroned him from his illegitimate throne, bound him, plundered his house, and, having finished his work – having obeyed to the point of death and having been raised from the dead – has ascended to his rightful throne and has sat down, thus securing for himself an eternal kingdom for himself and for all who are united to him by faith. 

Brothers and sisters, this passage is about Jesus and the victory he has won over Satan and his kingdom. The victory was secured at the cross, but note this: it began here when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the Devil. He was tempted not once, not twice, but three times, and yet he endured. He did not stumble but remained faithful to God. And so here we see the beginning of the accomplishment of our Salvation from bondage to sin, Satan, and his kingdom of darkness. 

Is Jesus an example to us? Are we to imitate him? In many respects, yes. But please hear me, friends. He is so much more than an example to us. Jesus did not come to merely be our example. He came to accomplish salvation for all given to him by the Father in eternity (see John 17). It is so crucial for you to understand this. If you do not understand this, then I wonder if you understand the gospel through which men and women are saved. There is no good news at all in this statement: Jesus came to live as an example for you. Why? Because we are not capable of imitating Christ perfectly. And more than this, striving to imitate Christ perfectly from this day forward would do nothing at all to remedy the problem of original corruption, past sins, and the fact that will continue to fall short of Christ’s example no matter how sincere our efforts may be. But here is good news: Christ came to live a life of perfect obedience, to die in the place of sinners, so that through faith in him, we might have his righteousness given to us as a gift, and all of our sins washed away. That is what Jesus came to accomplish. And only after we look to him as Savior should we look to him also as an example to us. As John says in 1 John 2:6, “whoever says he abides in [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6, ESV). You see, first, we must abide in Christ by faith, and then, we must strive to walk as he walked, by God’s grace. 

So the point is this: the passage that is before us today is about the victory that Jesus has won for us by defeating Satan and overturning his works and kingdom of darkness. I have five questions to ask of our text, and once we answer them, I think you will agree with me that this is what the passage is about – the victory that Christ has won for us. 

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When Did This Take Place? Immediately After Jesus’ Baptism And At The Very Start Of His Public Ministry

Firstly, I ask, when did this event take place? Answer: it happened immediately after Jesus’ baptism and at the very beginning of his public ministry. Luke 4:1 says, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” (Luke 4:1–2, ESV)

The words, “And Jesus…  returned from the Jordan” take us back to Luke 3:1-22 where we are told of the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River. Jesus’ baptism did not signify the washing away of his sins, for he had none. But it did signify that he was the Messiah and the great High Priest of the New Covenant. Jesus’ baptism (at about the age of 30) marked the beginning of his public ministry as the LORD’s Messiah. And what was his first order of business? Immediately, he went out into the wilderness to fast and pray, and slap Satan around a bit, metaphorically speaking. He did this to set the tone for his entire ministry. He did this to make it clear that he came to bind Satan so that he might plunder his house, and eventually crush him under his feet. While it is true that his victory over the Evil One would be accomplished in full at the cross, we must see that it began here in the wilderness immediately after Jesus’ baptism and at the beginning of his earthy ministry. The entirety of Jesus’ ministry is to be viewed, therefore, as an overthrowing of Satan and his kingdom. 

The words ” full of the Holy Spirit” in Luke 4:1 also signal that this story is about Jesus’ first order of business as the Messiah. Messiah means anointed one. And Jesus was indeed anointed with the Holy Spirit at his baptism. Obviously, he was not anointed with the Spirit unto salvation, for Christ did not need to be saved. No, he was anointed as the Messiah, the Savior, and our great Prophet, Priest, and King. Again I say to you, his first order of business as God’s anointed one was to face off with Satan in the wilderness, to demonstrate his superiority, and to establish the fact that Satan’s defeat was near.  

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Where Is This Story Presented In Luke’s Gospel? Immediately After The Tracing Of Jesus’ Genealogy Back To Adam

Secondly, I ask, where is this story presented in Luke’s Gospel? Yes, it is after the story of Jesus’ baptism as recorded in Luke 3:1-22. But do not forget about the genealogy of Jesus which Luke placed after the story of Jesus’ baptism and right before his temptation in the wilderness. 

