Luke 4:9-13 – Jesus: The True Israel (Part 3)

Introduction 

In the 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, there is a scene with a girl named Veruca Salt. She is so badly spoiled that she expects to get everything she wants when she wants it. In fact, she says this very thing, “I want what I want, and I want it now.”

What is the difference between Veruca, an immature, over-indulged, and manipulative girl, and us when we demand that God prove his love to us by doing what we want? It could be a promotion, a new job, a new car, 100% on a test, or even good things like a better marriage, the salvation of our children, etc.

We may have had a desire or need that we repeatedly cried out to God for. We might have seen a little movement in that direction, but often it isn’t fast enough. We, like Veruca, “…want it now.” When we get in these situations, the Devil wants us to say, “God, why aren’t you listening to me? I don’t think you love me. If you loved me you would make this happen!” This is the heart of testing God. It is not trusting him, demanding that he do something for us to show us that he loves us the way that we expect to be loved. At its heart, it is us trying to reverse the role of man and God.

Today, in Luke 4:9-13, we see that Jesus, as the true Israel, resists the temptation to reverse the role of man and God and submits to God because he trusts God and knows that he is loved. By the Spirit, we can too because we trust him since he has proved his love to us in Christ.

Background

To catch you up to where we are in Luke, Jesus, the Christ, was born, grew up, and after being anointed by God and declared to be the perfect son of God, he is completing one final test, being tempted by Satan, before he begins his ministry. Jesus has already been tempted twice. First, in 4:1-4 to provide for himself, but Jesus, as the true Israel, empowered by the Spirit, trusted in God’s provision for him. Second, in 4:5-8 to exchange the glory and majesty of God for a lie, but instead, he put God's purposes first. And now, in today’s text, Luke 4:9-13, we have the third and final temptation.  

Exposition

I have mentioned for the last two weeks that these three temptations correspond to three sins found in Psalm 106, which describe Israel’s sin against God. The first sin, in vv. 14-16, was “wanton craving” or “exceeding desire,” yet Jesus, when tempted to do this same thing, didn’t. Empowered by the Spirit, Jesus trusted God to provide for him all life’s needs, even when things didn’t look or feel good. The second sin, in vv. 19-23, was forgetting God and worshiping idols by not seeing God as the supreme good to submit to, serve, and delight in, yet Jesus, when tempted to do this same thing, didn’t. Empowered by the Spirit, Jesus lived with God as his supreme good, submitting to, serving, and delighting in him. The third sin, in vv. 32-33, was that they put God to the test to make him prove that he was with them instead of waiting upon his provision, yet Jesus, as we will see today, when tempted to do this same thing, doesn’t. Jesus trusts that God is with him and waits upon God’s provision.

All these temptations are related to trusting and obeying God. Satan is trying to push Jesus to ask the question the Israelites asked at Meribah and Massah, “Is the Lord among us or not?” We know this because this is the context of the passage that Jesus responds to Satan with.

I think Luke is trying to show, in this third temptation, the essence of all sin against God is questioning him. Asking things like, “Is God sovereign? Should I trust him? Does he care for me? Will he be with me when I need him most?” So, in these three temptations, we see that Jesus obeys God when it is hard, when he was lacking food, when he knew that to receive glory and honor, the cross stood before him, and all of this culminates in forcing God’s hand to prove his care.

Satan, here, and throughout these temptations, is pointing out to Jesus that he is trying to make it easy for him, instead of how God is making it hard. And so, there is a sense that he is trying to make Jesus question God’s goodness, just like he did Adam and Eve and Israel too.

Jesus, however, in the last two temptations, answers the questions, “Is God Sovereign?” and “Should I trust and worship God when life is hard?” in the affirmative, putting his entire life in God’s hands, trusting him by faith and not living by sight.

Today, Jesus answers the questions, “Can I trust God?” and “Will God be with me when I need him most?” in the affirmative. Let’s look at this temptation to see how and why he did this.

Verses 9-11, read, “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, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ””

Satan tempts Jesus to demand God prove to Jesus that he is with him, instead of waiting on God to provide in his time and his way by citing Scripture, specifically Psalm 91:11-12. In other words, Satan is asking Jesus how he can be sure that he can trust God when he not only is, but in the future will be, in such difficult circumstances.

Psalm 91:11-12 speaks of the promise that God will be with and protect his people. Though no author is attributed to this Psalm, Jewish tradition holds that Moses wrote it. The language in the Psalm seems to point to language found in Deuteronomy 8 and 32. So, the wilderness setting of Psalm 91, might be why Satan would quote this passage.

In Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-13 the story of Massah and Meribah is found. This is where the Israelites demanded that God provide them water. They had seen his miracles, power, and heard his promises, but they wanted God to prove he was truly among them. Even though he was with them in a pillar of fire and a cloud, they wanted him to prove himself to them in a way that worked for them.

Let’s look at our first point today with a question, “How do I know God loves and will care for me?” This seems to be the question that Satan is pushing Jesus not simply to answer but to have sure proof of.

The Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness, and now the Devil leads Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus stands on the pinnacle of the temple (think a platform where the priests went and could climb up stairs to get to, not a pointy roof) where the priests would watch for the morning to arrive so they could start the morning sacrifice.

Let’s assume it is morning or mid-day, and people are bustling around. Imagine if Jesus jumped off the temple tower and was rescued by an angel…what glory, what worship would be his, he and everyone would know that God is with Jesus. Satan is essentially saying, “You trust God; now act on it.” Throw yourself down; your trust in God will cause him to save you. In fact, don’t the Scriptures say so in Psalm 91:11-12? If God is really with you, won’t he prove himself to you? Won’t he be there for you when you need him most?

Satan is trying to get Jesus to think that since God is sovereign, the only way Jesus can trust him is to make him prove that he cares for him by calling God to give an account of his promises in the Scripture. The problem with this, among many things, is that it is testing and demanding that God gives you what you want in the way that you want it, at the time that you want it. It is a picture of Veruca Salt.

Satan tells Jesus, since you believe the Bible and have quoted it twice, prove you believe it. God said you have guardian angels who will keep you from getting hurt so much that you won’t even stub your toe. Call God on it. Don’t trust him explicitly. If he can’t prove it to you, don’t believe it. Jump off this building, and if he sends his angels to keep you from being hurt, you will know that God’s word is worthy of your trust.

Satan skillfully quotes Psalm 91, which speaks of God as the Highest of all, the most powerful, the Covenant-Keeping God, and God the Creator, who is our refuge and fortress whom we can confidently rely upon and trust. It is this God who will lovingly care for us like a mother bird does with her chicks, who will keep us from traps, sickness, terror, war, pestilence, and even being hurt in battle. God is our refuge and our dwelling place, so we shouldn’t fear evil because God will protect us from little things like hurting our toe or big things like getting bitten by a snake or, even bigger, being killed by a lion. Why? Because we are his and know him as our God who is merciful, loving, and kind. When we cry out to him in our trouble, he will help us.

Satan is saying to Jesus, and he does to us as well, “Do you really believe this? What has your experience been? You are hungry. You have been hurt. None of these things are true. Since this is the case, make God prove that his word and all his promises are true.”

What does Jesus do? This brings us to our second point, the answer to the previous question, “Jesus trusted in God’s love and care.”

Jesus answers Satan by going right back to the wilderness context of Israel in Deuteronomy 6:16, where God, through Moses, made it clear that it is not ok to put God to the test. In fact, at Massah, the Israelites, demanded that God provide them water. They questioned God’s goodness. In effect, they taunted God by saying that they were brought out of Egypt to be killed instead of saved. Notice that they didn’t simply cry out to God for provision, trusting him because of his promises that were made known through Moses, because they were troubled and needed rescue, but instead, they questioned God’s goodness and acted as if God was not with them, even though he was with them in a pillar of fire and a cloud everywhere they went in the wilderness.

Jesus tells Satan that it is not ok to do what Israel did at Massah/Meribah. Jesus rebukes Satan for trying to tempt him to test God. Jesus sees this as an abuse of his Sonship. The Father did not ask Jesus to jump off the temple; there was no reason or need for it to be done. The only reason to do such a thing would be to glorify himself as the One who God listens to and does what he wants or to test God to see whether he would keep his promises or he is really loved.

Essentially, Jesus jumping off the temple would be forcing God’s hand, putting God into a situation where he must back up his promises with an action, or God would be seen as unfaithful. What does this do? It is a simple reversal of the role of man and God.

It is not trust; it is presumption. It is not my life for God and his purposes, but God for me. It is like Veruca Salt, demanding that God do what I want when I want, so that I will feel loved, secure, or powerful. This is not God’s will or way. God will provide and protect when God is directing, and it aligns with his purpose to protect us.

Jesus submits to God and only does what the Father wants. Jesus will do things God’s way, not his way. Jesus will submit to the Father, not demand from the Father. Jesus is not like Veruca Salt. Jesus knows his Father loves him. He trusts his Father’s word pronounced at his baptism.

