Luke 3 speaks of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, in the desert foreshadowing the revelation of Jesus as the son of God to the greater masses of men. John speaks, “I indeed baptize you with water; but there shall come one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”
For John’s preachings and effects on the populace, he is imprisoned by King Herod, but before doing, he baptizes Jesus. After being baptized, a sign shows from the Holy Spirit onto Jesus. “…the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
After this, the rest of the chapter is a telling of Jesus’ family lineage back to Adam and God.
Luke 4 begins with the temptation of Jesus in the desert. In these forty days, not eating and subject to the elements, the devil tests and tempts Jesus.
The devil offers food, and Jesus answers, “It is written that Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
The devil shows Jesus kingdoms of the world and promises power and glory if only Jesus shall adore him and not God to which Jesus answers, “It is written: Thou shalt adore the Lord they God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
Next the devil places Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem and tells him to jump ridiculing Jesus that, if the son of God, God will send angels to catch him when he falls, to which Jesus answers, “It is said: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
After this temptation, “And all the temptation being ended, the devil departed from him for a time.”
Returning from the desert, Jesus comes home to Galilee and begins to preach, and as he proclaims messages from the prophesy of Isaiah, his hometown doubts and disbelieves his words and asks, “Is not this the son of Joseph?” To the people who knew him growing up’s disbelief, Jesus responds, “Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country.” He then tells of the rejection of Elijah, who was ran out of Israel, who married a widow in Sidon, not Israel, and worked miracles for a Syrian, not Israelite—even as Elijah was praised and seen after as the prophet and man of God they rejected when he was present among them.
The chapter ends with Jesus healing Simon’s mother in law from a sickness, and then more as word of his healing spreads, before he announces that he must leave Galilee.
“To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of God: for therefore I am sent.”
He went as he was called.
*****
For me, the piece that stands out to me in Luke 3 is the symbology of the Holy Spirit in body form as the dove descends from Heaven down to Jesus and God speaks, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” It was a dove that signed to Noah land would soon be found. Likewise, a different salvation and chance at new life signs in the dove’s, Holy Spirit’s, presence with Jesus.
As a Catholic, this symbology holds and shows still in our stained glass windows, and as one who works in fields, I enjoy its symbology as doves and the Holy Spirit seem to be anywhere there’ open ground and a little loose scattered grain or seed.
Luke 4 and the temptation of Jesus is one I think can speak to all of us. Maybe we don’t go to the desert, but how many times in life, to we need time and space alone to find ourselves and work through contemplations weighing on our spirits? How many times must we confront demons (our own or the devil, however we choose to view them) and determine to no longer honor or give them time before we are able to begin on a better and more enlightened course in life?
In our world, how often are we tempted or made false promises—if only we surrender something of our own character in exchange? How many times must we weigh the short-sighted reward in context to greater long-term potential consequence and cost? I would say we all have our own temptations, our own confrontations and tests that measure how willing we are to honor God, and the goodness within us, in weight to worldly gains.
When we seek money, abundance, and comfort—which our materialist society presses in nearly every advertisement that sounds to us from all directions—is possession of the material enough to give our life value and make our spirits full? I’ve lived joyful days sleeping on the ground, in mud huts, among worldly threats that were infinitely more rewarding and fulfilling than days and nights of abundance and excess that were chasing what the world promised as fun but had no greater purpose or service to others or God. “Man does not live by bread (or drink, or fun, or whatever quick-fix answer we choose) alone.”
When we rise in power and prominence, personally, professionally, socially, economically—whatever metric we use to distinguish and elevate ourselves above others—do we find joy in this alone? When prominence becomes its own purpose with no end-state of acceptable achievement—only more—may we not drive ourselves mad for something that is fleeting and has no impact on the everyday interpersonal relationships of family and friendships that define and color life far more than loose associations by others we “boss.” To me, this used to be a metric I thought was important, but the more I served others; I realized leadership and power isn’t a position, it’s what we do and give to others to enable them to be successful. A title and position alone mean nothing, and when life and situations get tough, the true leaders will be the ones that make stuff happen on the ground, in “gruntwork” not the ones making elaborate speeches, policy, demands, and wanting the praise far from the field of trial.
This doesn’t mean we should run from positions of prominence and power, but we should focus on living our purpose, whatever that is in each of us, and serving others well before chasing titles, place, and prominence. I believe our world today, especially politically, would be entirely different if we promoted leaders based on this principle, and not the self-seekers that dominate much our higher echelon political shapers.
Last, when the devil tempts Jesus telling him to cast himself from the top of the temple and to test God, how many times—especially when we pray—do we put God to the test with our own spirit and say, “if I don’t get this, I won’t believe?” This isn’t faith. This is extortion. I believe it’s this way in a human relationship as much as spirit, and when we love and believe something, we don’t twist it just to get what we want and, when we don’t get it, walk away. That isn’t love. That isn’t testing.
God is above our small “wants.” There’s more to faith than seeking our own short-sighted desires. To me, prayer and faith are not for self but a seeking of alignment so that, in what we live and do, “Thy will be done…as earth as it is in Heaven.” I believe we are instruments of God with the potential to bring about better states of spirit in this world; and when we align ourselves and resonate the energies and opportunities to do good, or serve God, in our everydays, we have the ability to positively affect or environment far more than trying to change God, our world, and environment to our preconceived wants.
When Jesus says “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,” it is speaking and remembering, faith is not requisite on immediate answer and response. We are in service to God, not He/She/It to us, but when we serve well: blessings and good will come—even when they arrive in form we never could have imagined. It is the absurdities of their arrival that make the miracle even more amazing.
What do you think?