I made much of this in the sermon I preached on Luke 3:23-38. Luke placed the genealogy of Jesus here in this strange place (instead of at the beginning of his Gospel where you might expect it), and worked backward in history, starting with Jesus and ending with Adam. And he did this so that we would have Adam fresh in our minds as we consider the story of Jesus’ temptation. Why is this important? Well, Jesus is to be compared and contrasted with Adam.   

What do the two share in common? Many things. They are both human. They were both brought into the world by the direct creative activity of God. They were both appointed to function as federal heads or covenantal representatives of others (Adam represented humanity under the Covenant of Works, and Jesus represented all of God’s elect under the New Covenant which is the Covenant of Grace). Both men were called to obey God perfectly and perpetually if they were to obtain the reward promised to them by the Father. And lastly, both men were tested or tempted by Satan!  

Now, how do they differ? In many ways. Adam is a man and Jesus is a man. But Jesus is no mere man but is the eternal Son of God incarnate. He is the God-man. Adam was called to obey God’s moral law and the positive law to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Jesus was called to do more. He was called to obey the moral law, all of the positive laws that were added and imposed upon the children of Abraham in the days of Moses, and he was called to faithfully suffer and die in the place of sinners and to endure God’s wrath for them so as to redeem them. My point is this: Jesus’ burden was much, much heavier than Adam’s. And this is illustrated by the fact that Adam was tempted in that garden paradise that God made in the beginning which was full of fruits and vegetables, water, and every pleasant thing. Everything was good, indeed, very good, in the world that Adam occupied. But Christ was tempted in the desert after having nothing to eat for 40 days. Christ was tempted in a fallen world. And his mission was not only to actively obey God’s law but to passively submit himself to suffering – suffering in the whole of life, and especially the suffering of the cross. All of this he would do for those given to him by the Father in eternity. Christ’s burden was much heavier than Adam’s. And yet Christ, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is [therefore now] seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, ESV). And here we see the greatest difference of all between Adam and Jesus. Adam rebelled against God whereas Christ was perfectly obedient. The first Adam failed but the second Christ succeed. Adam, having been tempted lightly by Satan through his wife while surrounded by the paradise that God had made, quickly sinned. In contrast to this, Jesus was all alone in the desert wilderness, he was faint with hunger, he was assaulted by the Evil One himself, and yet he never wavered. Not here at the beginning of his public ministry. Not ever. 

The point is this: Luke positioned the genealogy of Jesus right before the account of his temptation in the wilderness and concluded the genealogy with Adam so that we might see Jesus as the second and greater Adam, who was “in every respect… tempted as we are, yet without sin…” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV).

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How Did Jesus End Up In The Wilderness? Jesus Was Led There By The Spirit 

Thirdly, I ask, how did Jesus end up in the wilderness? Was he lost? Did Satan lure him there? No! Luke 4:1 says that “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit… was led by the Spirit in the wilderness” (Luke 4:1, ESV). The Spirit of God led him there. Why? To confront Satan on his home turf, to be tested. And to pass the test.

At this point, I think it would be good for us to make another connection. We have already made the obvious comparison between Jesus and Adam. But I think we must also see Jesus as the true and faithful Israel of God. 

In Hosea 11:1 God says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1, ESV). This is obviously a reference to the exodus event when God led Israel out of Egyptian bondage. But Matthew quotes this Hosea passage in his gospel and says that it is ultimately about Jesus. Do you remember how Jesus was taken to Egypt after he was born to be sheltered there from  Harod? And then when his parents brought him out of Egypt and back to his hometown of Nazareth, Matthew said,  “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Matthew 2:15, ESV). So then, Jesus is Israel. Israel was redeemed from Egypt and was made into a nation so that the Messiah would be brought into the world through them. Israel foreshadowed Jesus. And when Jesus came into this world to do the work that God gave him to do, he fulfilled all of the promises, prophesies, types, and shadows that were entrusted to Israel. 