The application for us is far-reaching. We don’t get to demand how or if we are rescued. We are not God. God will rescue us at the time and in the way that he chooses, if he chooses to, if it is best for us. Many people say, if God does this, then I will believe. If I see this or understand this, then I will believe or trust him. These thoughts or ideas are tied to something very sinister…reversing the role of man and God.

Jesus, the true Israel, resists temptation to reverse the role of man and God and submits to God because he trusts God and knows he is loved.

Application

Our third point is our application, which is, “Jesus is all the proof we need that we are loved.” Satan uses this psalm, or part of it, today, much like he did some 2,000 years ago. “Do you believe the Bible, especially Psalm 91? If you do, shouldn’t nothing bad ever happen to you since God loves you? Prove to me that you believe it!”

Some believe this to be literal and absolute, and so they perform daring and perhaps foolish acts, pushing God to get them out of bad situations. Others try to protect themselves because they don’t see God doing it or don’t know if God really loves them enough to protect them. Others simply don’t know what to believe.

After all, what about terrible things like car accidents and permanent injuries, the death of loved ones, and things like cancer? We shouldn’t see Christians impacted like this, right? If they do, they must not have God as their refuge, right? God must not really love them, right? Wrong! 

So, what are we to believe? Well, if we think of Jesus, the perfect man, and the Maker of heaven and earth, as an example, this psalm that Satan quotes gets confusing. This is why Satan tempts Jesus with it.

Jesus lived in the shelter of the Most High. Jesus fully relied on God. Jesus made God his refuge. Jesus loved God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. And the Father just told him that he was his beloved (loved) Son. Yet, Jesus will, in a few short years, be crushed, wounded, broken, and have his life cut short. So, what happened to God’s promises for him? Is he really loved since he will not be protected?

Yes, of course. God had a good plan. Isaiah 53:10 says, “…it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” The purpose here is seen that he will “have many descendants” or essentially make a people for God. But why? Jesus gave an answer to  this in John 3:16. There we read that “…God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus was crushed, so we wouldn’t be. He brought us into God’s family so we could find rest in him, the Almighty. Jesus is the proof that we are loved by God, not a life without pain or suffering. Not protection against stubbing our toe. The whole of Scripture teaches that we are dearly loved by God the Father. His love is so great for us that his unique and beloved Son, Jesus would suffer God’s eternal wrath so that we could be united with Christ and God would make his home in us as his children.

Jesus suffered for us and for our redemption. We must remember when we are tempted to test God to make him prove that he loves us that the Scripture does not guarantee us to have a better life on this earth than Christ did. In fact, Jesus tells us that we will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Jesus is our proof that God loves us. 

Listen to Paul in Romans 8:31-32, 35–39, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? …Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You see, God still loves us even if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death. Even when we experience such things, we still have victory. Why? We are never separated from his love. That is our true protection. Jesus is our proof that God loves us.

Yet, with this, we must embrace the mystery of God and learn to live by faith. We must trust him when almost everything else tells us otherwise. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. We must live with confidence that God is best and knows best, and is doing something awesome that we may not be able to see. And so, when calamity happens to us, we must trust his loving and wise care.

He can preserve us and keep us from all harm, when the situation is best for us and his kingdom. He did this with David, which is why, more than likely this Psalm of Moses made it into the psalter. But Moses and the psalmist eventually died, as we all will. And they both faced pain, calamity, and death. But, like them, we don’t have to fear because Jesus is our proof that God loves us.

Psalm 91 tells us that we don’t have to fear evil that comes our way. God will bring retribution to the wicked. God will provide shelter for us, and if he chooses, he will protect us from evil, which he has done to and for many throughout the years. He protected Jesus up to the point of the cross, but God’s plan for him was the cross. He protected Paul at times, miraculously, but at other times, he was injured or hurt, this was God’s plan for the spread of the Gospel.

The point is that God’s protection depends on his plan, and we don’t know his plan. So, we must live and pray as if God can and will protect us, but humbly submit to the mystery of his will and anything it brings. Why? Because Jesus is our proof that God loves us.

Our true protection is from God’s wrath. Because Christ bore our sin, we are protected under the shadow of Jesus, the Almighty. Jesus is our refuge from the wrath of God. Jesus is our safety because he is our God who was crushed by God for our sake.

Jesus, as the true Israel, resisted the temptation to reverse the role of man and God. He submitted to God because he trusted in God and knows that he is loved by him. We, too can resist the temptation to reverse the role of man and God because Jesus proved we are loved by God, so we don’t need to demand God prove it to us. He already did! Jesus is the proof that we are loved!