"God's Gift of Grace"
Jim Feret
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 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.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
I have always remembered this passage. Even as a child I had many questions: Why did Jesus let the devil tempt Him? Did the devil really think that he would be successful? Jesus had an important task; that of mankind’s redemption so why let the devil waste His time.
As I grew to understand more, my faith journey, this passage troubled me. Thinking of all life’s temptations and man’s human weakness, Jesus’ example is impossible to follow. Why then does it exist? How does it help me?
As I see it, Jesus, becoming man, was subjected to all of the things to which we are subjected. While God knows of our sinfulness and the impossible task of resisting temptation at all times, Jesus was perfect. And much more relevant than the questions I asked are the answers that Jesus gave to the devil; One does not live by bread alone (but by the word {Christ Jesus}of God), worship the Lord your God, and do not test God. The fact that we are pulled to temptation while trying to be good Christians is a daily frustration. We can take comfort in the fact that we are saved by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and God’s gift of grace. We are forgiven our sins (giving in to temptations) by our Father in heaven by only asking for His forgiveness. There is absolutely nothing else that we can do except to accept the gift of grace.