Luke 4:1-13

Andy Flannagan

Get yourself to a high place of some description. This could be the top of a hill, or a building. A cliff would be perfect!

Read Luke 4:1-13.

For anyone who is gifted in certain ways (and that's all of us), it is very easy to rely on those gifts and talents, and not on God. There is a sense of that in what Jesus is being tempted to do in this passage. All that he was asked to do, he could have done. This story provides the subtext for U2's great song "Vertigo" from "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". The vertigo Bono is experiencing comes from being up in that high place and hearing the words "All of this can be yours."

The bottom line is that Satan isn't stupid. He doesn't try to tempt us with what he knows we won't do (usually because of social constraints). He may not tempt us to hit someone, but will perhaps tempt us to gossip about them. He may not tempt us to order a dodgy satellite channel, but he may tempt us to linger around the "lad mag" zone of a newsagents for too long. Subtle increments is how he works.

We have over-simplified and dramatised the events in the desert. Satan doesn't appear in a puff of smoke wearing red leather and holding a pitchfork. He instead sidles up to Jesus as a pious counselling friend, quoting Scripture. It is only at the end of temptation three that he is unmasked, offering a direct bribe, which he doesn't even attempt to wrap up in a scriptural contortion. All our temptation scenarios will probably start with a person or a situation that seems totally rational and respectable, rather than a bloke with horns, or large red Xs appearing in the corner of our vision!

Put yourself in Satan's shoes and draw up a master plan on his behalf for how best to tempt you towards or away from certain things. Being an expert on the subject, you probably won't get it far wrong. This will bring some honesty and reality to your "tempted" life. The best generals or sports coaches study their opponents' strategy at length. Share this plan with an accountable friend, who can help you watch out for the high tackles! This is something we need to talk about a lot, rather than pretend that we are immune from temptation, which is total nonsense, bearing in mind that even Jesus was tempted.

P.S.
Jesus presented a dead straight bat to Satan's temptations by quoting Scripture. Would you be able to quote any verses of scripture in the direction of the bowler? As a cricketer, it takes hard work and practice to develop the unnatural habit of playing straight, and it takes genuine effort to memorise some scripture. (As with cricket, it's much easier to just have a swing!) Write out three verses on bits of paper that you will try to memorise during the course of today.

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