Study Bible
Luke
Chapter 4

Confirmation of the Son of God in the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13Luke: List of Major Bible Charts, Maps, & PicturesJesus' Beginnings with John the BaptistJesus' Baptism, Genealogy, and Testing

Luke 4:1-13NIV11-EN

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” ⁵The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷If you worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” ⁹The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; ¹¹they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ¹²Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

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Confirmation of the Son of God in the Wilderness

Jesus' temptation is covered in the Gospel of Matthew (see below). Jesus was led by the Spirit in the desert (Luke 4:1). For forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days. At the end of those day he was hungry (Luke 4:2).

In Luke 4:3-13, the devil sought to deflect Jesus from his divinely appointed Messianic mission. In his victory over Satan, Jesus bound the strong man and proceeded to plunder his possessions (Luke 11:21-22). Luke's account highlights the parallel between Jesus' temptation experience and the experience of Old Testament Israel in the wilderness. Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the desert, while Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness (Num. 14:34). But the difference in outcome is also crucial: Jesus was fully obedient to the Father, whereas Israel failed the test of obedience.

The wilderness temptation of Jesus was important for several reasons. First, the account portrays Jesus as a true Israelite that embodied God's standards (see note on 3:22). Jesus came out of Egypt (Matt. 2:15). He endured forty days of temptation in the wilderness like Israel's forty years (v. 2; Num. 14:34). Jesus's normal fast (only water, no food; v. 2) parallels the supernatural forty-day fasts of Moses (Exod. 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kgs. 19:8). These men were representative leaders in Israel. Furthermore, Jesus himself understood his role as the final true Israelite. He resisted each temptation he faced in the wilderness with Scripture. The passages used call for Israel's faithfulness in the wilderness (see notes on vv. 4, 8, 12; see Eph. 6:17). These themes are even stronger in Matthew than in Luke. In all of this, Jesus succeeded where Israel failed. He overcame temptation and proved himself to be God's true Son (see Heb. 4:15; 5:8-9). Second, this temptation showed Jesus's superiority as the new Adam (see note on 3:23-38). The first Adam was created in a state of grace, placed in a lush garden, and given all that he needed (Gen. 2:4-25). Nevertheless, he failed to overcome the Evil One's temptation (Gen. 3:6-7). Conversely, Jesus was weakened by hunger (v. 2). He then endured the harshness of the wilderness while he fought the devil's temptations. He trusted God, relied on his Spirit (v. 1; 3:22), and emerged as God's faithful Son (see Heb. 10:7). Third, the temptation narrative helps tie together the preceding accounts of Jesus's baptism (3:21-22) and genealogy (3:23-38). God affirmed Jesus's sonship at his baptism (3:22). Satan attacked Jesus's sonship in the wilderness (v. 3). Jesus proved his sonship by his victory over temptation. Taken together, these passages undeniably reaffirm Jesus's identity as the Son of God (3:22, 28). Finally, this temptation narrative is important because it had implications beyond Jesus's own life. These were more than ordinary temptations. They were aimed at Jesus's role as the Christ and Adam of a new humanity. During this conflict with the devil, he is overcoming temptation and resisting the devil as our representative head (see Rom. 5:12-21; Eph. 2:14-15). The entirety of God's redemptive plans hung on his victory.

Luke 4:1

That Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, an emphasis throughout the Gospel of Luke (cf. Luke 1:15, 41, 67; Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3, 5; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9), and was led by the Spirit into the desert. Jesus is on the offensive, not defensive. Jesus' Kingdom came to earth to fight; and not only fight, but win (cf. Col. 2:15). The temptation had its place in the plan of God. Jesus the second and last man Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, 47), overcame in the desert, what the first man Adam did not overcome in the Garden (Gen. 3).

Holy Spirit. By mentioning him twice early on, Luke highlighted the importance of the Spirit in Jesus's life and ministry. This was also a pattern for every believer (see Rom. 8:5-8, 12-14; Gal. 5:16-18). led . . . in the wilderness. A place associated with testing (Deut. 8:2), demonic activity (8:29; 11:24), and fellowship with God (5:16; Mark 1:35). Jesus experienced all three. He was purposely sent there for God to test his character and resolve in mission (Heb. 5:8-9; see Heb. 11:17; Jam. 1:2-4, 12-13).

Luke 4:2

forty days. The number forty shows up often in the Old Testament (Gen. 7:4, 12; Exod. 24:18; Num. 14:33; Lev. 12:1-4; Deut. 25:3; Ezek. 4:6). Most relevant here is the parallel with Moses' and Elijah's forty days fasts (see note on vv. 1-13). ate nothing. Some fasts involve no food or drink. Others allow for water only and no food. Jesus's fasts seem to be have been from food only. He still drank water. This is confirmed by the fact that he ate nothing and was hungry. Also, the narrative points to a natural, rather than supernatural fast. The emphasis is on Jesus's weakness. tempted. The devil's temptations in the following verses (vv. 3-12) came at the end of his forty day fast when he was weakest (Matt. 4:2). These were probably the culmination of other temptations Jesus fought off during the forty days. devil. Satan (Mark 1:13), who has been the enemy of God's people from the beginning (Gen. 3:1-5; Rev. 12:9). Scripture presents him as an accuser (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Zech. 3:1-2), deceiver (John 8:44; Rev. 20:10), tempter (1 Chron. 21:1; 1 Thess. 3:5), and murderer (John 8:44). His aim is to destroy the faith of believers (22:31-32; Mark 4:15; 1 Pet. 5:8).

