The Three Temptations of Christ (Luke 4:1-13)
The first temptation the Devil laid before Christ during his 40 days in the desert was comfort.
The text of most translations reads "Bread" which, as modern readers we interpret as necessities. But the text also says that he did not eat for "days" which likely was understood by the contemporary readers as "daylight hours". Regardless of whether it was "daylight hours" or "24 hour days", Jesus survived so the bread was not a necessity, it was a comfort.
The second temptation was earthly power and all that went with it, popularity, wealth and adulation or feared by the masses.
The third temptation was despair. The most common interpretation of this passage is that the Devil is goading Jesus to "dare" God the Father but it seems more likely to me that Jesus had a foreshadowing of his future, was tired and low blood-sugar and was on the verge of giving up.
Boring sermons
According to Thomas Götz from the University of Vienna (Austria),
"Boredom develops when we feel over-challenged or under-challenged by an
activity or task—a sign of an unsuitable level of control. And it also
develops when we deem the value of the activity low."
The typical, modern interpretations of The Three Temptations are either over-challenging or under-challenging. Those interpretations are cherished because they seem to let us off-the-hook in terms of having to embracing and implementing their message.
Asking us to not eat or drink any nourishment for 40 days feels over-challenging if I am to fulfill the duties of stewardship God has given me. Being less focused on "comfort" is within my ability.
Being offered control over all the nations of the earth is not something I will ever experience, but illusions of "Greater power, responsibility and authority" are/were dangled in front of me at every turn. Most of those opportunities came at a cost of doing important things less-well or shifting my responsibilities on to an unwilling or less-able person.
Not daring God is an under-challenge but comparing my "what-is" to what could-have-been is an ever present temptation. I need to remind myself that I need to focus on what I can-do rather than what I cannot-do.
What I cannot-do is infinite. What I can do is finite. Maybe I can only plant three fruit trees an hour and the world needs millions of fruit trees. I need to focus on the fact that three hours of planting trees results in 9 more fruit-trees which could conceivably produce 1000 pounds of fruit per year during their peak years of production.
The threefold temptation here is flesh-world-devil, mentioned elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAs tripartate beings, in the Divine image, this is body-soul-spirit.
The temptations were presented by way of misuse of Scripture, and defeated by right use of Scripture.
The Lord Jesus Christ is by nature impeccable...He cannot sin. He was presented with tests He could not fail. The tests proved He is Who He said He is. We fallen humans will fail, unless He either shields us from the test, or brings us through it. We cannot prevail without Him. He will send the test, and if He chose you, He will bring you through it.
Why is there a difference between modern listeners and the rest? We failed the same tripartate test in the Garden, and the redeemed rely on The Substitute that passed.
Stefan v.
Well said ERJ. Too often we focus on the great things when in fact it is the small things within our power that we are challenged to do because they are "humble" or "menial" or "do not matter". If they are a task given by God, it is not the size of the challenge that is at fault. It is us.
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