I trust that you will remember this from our study of the book of Exodus. After Isarel was led out of Egypt by Moses, where did they go? They were led by the Spirit of  God in the glory cloud to the Red Sea. And after they were baptized into Moses by passing through the Red Sea (see 1 Corinthians 10:2), they were led by the Spirit of God, where? Out into the wilderness. And why were they led into the wilderness? To be tested there. And how many times were they tested? Well, they were tested continuously, but the book of Exodus highlights three instances. If you remember, they were tested at Marah (Exodus 15:22ff), in the wilderness of Sin (Exodus 16), and again at Rephidim (Exodus 17). Israel was tested, tested, tested. The tests had to do with the lack of water, food, and then water again. And what did Israel do in each instance? They grumbled, grumbled, grumbled against the Lord and put him to the test. And Lord was very displeased with them. 

I hope you can see that Jesus took a very similar path. Having passed through the waters of baptism at the Jordan, he was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tested there. He was tested three times, just as Israel was, but he did not grumble and complain, lose faith, or deviate in the slightest from God’s will for him. No, Jesus was faithful. Adam and Isarel rebelled. But Jesus is the second and better Adam, the true and faithful Israel of God. He is the faithful Son of Abraham, through whom God has brought the blessings of salvation to the nations. 

Both of these stories – the story of Israel’s threefold failure in the wilderness and of Jesus’ threefold victory – are very important. They set the tone for and anticipate how things would go in the future. Old Covenant Israel’s entire existence would be marked by sin and unfaithfulness. But Jesus’ life would be marked by perfect and perpetual obedience. The message is quite clear. Neither Moses nor the covenant would mediate would provide salvation given the sins of the people. But Jesus and the Covenant of Grace that he mediates does provide salvation and the forgiveness of sins, for Christ was victorious.    

How did Jesus end up in the wilderness? He was led there by the Spirit to be tempted and tested by the Evil One, and to win the victory.

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What Happened? Jesus Was Tempted By Satan Three Times And Was Victorious

Fourthly, let us consider what happened.

Luke 4:2 tells us that Jesus was in the wilderness “for forty days”. This corresponds to the 40 years that Israel would wander the wilderness, by the way. And then Luke says, “being tempted by the devil.” I think we are to take this to mean that Jesus was tempted continuously during that. And then we read, “And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry” (Luke 4:2, ESV). So Jesus was fasting and he was praying, presumably in preparation for all that awaited him, including his crucifixion about three years later.   

In verse 3 we read, “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread’” (Luke 4:3, ESV). Here we have the first of three particular temptations. 

Who is the devil? He is the chief of the fallen angels. He has many names. Devil means “slanderer”, Satan means “accuser”, and Lucifer means “shining one”. He is the leader of the heavenly hosts that rebelled against God in the heavenly realm in the beginning, and he is also the one who tempted Eve, who then brought the temptation to Adam. Here he is tempting Jesus. 

Notice carefully that the devil knew who Jesus was. “If you are the Son of God”, he said, then “command this stone to become bread.” Satan knew that Jesus was the person of the eternal Son of God who took on flesh. But he tempted him nonetheless. He had no other choice. God brought the fight to him, remember? God the Son intruded into Satan’s domain through the incarnation. He entered his house, if you will, by taking to himself a true human nature – body, and soul. And when the time was right – when it was time for his public ministry to begin – Jesus took the fight to Satan. He went out into the wilderness to face him. And so the devil pushed by in the only way he could. He tempted Jesus to deviate from his course. As he did with Adam long before, so he did with Jesus here. 

“If you are the Son of God…” (he knew that he was) “command this stone to become bread.” So then, just as Israel was tested regarding the lack of food in the wilderness, so too Jesus was tested regarding the lack of food. I suppose we should also notice that Adam’s test had to do with eating too. 

So what was this temptation about? Satan was essentially tempting Jesus to use his divine power to serve the desires of the flesh he had assumed rather than to set his desires to the side and to serve God and those that he came to save. Jesus was hungry. And by the way, that is a human thing, not a divine thing. And so Satan tempted Jesus through his human nature to use his divine power to alleviate his suffering and to serve himself. 

Here is Jesus’ reply: “It is written…” So here we have something incredible going on. The eternal Word of God is about to quote the written Word of God, which he himself inspired. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’” (Luke 4:4, ESV). 

