Luke 4:1-13

Applebury's Comments

Victory of Jesus Over Temptation
Scripture

Luke 4:1-13 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness 2 during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did eat nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread. 4 And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, 5 And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 for it is written,

He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee:

11

and,

On their hands they shall bear thee up,
Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12

And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.

13 And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Comments

full of the Holy Spirit.John was also said to be full of the Holy Spirit, meaning dedication to the service of the Lord. See Luke 1:15. It probably means the same when referring to Jesus, for He was also dedicated to His Father's business. John as a prophet was also inspired by the Holy Spirit (John 3:34). Jesus was the Prophet; what He said and did were by the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:2; Matthew 12:28.

led in the Spirit.God through the Holy Spirit led Him from the baptism where He acknowledged Him as Son to the wilderness where the devil tempted Him because He was also Son of Man.

tempted of the devil.He was tempted by the devil. Temptation is a trial that presents an opportunity to choose between good and evil, between God and the devil. Man was tempted in the Garden because God said he was not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but the devil said that it was good and would make man wise. To do what the devil says is to break the law of God, and that is sin. The temptation in itself is not sin; it is the submission to the devil's proposition that is sin. The submission need not go as far as the actual committing of the act; the longing desire for the evil thing is also sin. James says, Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lustlonging desire for eviland enticed. James 1:14. Jesus said the same thing. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).

When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He did not hesitate one fleeting moment to reject the evil suggestion.

he hungered.He had been without food for forty days; He was really hungry; thought of food presented a challenge. The devil wouldn-'t try to tempt a man with the thought of food just after he had eaten. He always strikes at the weakest place. Judas-' love for money made the thought of thirty pieces of silver a real temptation and it became his downfall.

Paul said, Let him who thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). Remember that Peter denied His Lord in a few short hours after boasting that he would be true even if all the other disciples should fail.

If you are the Son of God.Jesus was tempted as man; He could not be tempted as God, for God cannot be tempted of evil (James 1:13). He also met temptation as man and overcame it as a man. He said, Man shall not live by bread alone, quoting what God had caused to be written for man's direction (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Why then did the devil say, If you are the Son of God? He knew He was; God had just acknowledged Him from heaven saying, You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased. The devil's proposition to change a stone into bread that a hungry man might eat was real because as Son of God He could have done it. Otherwise there would have been no temptation at all. Then why didn-'t He do it? Because it would have violated what God had said, and that would have been sin!

The writer of Hebrews says that He was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15. Then let no one when he is tempted say that he must submit because he is just human; rather, let him use the same weapon that Jesus used, the Word of God, and with it overcome the devil.

command this stone that it become bread.The devil presented three temptations in the Garden: (1) The tree was good for food; (2) it was a delight to the eyes; (3) it was to be desired to make one wise, like God. The same three temptations are seen in the propositions which the devil presented to Jesus: (1) food; (2) the sight of the worlds with their glory and authority; (3) be like God and defy God's law for man. John mentions the same three issues when he writes about all that is in the world of sin: (1) the lust of the flesh; (2) the lust of the eyes; (3) and the vainglory of lifeman's reckless disregard for God. See 1 John 2:15-16.

The devil's ability to tempt man is limited. Man's ability to withstand temptation depends on doing what God had commanded (1 Corinthians 10:13). The victory of Jesus proves it, Paul said to put on the whole armor of God in order to withstand the devil. Take the shield of faith, for with it you can quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. Ephesians 6:10-18.

To thee I will give all this authority.The devil said it had been given to him to give to whomsoever he would. But he lied in the Garden, and Jesus said he is a liar and the father of liars (John 8:44). Why should anyone believe him? Jesus certainly didn-'t for He answered, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.

the pinnacle of the temple.Some high point on the temple in Jerusalem. The devil suggested that Jesus use His divine power for self-glory and disregard God's law for man. He even attempted to use Scripture to support his evil suggestion. He seems to say, Just jump off; you won-'t fall. God will take care of you. How many foolish things men have attempted to do because they have not considered all that God has said! But Jesus was not caught unawares, for He knew the whole Word of God. He said, It is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God.

when the devil had completed every temptation.This may refer to the three temptations which he had just presented to Jesus, or it may mean that every temptation of the devil can be put into these three categories.

he departed from him for a season.The devil had been defeated in in each attempt to lead Jesus to sin. He left Him for a season, but returned again and again in many situations that presented temptations.

Matthew says that when the devil left Jesus, angels came and ministered unto him (Matthew 4:11).

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