Hi everyone, in this week after the first Sunday of Lent, I want to invite you to join me in reflecting on Luke 4:1-13, the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness:
1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
10 for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’
11 and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
I’ve shared some prompts for reflection for each day below, that you can use if they’re helpful.
Whether they’re related to the prompts below or not, I would love to hear any thoughts and reflections you have on the passage throughout the week and any ways the Lord has been speaking into your life through the passage!
Wednesday:
Verses: Luke 4:1-4
Prompts for Reflection:
Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness for 40 days mirrors the wandering of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. In their hunger, many from among the people failed to trust in the Lord and his provision yet here Jesus holds fast in his trust.
How does Jesus hold fast to the Father in his temptation?
Where in your life might the Lord be calling you to a deeper trust in and dependence on him?
How can times of fasting grow our relationship with the Lord?
Thursday:
Verses: Luke 4:5-8
Prompts for Reflection:
God has already promised that all authority and glory will be given to Jesus in the future, for all things will be put in subjection under his feet by the Father (Heb 2:5-9). Likewise we who have put our trust in Christ too will receive all that we long for and more when he comes again.
In what ways are you tempted to seek elsewhere for the things that have already been promised to you by the Lord?
In what ways can these temptations lead into idolatry?
Friday:
Verses: Luke 4:9-13
Prompts for Reflection:
In these verses the Devil calls into question the promises of God and tempts Jesus to prove their truth by testing them and thus God himself.
Where is it hard to trust the promises of God for your own life?
In those circumstances what would it look like to put God to the test and what would it look to take practical steps to trust him instead?
Saturday:
Reflections from the Whole Passage Luke 4:1-13
As you reflected on the passage throughout the week what stuck out to you?
What would it look like to live out what the Lord has been teaching you as you spent time in his word this week?