This is a citation from Deuteronomy 8:3. I’d like to read that text to you now starting in verse 1 of Deuteronomy 8 and going all the way through verse 10. As I read it, I think you will grow more convinced about the connections we have made between Israel in the wilderness and Jesus in the wilderness. In fact, I would ask you to hear this text, not only as it was given originally to Israel, but as if it were ultimately about Jesus and his work. In Deuteronomy 8:1 Moses speaks to Israel after 40 years of testing in the wilderness, saying, 

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:1–10, ESV).

I cannot take the time to unpack all of the typology that is found here. If you have been at Emmaus for some time, and if you have been paying attention to the way in which we interpret the Scriptures, then I think you will see it. In brief, what God said to Israel here regarding the land of Cannan was in a greater sense about Jesus and the New Heavens and earth which he would earn through his obedience. The thing to notice is this: Israel learned through many failures in the wilderness that “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Christ learned this (according to his human nature) but without any failures. And so when the devil tempted him to use his divine power to serve the flesh he had assumed by turning a stone into bread to satiate his hunger, he simply replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’” (Luke 4:4, ESV). 

In Luke 4:5 we are told of the second pronounced temptation: ​​“And the devil took [Jesus] up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours” (Luke 4:5–7, ESV). 

Here the devil tempted Jesus to take a shortcut. The devil knew who Jesus was – he was the Son of God incarnate – and he knew what Jesus came to do. He came to accomplish the salvation of those given to him by the Father, to kick Satan off of his illegitimate throne, and to sit down on that throne himself, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, with all authority in heaven and earth being given to him. Satan knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God incarnate, and that this was his mission. 

How did Satan know this? Because it was revealed clearly by God in the Holy Scriptures. For example, Satan was (and is very) much aware of the vision shown to the prophet Daniel concerning the coming Messiah, as recorded in Daniel 7:13ff. There Daniel says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13–14, ESV). Who is this son of man? He is Jesus, the Son of God incarnate. Satan knew it. He knew that Jesus came to defeat him, to kick him off of his throne, to expel him, to bind him, and to sit down upon that throne that is rightfully his. 

What do I mean when I say that Satan once occupied a throne illegitimately? What throne am I referring to? Well, I’m referring to the throne of this earth. You see, God offered that throne to Adam in the garden. Adam was to rule on earth as a king under God’s authority. He was to expand God’s kingdom. He was to build God’s temple. He was to fill the earth with worshippers of God. And he was to keep, or protect, God’s temple-kingdom from all intruders. When Adam listened to the voice of the Serpent (through the voice of his wife, who was deceived), instead of the voice of God, the devil was permitted to sit down on the throne that was offered to Adam, and he ruled the nations instead.

There are many texts that speak of this and hint at this. Perhaps none is more clear than John 12:31.  There Jesus speaks not long before his death, burial, and resurrection, saying, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:31–32, ESV). Who is the “ruler of this world” of whom Christ spoke? The devil. Christ came to cast that usurper out and throw him down from his throne. Jesus also speaks of this aspect of his mission when, in Matthew 12:19, he says, “Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Matthew 12:29, ESV). In other words, Jesus came to bind Satan and to plunder his house. By the way, those who are pre-millennialists would do well to notice that this binding has already taken place. It is not future to us and before some strange and literal 1,000-year reign. No, Christ bound Satan at his first coming and now sits on his eternal throne. He sits on his throne with all authority in heaven and on earth having been given to him. He rules and reigns throughout the church age, or if you prefer, throughout these last days, of which the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 is a symbol (you are not surprised to find numbers in the book of Revelation used in a symbolic way are you?). Christ sat down on the throne of his kingdom when he ascended. He will sit on this throne for all eternity. This is not a future hope only, it is a present reality. And our pre-millennialist brothers and sisters would also do well to notice the way in which Satan is said to be bound in Revelation 20 – not completely –  but “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:3, ESV).

What does all of this have to do with the second temptation that Satan brought to Jesus? Well, Satan understood that this was Jesus’ mission, he knew that his time was short, and so, in a last-ditch effort, he tempted Jesus to take a shortcut to this throne, and to avoid all the suffering. Hear it again: “The devil took [Jesus] up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours” (Luke 4:5–7, ESV).  

As is often the case with the lies of Satan, there is a mixture of truth and falsehood. Is it true that the authority and glory of the nations had been delivered to Satan for a time? Yes. But is it true that he had the authority to give it to whomever he willed, and that he would give it to Christ if only Christ would worship him? Certainly not. 

