Bible Study series: Luke 4:1-13. How did the Son of God defeat Satan? Let’s learn some lessons for our own (scaled-down) spiritual warfare
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 4:1-13
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was being led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing for those days, and when they were completed, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread!”
4 And Jesus replied to him,
“It is written, ‘Humankind shall not live by bread alone’” [Deut. 8:3].
5 After he led him up to a high mountain, he showed him every kingdom of the world at one moment, 6 and the devil said to him, “I shall give you all this authority and their glory because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I will! 7 Therefore if you bow down before me, everything shall be yours!” 8 In reply, Jesus said to him,
“It is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve only him’” [Deut. 6:13].
9 He led him into Jerusalem and stood him on the summit of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here! 10 For it is written that
‘I shall command my angels concerning you, to protect you,’ [Ps. 91:11] 11 and that ‘they shall lift you up in their hand, and you shall not strike your foot against the stone!’” [Ps. 91:12].
12 In reply, Jesus said to him, “It has been said,
‘You shall not test the Lord your God’” [Deut. 6:16].
13 Completing his temptation, the devil departed from him until the right time. (Luke 4:1-13)
Comments:
Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God; the temptation is about what kind of Son he is. Submissive to God or self-promoting and self-aggrandizing? A magical-Son or a Spirit-filled Son? Grasping for the kingdoms of the world or allowing God to give him all authority after the cross (Matt. 28:18)? “He chooses radical obedience to God, knowing that this obedience will lead him to the cross (9:22; 17:25; 24:7, 6; Acts 17:3; see 14:22)” (Garland, comment on 4:9-10).
1:
Jesus had just been water baptized, and the Spirit in the appearance like a dove came upon him. He was full of the Spirit. This verse sets the stage for the rest of the chapter and his entire ministry. Don’t read past it as “of course” or “to be expected” without absorbing what this means.
“full”: this is one of several of Luke’s favorite words for the infilling of the Spirit. “Luke uses the passive form of the verb ‘to fill’ … to describe persons filled with the Spirit (e.g. John, Elizabeth, and Zechariah; see also Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 13:9), but he never uses it for Jesus. Luke tells us that in Jesus’ baptism the Spirit came upon him (3:22), and the adjectival phrase ‘full … of the Holy Spirit’ suggests that he is not ‘seized by an external power’ but appears as the bearer of the Spirit and is anointed by the Spirit. Other characters are described in Acts as full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3, 5; 7:55; 11:24), and all are given special tasks to fulfill. In Jesus’ case, it means that the Spirit directs his actions and that he is empowered ‘to carry out his divinely appointed task’ (Garland, comment on 4:1a, and quoting another scholar at the end).
Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?
Let’s not overlook the biblical truth that the Spirit led him out into the wilderness—a literal, physical wilderness or desert for forty days, to fast. The Spirit did this. Jesus slept out under the stars, probably under rocky outcrops. He stayed in the shade of a rock when the sun was at its most intense. He was in prayer. He knew his ministry just launched, so he needed to be alone. What was he praying to his Father in heaven? He had doubts just before he died (Luke 22:39-44). Did he have doubts just before his public ministry because he foreknew where he would end up—on the cross? Or did he just have to transition with difficulty from his obscurity to publicity?
How has the Spirit led you into your own wilderness, just right for you?
“As God led his people in the wilderness (Deut. 8:2, 15), so the Spirit, as God’s presence, leads Jesus. The ‘wilderness’ evokes the image of ‘the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions (Deut. 8:15), rather than some idyllic retreat’” (Garland, comment on 4:1b-2a).
Stein:
Luke linked both Jesus’ being equipped by God and his encounter with the devil as the result of the Spirit’s having come upon him. The conflict was not initiated by the devil but by the Spirit. Thus Jesus was not portrayed as passively being dragged out by the Evil One to endure temptation, for the initiator of this event was not the devil but God. The picture is that of the Anointed of the Lord on the offensive and led by the Spirit to confront the devil. (comment on 4:1)
Theologically, the Spirit is more than an “It.” He is a person. Here are some of my posts on a more formal doctrine of the Spirit (systematic theology):
The Spirit’s Deity and Divine Attributes
The Spirit in the Life of Christ
The Spirit in the Church and Believers
No doubt the Spirit was taking orders from the Father, because the Father wanted to test and even allow his Son to be tempted. It also brings up an issue, because God can never be tempted (or even tested in a human sense) (Jas. 1:13). So if Jesus is God in the flesh, how can he be tempted? Yes, he is God in the flesh, but he is also true man. It was his human nature that was tempted.
