“Choices to be made”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, May 3, 2025
Luke 4: 1-13 (Forward, p. 5) CEV p. 1060
When it comes to the interpretation of the Scriptures there is often a great deal ‘riding’ on the meaning or application of just one word. For instance, in John 14, verse 3, where Jesus says ‘and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you unto myself that where I am there you may be also’, He is not using the word ‘if’ in the sense of cause and effect (if…then) or ‘if’ in the sense of uncertainty. Instead, He is using it in the sense of ‘seeing then.’ As you can see, a great deal rests on how we are to interpret that one word.
We find that same word twice in today’s passage, both on the lips of the devil (verses 3 & 9), and once again, it can be taken variously ways. It can be understood as ‘uncertainty’, so, in other words, Satan is putting Jesus to the test. “If you are really the Son of God, then prove it by doing this or that.” Or it can be understood as ‘seeing then’: ‘seeing then that you are the Son of God, you can certainly do this or that.’
Either way, there is an underlying question that applies to us, plus an underlying tension for Jesus. The tension for Jesus is this: according to one understanding of Philippians 2:7, the one that I hold to, Jesus ‘emptied’ Himself of His divine prerogatives and abilities to become fully like us. In other words, we don’t have omnipotence or omniscience, so Jesus, if He had retained these characteristics, would be in an entirely different league from us. He could not really identify fully with us, nor we with Him. And so, Jesus was really in a tremendous quandary as He faced these temptations. He had a choice whether to take up these abilities once again, and ‘show’ Satan, once and for all, or to stick with us in our lot, knowing fully well that none of us have those abilities. And herein is also a question for us, namely whether Jesus is there with us or not, which question really weighs down heavily on whether we can trust Him or not.
In all this, there is yet another set of fundamental questions. In each of Satan’s queries there was the option to take the ‘easy way out’, to avoid the Cross and instead take the easier way that amounted to self-preservation and going the ‘way of the world’. With the ‘bread’ question, He could have, should He have turned the stones into bread, won the support of millions and almost instantly become king. “After all, who would not want a leader who can provide for us with almost nothing.” With the ‘kingdoms’ question, a slight compromise, a momentary kowtowing to Satan, could have given Him everything, all the kingdoms of the earth--‘on a platter’ as it were. And, with the ‘temple’ temptation, a fancy show of power and splendour, throwing Himself from off the pinnicle of the Temple and immerging unscathed, would have easily turned the heads of the crowd in His favour. Wow, an ‘Evel Knievel’ display on steroids. But then, He wouldn’t be in our league, wouldn’t really be one of us.
And so, as it turns out, we have a Saviour, a true Saviour, who was willing to stand in our shoes and face up to Satan and the world and all their temptations, armed with nothing more than we have been given, namely the word of God--which means, if He could do it, so too can we. So, Jesus made a choice, a choice to stand with us, to stand in our shoes even though it took a lot, even His death. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone’” (verses 3-4).
“Baking bread has been an on-and-off hobby of mine for years. I love the process of baking it—and I love eating it. Yet, as much as I love freshly baked bread, I know that there can be too much of a good thing.
“From my bread-loving perspective, I might argue with Jesus’s statement that ‘one does not live by bread alone.’ But, of course, this excerpt from Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness isn’t really about bread at all. It is about the illusion that we can sustain ourselves on our own. Any attempt to ‘go it alone’ quickly becomes stale and monotonous. We can try to trick ourselves with various recipes and distractions, but when left to sustain ourselves, we will always fail. Rather than fail again and again to satisfy
ourselves with a stale loaf of our own creation, God invites us to feast at the dynamic and ever-satisfying table that has been set for us.”
Moving Forward: “How often do you try to ‘go it alone?’ What is this passage saying to you?”