It is written

This temptation is covered in the Gospel of Matthew (below). Stein adds, "This temptation was intimately tied to the divine affirmation at the baptism and appealed to Jesus status as God's Son (Luke 3:22, 38). A similar challenge appears in Luke 23:35-39, and the latter probably indicates that the titles Son of God, Christ of God, Chosen One, and King of the Jews are mutually interchangeable, i.e., when Luke used one of them to describe Jesus, he assumed the applicability of the others as well."

Luke 4:3

The devil's first temptation (see note on 4:1-13). Son of God. Just as the devil attacked Adam's loyalty to God in the garden (Gen. 3:2), here he attacked Jesus's loyalty as well (3:22; see note on vv. 1-13). bread. Jesus was tempted to doubt God's goodness and provision in the midst of difficulty. Because Jesus was hungry, the devil implied that God had abandoned his Son and failed to care for him. Adam (Gen. 3:6) and Israel previously failed similar temptations (Exod. 16:1-3; Num. 11:1-6; Ps. 106:14).

Luke 4:4

It is written. A phrase which speaks to the authority of God's word. bread alone. Jesus quoted from Deut. 8:3. The larger passage (Deut. 8:2-8) is about trusting God in the midst of difficulty. The ministry of the Messiah would be marked by suffering and hardship (see 9:22, 58; 17:25; Isa. 53:3; Acts 3:18). By refusing to perform the miracle, Jesus displayed his trust in God's plan and care. Depending on God as Father was more important than being safe or satisfied (see 22:39-44).

Luke 4:5-7

This temptation is covered in the Gospel of Matthew (below). This temptation comes third in Matthew. The reason for the different order is not known. One account may be topical and the other chronological. The temptation was for Jesus to set up a mighty world empire, but it would have been at the cost of worshiping Satan. Jesus rejected the temptation by citing Scripture (Deut. 6:13). Satan was able to offer Jesus the Gentile nations because he had gained strong power and influence over them, especially through their idolatrous worship (cf. Dan. 10:13, 20). Nevertheless, one of Jesus' primary tasks was to break Satan's hold on the Gentile nations (cf. Rev 20:1-3).

The second temptation Jesus faced (see note on 4:1-13). showed him. There is no high place from which one could see all the world's kingdom. Together with the speed of this journey, this is probably a vision of some kind. worship me. The devil tempted Jesus to break the first commandment (Exod. 20:3; Deut. 5:7). More specifically, it was a temptation for Jesus to have all the praise and prestige as Lord of the nations (v. 6) without any of the agony and pain of the atonement (see Isa. 53:3-12; 1 Pet. 3:18). In order to receive this, he would need to deny his Father and worship his rival. Both Adam (Gen. 3:1-6; Rom. 1:22-23) and Israel (see Exod. 32:1-15; Ps. 106:19) previously failed similar tests.

Luke 4:8

Jesus again responded by quoting Scripture. From Deut. 6:13, he made clear that God alone is worthy of the allegiance the devil asked of Jesus (v. 7). God alone stands at the center of all things (Rom. 11:36). Therefore, Jesus desired to love, serve, and obey his Father, even in suffering (see Matt. 22:36-38; John 8:28; 12:28). This is a model for all believers (Heb. 12:1-3).

Luke 4:9-11

This temptation is covered in the Gospel of Matthew (below). This location may have been the top of the Temple wall overlooking the Kidron ravine or perhaps the highest point of the temple structure itself. Here Jesus was tempted to perform a public display of miraculous power, but he responded by again quoting Scripture (Deut. 6:16). This too recalls Israel's wilderness experience. Jesus did not rebel against God as Israel had. He succeeded where the nation had failed, in this way accomplishing all righteousness.

The devil's final effort to tempt Jesus (see note on 4:1-13). Jerusalem. Again, this was probably a vision (see note on vv. 5-7). highest point. This pinnacle of the temple complex was at the southeast corner which overlooked the Kidron Valley. This ravine was about 150 ft. (45 m) below. For it is written. The devil mimicked Jesus by quoting Scripture (Ps. 91:11-12) as the basis of his temptation. However, the passage's meaning is distorted to fit his agenda. While the psalmist rejoiced in God's protection and provision, the devil twisted it into a temptation. If Jesus jumped from this height and was saved from death, it would have been a spectacle that verified his special relationship to God. Jesus was tempted to put God's love to the test, disguising unbelief with false faith. Though Israel failed this test in the past (Exod. 17:1-7; Num. 20:1-13; Ps. 106:33), Jesus remained sinless (v. 12).

Luke 4:12

Jesus quoted Deut. 6:16 as a command that he should obey and as a rebuke to the devil. Believers should never try to force God to show his love. This is especially true for Christians who enjoy the ultimate display of the Father's love (8:31-39).

Luke 4:13

he went away. The devil's response to those that resist his schemes (Jam. 4:7; see Eph. 4:27; 6:11; 1 Pet. 5:8-9). until another time. Satan would remain active during Jesus life and ministry (8:12; 10:17-18; 11:14-22; 13:11-17; 22:28). However, he would not again directly challenge Jesus until his arrest, trial, and crucifixion (22:3, 31, 53). See WLC 48.

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