Why did God want his Son to be tempted? To relate to our own weakness:
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb. 2:17-18, ESV)
Yet he passed the testing and temptation without sinning.
2:
There was a purpose of being led out into the wilderness-desert: to be tempted by the devil.
Because he himself [Jesus] suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb. 2:18, NIV)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Heb. 4:15, NIV)
“tempted”: the verb can mean both “tempted” and “tested” in the right context. Here are the nuanced meanings and their verses: “try, attempt” (Acts. 9:26; 16:7; 24:6); “try, make trial of, put to the test” (Matt. 16:1; 22:18, 35; Mark 10:2; John 6:6; 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 13:5; Heb. 2:18; 11:17; Rev. 2:2; 3:10); make trial of God, which is not a good idea (Acts 5:9; 15:10; 1 Cor. 10:9; Heb. 3:9); “tempt, entice to sin (Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2; Gal. 6:1; 1 Thess. 3:5; Jas. 1:13; Rev. 2:10). The context determines the nuanced meanings. Jas. 1:13-14 says God does not tempt people because he cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone in that way. But God will allow us to go through testing and even to be tempted by the devil, as God allowed for his Son. Will we pass the test / temptation as Jesus did? James writes: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial [noun of “tempt”] because having stood the test [different word]; that person will receive a crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (Jas. 1:12, NIV). Will we receive this crown for standing up during our time of trial? The way to pass the temptation and trial is to love the Lord and know Scripture.
Jesus was not tempted in his divine nature (Jas. 1:13), but in his human nature.
After he fasted for forty days, he got hungry. Then the devil tempted him. For some reason I had thought he tempted Jesus throughout the forty days in the desert (the movies). No. The devil tempted him after his forty days of fasting; Matthew agrees (4:1-11). And so it is reasonable to conclude that the most effective way to resist satanic temptation is to be full of the Spirit and to do spiritual disciplines. No, not legalism, but spiritual disciplines are an effective way to crucify the sin nature (Gal. 5:24) and beat down the body, as Paul encouraged the Corinthians to do (1 Cor. 9:24-27). One discipline is to read Scripture regularly. Another is to limit worldly input, like turning off the TV once in a while. Two other disciplines: regular private prayer and worship and regular public prayer and worship—fellowship, in other words. A really important way to fight the devil, as seen by Jesus’s struggle and victory over Satan, is to know Scripture. It helps sort out the mental battle. It has been truly said that the mind is the battlefield. And if you don’t have God’s thoughts, then you cannot sort out his thoughts from your own or the devil’s awful ideas.
3. Two Natures in One Person: Basic Questions and Answers
4. Two Natures in One Person: Tough Questions
5. Two Natures in One Person: If Jesus Got Hungry, Did God?
There are different kinds of fasts, like fasting from social media or TV or from coffee and snacks and rich foods. Or it can be total. I have known people who fasted forty days without food. They came through all right. Let the Spirit lead and monitor your soul’s health, strengths and weaknesses. Don’t be foolish.
See my posts about Satan in the area of systematic theology:
Bible Basics about Satan and Demons and Victory Over Them
Bible Basics about Deliverance
Magic, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Fortunetelling
Temptation: To provoke you to do evil, in order to ruin and sideline you
Testing: To find out what is in your character, in order to improve and grow you up.
When you are tempted and fall, however, God can restore you.
3:
Satan tempted Jesus by doubting his God-given identity: “If you are the Son of God.”
“Since you are the Son of God ….” Satan is tempting Jesus to discredit his Sonship; the Father allowed the Spirit to lead him to be tested to accredit him. Satan may not have doubted Jesus sonship in principle, but he is tempting him to selfishly use his sonship status.
The devil was challenging God’s public announcement at Jesus’ baptism and his identity. He was the Son of God and his Father loved and delighted in and accepted him. Will Jesus misuse his sonship?
Don’t let the devil tempt you off of your God-given identity. If you were born a boy, you are a boy. If you were born a girl, you are a girl. God’s plan is opposite-sex attraction, not same-sex attraction. Now let’s go long-range. He calls you his son and daughter (John 1:12-13). That is now your new identity in Christ.
The devil tempted him at his weakest point after a forty-day fast—hunger. The lesson: the devil will tempt you at your weakest point: chemical dependency, sex, and other personal vices like anger and unforgiveness. Follow those spiritual disciplines, know Scripture, and be full of the Spirit.
