Day 5 - Luke 4:1-30

Have any of you thought about baptism after yesterday's post? If so, I'd be stoked to talk to you about it! It was definitely one of the highlights of my life. I know that my baptism inspired my parents to investigate the faith, as well.  Within 6 months, my mom dedicated her life to Christ, as well! Don't estimate the power of a symbol.

Read Luke 4:1-30 (find it here)

So, as we left off yesterday, Jesus had just been baptized and officially accepted his role as Son of God and Messiah.  Immediately after this, Jesus leaves everyone and goes out into the wilderness. In a way, he trades places with John.  Jesus fasted for 40 days while being tested by the devil. Imagine not only being hungry (Jesus is still human, you know) but around someone that constantly wants ruin you.

Satan continually asks Jesus to prove his deity (or that he's God).  Jesus will, in the future, tell religious leaders that only wicked people ask for "a sign" like this. That is essentially what Satan is asking for, too.  It's so cool that Jesus actually quotes Scripture back to Satan when he refuses his requests.

Satan's last request is for Jesus to jump from the Temple roof. But here's an interesting point; Satan quotes Scripture to Jesus!! How weird is that?

This may not have been Jesus last temptation at that time but this is all that's noted. But you see by the hint at the end of verse 13 that more temptations are to come.

Jesus enters and exits the wilderness full of the Spirit.  He immediately begins preaching and being "praised by everyone." (verse 15)  But he had a different message and reaction when he was in Nazareth.  Someone basically asked him to read from the an excerpt from Isaiah by handing him a scroll.  The whole Bible, nor actually books, existed yet.

Jesus unrolled the scroll and read a Scripture in which Isaiah was foretelling of the Messiah's coming.  After he finished reading this, Jesus said, "the Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!" (verse 21)  Everyone there unmistakably knew that he was referring to himself as the Messiah!

At first everyone was amazed and complimented him but they doubted him after really thinking about it.  They knew his "dad" (Joseph) who was an unimpressive carpenter. Jesus quotes more Scripture (from Proverbs) and already knows that he won't be accepted in his hometown.

Instead of just leaving it at that, Jesus goes further. He summarizes how Elijah, an Old Testament prophet, did not minister to the people of his homeland, the Jews. There were many people in need but the only one Elijah helped was not an Israelite but a Syrian.  Israelites (or Jews) believed that God only cared for Israel and no one else. So, in other words, what Jesus said and implied about his own ministry ticked the people off.

They went from praising him to wanting to kill him by throwing him off a cliff. But what happened next is weird, too.  Jesus disappears (or something like that) and walks through the crowd. Not like, "excuse me, sir and ma'am," but more like he probably walked THROUGH people. It wasn't Jesus' time to die (you'll hear Jesus say this occasionally, "it's not my time") so God made it possible to easily escape this situation. How awesome is that!



Questions:

1.) Jesus is baptized and is immediately tempted.  This happens in almost every situation when someone dedicates themselves to God. At first they are excited about their decision but then come face-to-face with someone or something that immediately challenges their faith and understanding. Have you experienced this? How did you react?

2.) Satan quotes Scripture, which means that people can definitely twist the Bible to mean what they want it to mean. Have you ever had someone twist Scripture in a way you knew wasn't right?  Have you ever been guilty of the same thing? Sad thing is, churches and pastors can and do twist Scripture, too.

3.) Even after passing Satan's test, Jesus "jumps right back on the horse" and starts preaching.  His blunt words enrage the crowd. Have you done this? Have you angered or disappointed anyone (like family, friends, etc) with your new-found faith? How did you react?

4.) Jesus was able to escape the murderous crowd (in a really cool way). Even telling someone the truth can be disastrous for the truth-teller.  Do you tell the truth even though it may bring a tougher outcome? Why or why not?