Jesus’ Temptations

Even after spending a week mulling over Jesus’ temptations and preaching on Luke 4, I find myself puzzled by any number of details. With help from some members at Trinity Reformed Church, however, I think I’m getting a better feel for the temptation. Here are a couple of fruitful insights offered by members of Trinity:

1) Jesus goes out into the wilderness as the “son,” and in context this means “Last Adam” (3:38). One of interesting parallels is that Jesus goes out to the wilderness to be tempted accompanied by His “helper,” the Spirit, just as Adam was tempted in the garden after the Spirit had breathed life into him and after Yahweh had given him a “helper suitable for him.” Kinda cool.

2) The other insight helps to explain the sequence of the temptations. I had been thinking of the temptation as taking place in the wilderness, and having mainly to do with Israel’s wilderness rebellions. That’s true, since Jesus responds to each of the temptations with a citation of Deuteronomy. But in emphasizing that point, I missed the geographic movement of the temptations, which recapitulates more fully the history of Israel. Jesus moves from wilderness to mountain to temple, and is tempted concerning food, idolatry, and presumption. This all works extremely well as a recap of Israel’s history: Israel moved from the wilderness, where they grumbled about lack of bread; to Sinai, a high mountain where they worshiped the golden calf; and later entered the land to build the temple, only to begin presuming on God’s favor (cf. Jeremiah’s “temple of the Lord, temple of the Lord, temple of the Lord”).

Jesus’ temptations in Luke culminate at the temple in Jerusalem, as everything does in Luke’s gospel. And Jesus is tempted to act like the Jews of His own day, trusting in the temple rather than obeying the Lord of the temple, turning the temple into a den of thieves.