4:
Jesus presents a life-lesson for us all. Scripture has power to sustain you. I was severely attacked and tempted back in the old days, especially during my graduate school days and afterwards. After a series of dreams, I learned that Satan was the source of the attacks. Of course I was an intellectual, so I did not follow Christ’s simple counterattack. He used Scripture. I didn’t. He hid it in his heart and mind. I forgot what I had memorized. He quoted it. I did not, back then. Too intellectual. Finally, after years went by, I relearned Eph. 6:16. Now here’s my daily prayer based on it: “I pray over my mind a shield of faith that quenches the fiery arrows of the enemy.” It works! You don’t have to rebuke Satan himself or a demon every moment of every day, though you may have to do this once in a while if you have identified the evil spirit attacking you. Rather, just focus on Scripture and let it renew your mind. Jesus held these Scriptures deeply in his heart and quoted them. So should I and you.
5:
The devil led him up to a high mountain, though the phrase “a high mountain” is implied, just based on the Greek “led him up.” Matt. 4:8 also says “high mountain.” I believe God allowed Satan to show all of the kingdoms of the inhabited world in some sort of vision or in a panorama outside of his mind. After all, the verse says all the kingdoms “in one moment.” However, does this mean Jesus’s mind was polluted, so that he sinned? No. The vision was not part of his mind, but he saw it. In his human nature, he had no sin nature, due to his heavenly Father through his power and the Spirit ordaining his conception to be supernatural. Just because thoughts cross one’s mind does not mean one is sinful. Jesus had to go through even death, just to identify with us and win the victory over it (Heb. 2:17). Similarly, this moment was an encounter that Jesus had to go through, so he could be tempted in every way we are, yet without sin (Heb. 2:18). He won.
This passage teaches that Satan rules over the kingdom of the world, yet God’s kingdom is far above Satan’s worldly kingdom. The tension between God’s right to rule and Satan’s right to rule one a limited scale and scope and humankind’s right to rule with a limited scale and scope by using his free will can never be fully resolved until Jesus returns and sweeps aside all earthly kingdoms and eventually throws Satan in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
One hyper-prosperity preacher shouted to the camera and said, “Money, come to me!” And now the hyper-prosperity preacher is richer than his wildest dreams. However, who guarantees that God provided the money for him, particularly when the preacher shouted out of his greed—clearly out of his greed. Who’s to say that Satan didn’t provide him with his riches?
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Tim 6:6-10, NIV)
6-7:
“authority”: it is the noun exousia (pronounced ex-oo-see-ah), and it means, depending on the context: “right to act,” “freedom of choice,” “power, capability, might, power, authority, absolute power”; “power or authority exercised by rulers by virtue of their offices; official power; domain or jurisdiction, spiritual powers.”
Never forget that you have his authority and power to live a victorious life over your personal flaws and sins and Satan. They no longer have power and authority over you; you have power and authority over them.
“handed to me”: Some Bible interpreters and theologians teach that Satan was lying. He did not really have authority over all the kingdoms of the world. But I say he did and does. He is the god of this world or age, who is able to blind the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). The whole world is under the sway of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Satan does this all the time in various kingdoms as represented by their leaders. Some kingdoms go so far as to persecute believers in Christ, and this is far beyond being blinded. Satan’s ownership over kingdoms and authorities explains why they have done such evil things, like Germany starting wars and doing the holocaust and Japan attacking peaceful nations for decades before they bombed Pearl Harbor.
God has everything under his ultimate control, even though Satan has his own authority and jurisdiction over the kingdoms of humanity (Acts 26:18). With our limited vision and knowledge, we are unable to draw the line between when God exercises his sovereign control over nations and when humans use their free will and when the devil prompts people overseeing kingdoms. Since we cannot figure out any of this in detail, our mission, instead, is to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Bock: “It is probably best to say that the devil’s offer is a mixture of truth and error. He is pictured as wielding great authority on the earth … He certainly claims such authority in saying he can give these things to whomever he wishes. It is possible that Satan believes the claim, so that the offer should be seen as involving diabolical self-delusion” (p. 376).
In contrast, Stein points out the divine passive, which is an understated way of saying that God is behind the scenes permitting (but not causing): “‘Has been given’ is a divine passive, i.e., God has placed this world’s kingdoms under the devil’s temporary rule. God is clearly sovereign, but within his permissive will the devil is temporarily given this authority. This statement explains why the next one is true” (“And I can give to anyone I want to”) (comment on v. 6).