And so “Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’” (Luke 4:8, ESV). This is a citation of Deuteronomy 6:13. Hear it now, along with the surrounding context. Moses spoke to Israel, saying, “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 6:10–15, ESV).

In Luke 4:9-11 we are told of the third pronounced temptation of Jesus. There we read, “And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, [and now Satan quotes Scripture, saying] for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone’” (Luke 4:9–11, ESV).

You may be wondering, what Scripture text did the devil quote? Well, he quoted Psalm 91:11-12. Now this is fascinating. Psalm 91 is all about Jesus the Messiah. In brief, verses 1-12 talk about how God will preserve and protect the Messiah as the Messiah looks to God for refuge. Verses 11 and 12 are at the heart of the Psalm, and they say, “For he [God] will command his angels concerning you [Messiah] to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11–12, ESV). It is interesting that the devil quoted these verses at the midpoint of this Psalm. You see, the devil was tempting Jesus to claim this promise of protection, but to go no further. Listen to the very next verse, verse 13, of Psalm 91. “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot” (Psalm 91:13, ESV). That should remind you of Genesis 3:15, brothers and sisters. And as the Psalm goes on there is more talk of the Messiah, not only being protected from harm, but being rescued out of it. Hear the rest of the Psalm: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14–16, ESV). You see, in Psalm 91 God did not only promise to keep the Messiah from trouble, but to rescue him out of it. And it would be through trouble, or perhaps we could say, through suffering, that the Messiah would crush the head of the serpent and see the salvation of God. I think this is what is going on here. Satan was again tempting Jesus to take a shortcut. To skip the suffering. To run to God for refuge from suffering. But a proper interpretation of Psalm 91 reveals that the Messiah would see the salvation of God and defeat the serpent only through suffering – the suffering of the cross leading to death – and being delivered out of it. 

And so “Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Luke 4:12, ESV). This is a citation of Deuteronomy 6:16 which says, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised” (Deuteronomy 6:16–19, ESV).

Brothers and sisters, the land promised to Isarel was Cannan, and the enemies were the Canaanites. Do you see, though, that the land promised to the Messiah was not Cannan but the whole earth to be renewed at the consummation? And the enemy to be driven out was the devil himself and all who belong to him. Jesus could not simply run to the Lord for refuge. No, he had to trust the Lord to rescue him from suffering. And it would be through suffering that he would trample the serpent underfoot. 

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Why Did This Happen? So That Jesus Would Perfectly Obey God And Defeat The Devil

The last question that I have is this (and with this, we will close): Why did this happen? Answer: So that Jesus would perfectly obey God and defeat the devil. True, the victory would be won decisively at the cross, but it began here. Christ was not only victorious at the cross and through his suffering, but in the whole of life through his perfect and perpetual obedience to the Father. 

Brothers and sisters, how can I convince you that before you look to Jesus as your example, you must look to him as your victorious Savior and conquering King? 

We are saved from our sins and given eternal life, brothers and sisters, not by imitating Jesus, but by trusting in him. And only after we trust in him, by God’s grace, can we then imitate him, by God’s grace. 

Do you see it? Do you see the difference?

Sometimes I wonder how people can sit in church their whole life, listen to sermon after sermon, and yet not be saved. We know that it happens. The scriptures tell us that there is a mixture in the visible church. There are goats intermixed with sheep, and weeds intermixed with the wheat. But how can this be? I think one reason is this, they have looked to Jesus as a moral example, but not as a victorious Savior. “What would Jesus do?”, they ask. And as good as that question is, it is not the gospel. The gospel is not found in the question, “What would Jesus do?”, but in the question, “What has Jesus done?” The answer is that he live a life of perfect obedience for sinners, he died in the place of sinners, and he rose on the third day for sinners, so that all who believe are clothed in his righteousness, have their sins washed away, and live forevermore with the hope of life everlasting. 

Should you imitate Jesus in his victory over temptation? Yes, you should. But it is far more important that you trust in the work that he accomplished, for he has won the victory over sin, Satan, his dark kingdom, and death itself. To be saved from these things, you must be found in Christ, united to him by faith.