Overcoming Temptation with Jesus

Luke 4:1-15, Deut 8:1-18, Roms 10:4-13. Jesus faces three major temptations while fasting 40 days in the wilderness. Times we might be more vulnerable to temptations are after a high -like Jesus' baptism and the Father's affirmation of him which precede this experience, and when we are tired and hungry, as Jesus was when the tempter came. There is the temptation to prove his identity as God's Son -but Jesus trusts God's word about that, and so we need to do in terms of our identity as beloved children of God and co-heirs with Christ. He is tempted to use his power to break his fast, and it is common for all of us to seek comfort in food that we may not need when we are tired or feel down. He was tempted to accept worldly power and authority rather than following God's call God's ay, and we can be tempted through anxiety or ambition to make money more important than God in our life and so neglect God's purpose for our lives. Thirdly he was tempted to test God's promise of protection by a spectacular act that took no account of the folly involved. God's promises are not unconditional. We are called to exercise wisdom, the foundation of which is fear of the Lord. This includes the humility to seek and accept wise counsel from others, rather than pushing scripture to an extreme that contravenes other balancing parts of scripture, as well as common sense. As a result of withstanding these temptations Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. When we seek strength from God and his word to resist temptation we grow in faith and spiritual power to trust God for greater thins through the experience of God's faithfulness through such times.