My belief is that Satan did have a lot of authority to make the offer, which was not empty. I agree with Stein in general terms.
“bow down”: the verb literally means “kiss toward” Further, it can mean, depending on the context, “(fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully.” The Bible shows that people do those things to humans (Matt. 18:26; Acts 10:25; Rev. 3:9); to God (Matt. 4:10; John 4:20, 23; 12:20; Acts 24:11; 1 Cor. 14:25; Heb. 11:21; Rev. 4:10; 14:7; 19:4); to idols (Acts. 7:43); to the devil and Satanic beings (Matt. 4:9; Luke 4:7; Rev. 9:20; 13:4; 14:9, 11); to Christ (Matt. 2:2, 8, 11; 8:2; 9:18: 14:33; 20:20; 15:25; 28:9, 17; Mark 5:6; 15:19; Luke 24:52).
Welcoming people respectfully is appropriate. However, the only appropriate beings to whom worships belongs and is due are God and Christ, not humans or devils or idols.
Bible Basics about Praise and Worship
Word Study on Praise and Worship
Don’t do foolish things by getting involved with Satan. You do this by practicing evil magic and casting spells on people and the dark arts. Please see my post on this:
Magic, Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Fortunetelling
Jesus was true God, yes, and he was also true man. What would have happened if Jesus failed this temptation to bow down? Liefeld and Pao write:
Had Jesus accepted the devil’s offer, our salvation would have been impossible. Frist, Jesus would have sinned by giving worship to the devil and thus could not have offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (The same applies to all three temptations.) Second, Scripture teaches that the Messiah should first and only then ‘enter his glory’ (24:26). Third, since the devil tried to prevent Christ’s voluntary death for our sins, the implication of this second temptation was that accepting an immediate kingdom would avoid the cross. (comment on v. 7)
But in the final analysis, this scenario is speculative, because Jesus did not fail; he did not bow down. Now he can accomplish his mission, spelled out in this chapter, by fulfilling Is. 61:1-2, in the synagogue audience’s hearing.
8:
Jesus simply quoted Scripture, which is the best weapon against the devil, because it replaces falsehoods with the truth. Sometimes you have to rebuke Satan, but he likes the attention, so don’t rebuke Satan or demons very often. Just get your mind renewed with Scripture and God’s truths (Rom. 12:1-3). Stay in fellowship with Spirit-filled believers.
Commentator Morris writes: “He had already identified himself with the sinner he had come to save (3:21). That meant the lowly path, not that of earthly glory. It meant the cross, not a crown. To look for earthly sovereignty was to worship wickedness and Jesus decisively renounced it” (comments vv. 5-8).
9-11:
God and Jesus himself allowed Satan to lead the Son of God to a high place on the temple. (The possible locations for the high place have been identified, and you can google it.) God and Jesus both understood that Jesus had to go through this temptation. It must have been a (deceptive and temporary) delight for Satan to “boss” the Lord around! But before the hero of the story can emerge victorious, he must go through the valley (Ps. 23). Satan’s delight did not last, because Jesus came out of his time of testing victorious.
Once again Satan attacked Jesus’s identity before God. Don’t allow Satan to attack your identity. You are male or female. There is no confusion or blurring the distinctions.
Satan also took the verses out of context. The verses in Psalm 91 have nothing to do with a person deliberately jumping off a tall building and “trusting” God. Some 300+ individuals have thrown themselves off the Golden Gate Bridge, and about a dozen survived. On the way down, the survivors regretted it. “Oh no! What did I just do?” “I shouldn’t have done that!” “I won’t see my family again!” Don’t allow the devil to lie to your mind that you are no good and have done too many bad things to keep on living. No. God is perfectly and happily willing to forgive you and help you start a new life, with him in control.
“angels”: let’s not dwell too long here, because Satan is misapplying this section of Scripture. But here are the basics about angel. An angel, both in Hebrew and Greek, is really a messenger. Angels are created beings, while Jesus was the one who created all things, including angels (John 1:1-4). Renewalists believe that angels appear to people in their dreams or in person. It is God’s ongoing ministry through them to us.
Here is a multi-part study of angels in the area of systematic theology, but first, here is a summary list of the basics:
Angels:
(a) Are messengers (in Hebrew mal’ak and in Greek angelos);
(b) Are created spirit beings;
(c) Have a beginning at their creation (not eternal);
(d) Have a beginning, but they are immortal (deathless).
