In our youth meetings we are entering further into the story by following the movements of Jesus towards the cross and the tomb. The first of our glimpses into Jesus’ story was his temptation in the wilderness from Luke 4:1-13.

 

What are the things typically said about this passage? Memorize Scripture so that you can fight against the Devil’s temptations? See how the Devil twisted Scripture? And so on. But what if that wasn’t the main point?

What if the main point was that Jesus is the Son of God? The two previous sections in the story are of Jesus’ baptism, where the voice from heaven declares, ‘You are my one dear Son,’ and the Luke’s genealogy of Jesus, which ends with the line, ‘the son of Adam, the son of God.’ Add to the fact that in two of the three temptations the Devil presents to Jesus he asks the question, ‘If you are the Son of God…’ The grammar of the question could also cause one to read it as, ‘If (and let's assume that you are) the Son of God…’

 

The Devil is looking to have Jesus demonstrate his Sonship in inappropriate ways, whereas the Jesus’ refusal and the rest of the Luke’s Gospel show Jesus’ Sonship in the right ways. Thus as we read this passage we see Jesus resisting temptations that are basic to human nature (nourishment and power) and faithfully living out his Sonship right in front of our eyes.

 

Rather than making less of the applications that are usually made of this passage, our reading offers only a deeper understanding. Instead of a moralism or legalism which says ‘memorize Scripture so that you won’t fail,’ we have, ‘when you fall to temptations you are not without hope, for God’s Son has obeyed where you have not.’ It’s just as the author of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 4:14-16, ‘since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.’

 

Jesus is our application. His obedience is ours when we repent.

 

My final word was one of encouragement to creatively and imaginatively enter into Biblical writings. We often are so familiar with the words that we glance off them like a rock skipped over water. Yet, if Peter was right when he confessed of Jesus in John 6:68, ‘You have the words of eternal life,’ then if we ever catch ourselves treating them otherwise it ought to be arresting to us.

 

As a way of illustrating this I showed this video [click here]. The artist read the story and then read between the lines, as it were. Many of the images have no biblical support, but they do ‘resonate’ with what we know about Jesus. When we think creatively about the bible Holy Spirit very often shows up and shows us things we’ve never seen before.