(e) Have moral judgment;
(f) Have a certain measure of free will;
(g) Have high intelligence;
(h) Do not have physical bodies;
(i) But can manifest with immortal bodies before humans;
(j) They can show the emotion of joy.
Angels: Their Duties and Missions
Angels: Their Names and Ranks and Heavenly Existence
Angels: Their Origins, Abilities, and Nature
12:
Again Jesus spoke God’s truth to the devil. Don’t allow the American (and western) trendiness of leaving the Bible on the shelf to dominate your life. They disrespect the Scriptures. “The Bible has to evolve to fit with the times and our morality!” These Americans and others are wrong. Jesus was right to respect Scripture, as written.
How Christians Should Interpret the Old Testament
13:
“temptation”: It means, depending on the context, “test, trial” or “temptation, enticement to sin” or “way of tempting.” Here it means “time of temptation to entice to sin.” As noted at v. 2, God does not tempt people to sin (Jas. 1:13-14), but he does test us to see what we are made of in Christ. And this temptation of Jesus shows that God may lead us into a time of satanic temptation. God does not directly tempt, but he does allow Satan or demons to do the tempting. Think of Job who had a hedge built around him, but God allowed Satan to attack. Job was made of the right stuff, because he never cursed God (Job 1-2), though he doubted God’s plan and ways throughout the book. Here in Luke, Jesus passed every temptation the devil threw at him. He was filled with the Spirit and had just finished fasting for forty days. He won. Bottom line: he was tested in his human nature, but not his divine nature (James 1:13).
Here, however, the devil was not counting the minutes and hours when he could attack again, but waiting for a weakness, like the crucifixion (compare 1 Cor. 2:6-8), or to trip him up by verbal sparring matches (Luke 20:1-8, 20-26), or false accusations about the satanic source of his power (Luke 11:14-26) or about his going to too many parties (Luke 5:29-32) or associating with the wrong people (Luke 7:36-50). He fixed his face like a flint and walked above these low-grade accusations. Satan did not win.
Commentator Joel Green (p. 192) sees these parallels in the story of ancient Israel in the desert and Jesus in his own desert:
- Israel was divinely led in the wilderness (Deut. 8:2); Jesus was led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1);
- forty years (Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:34; Deut. 8:2); forty days (Luke 4:2);
- Israel as God’s son (Exod. 4:22-23); Jesus as God’s Son (Luke 4:3, 9);
- Testing of Jesus is like the testing of Israel; note that the texts Jesus quotes refers to Israel’s testing (Deut. 6-8);
- Israel rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit and disobeyed God (Is. 63:10); Jesus was full of the Spirit (Luke 4:1) and obeyed his Father (Luke 4:1-13).
Garland and another scholar (Jerome Neyrey) see a side-by-side contrast between Jesus and Adam, which I have modified (p. 188):
Jesus obeys God and overcomes; Adam (and later Israel) disobey God and fail.
Jesus resisted temptation to satisfy hunger by abusing his power in the desert; Adam yielded to temptation and ate forbidden fruit in a lush garden.
Jesus did not seek power or kingdoms for himself; Adam was given dominion over the whole world (Gen 1:26-28)
Jesus resisted temptation to jump off a high point and prove his invulnerability; Adam yielded to temptation so that he and his wife would not die.
Jesus tells a repentant sinner that he will share paradise with him (Luke 23:43); Adam lost paradise.
Some have seen parallels with John 2:16:
Satan tempted Jesus with the desires of the flesh (food), the desires of the eyes (kingdoms of the world) and pride of life (boasting that he undying because he survived the jump).
You can make of these three parallels what you will.
Some readers will notice the different sequence between this passage here and in Matt. 4:1-11. The second and third temptations have been switched. One explanation is that Matthew uses the more specific time marker tote (pronounced toh-teh) “then,” while Luke does not have this word. This means that Luke was not going for strict chronology. However, they are still switched. The best answer is that it just does not matter. We get the main point of the two passages: Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness–temptation–and he used Scripture to rebuke Satan–Jesus won.
Go here for more information:
Why Did Luke Switch the Sequence in the Temptation Passages?
13. Are There Contradictions in the Gospels?
GrowApp for Luke 4:1-13
1. Satan attacked Jesus’s identity of being the Son of God. How has Satan attacked your God-given identity?
2. Jesus quoted Scripture to defeat the devil. How have you hidden Scripture in your heart? Study James 4:7. How does submission and surrender to God enable you to resist the devil?
3. Study Ephesians 6:10-18, particularly v. 16. What does this passage teach you about fighting the devil?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
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