Luke 4: Part 1 (7)

Pray Psalm 27.1-3.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

Sing Psalm 27.1-3.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
Lord, You are our Light and our Savior most dear!
You guard us with might; therefore, whom shall we fear?
Though evil surround us, our enemies fall;
no harm shall confound us when on You we call.

Read Luke 4.1-30; meditate on verse 13.

Preparation
1. What did the devil do following the temptations of Jesus?

2. Until when did he do this?

Meditation
The tapestry unfolding in the Gospel of Luke is a beautiful narrative of heavenly grace bringing healing and salvation to earth and its peoples. Each thread of the story is golden and true, and winds together with an unsurpassed loveliness. When the whole tapestry is unrolled, the full story of God’s covenant fulfilled and His redemption completed in Jesus Christ, our hearts are greatly warmed, like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, because we know that this is the greatest story ever told, and it is true.

The backside of the tapestry, however, looks like a progressive unraveling, and in a certain way, it is. For what the glory of redemption obscures is the ignominy, the binding, and the utter defeat of Satan, together with the forfeiture of all his holdings. That unraveling begins here, in chapter 4, with Jesus’ victory over the devil in the wilderness of Judea. This is phase 1, which Jesus described as the “binding of the strong man” (Lk. 11.20-23; cf. Matt. 12.22-29). From Luke 4 on, Satan is on a leash, and he will lie down, get out, or shut up according to what Jesus commands.

Phase 2 of this change of regimes comes with the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and the outpouring of God’s Spirit in Acts 2. From that point on, it’s not just Jesus who is a threat to Satan’s dominion. It’s all of us who possess God’s Spirit and are working to overcome Satan’s evil with good works.

The final phase of Satan’s destruction is reserved for the return of Jesus, when he will be cast into the lake of fire forever (Rev. 19, 20).

The phrase “opportune time” in Luke 4.13 is not quite to the point. It should better be rendered, “appointed time” or “set time” – that is, the time Jesus has set for him. The devil on his leash will do what Jesus requires, when He requires it, and only as much as He requires or allows. From Luke 4 on, regime change is certain. The unraveled regime will begin to disappear (1 Jn. 2.8) as the glorious tapestry of redemption continues to unfold.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The hubris of the ungodly is astonishing. You never get the idea that any of them are chagrined with their own behavior or defeats. They feel victorious no matter what has just happened. It is quite amazing to behold.

And the same could be said for Satan at this juncture. “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Lk. 4.13). He expressed no sense of defeat as he, no doubt, thought he did quite well, and if he’d only had more time, more opportunities, more cool crazy ideas, things might have gone more swimmingly. Remember, the father of lies also lies to himself. It is the fuel that keeps him going (Jn. 8.44).

We, too, are in a battle with the devil. But in the same way that “we who possess God’s Spirit and are working to overcome Satan’s evil with good works”, so also, our enemy has divvied up his wiliness and badness and disbursed it to his many followers. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age…” (Eph. 6.12). It is hard work, and we must count the cost (Lk. 14.28) before we sign up for the battle (Lk. 14.31-33).

But when we do enlist, we are armed and outfitted with the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6.11). And our Victorious King has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13.5).

The psalmist wrote of Him, our Leader and King:
“You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips;
therefore God has blessed You forever.
Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
with Your glory and Your majesty.
And in Your majesty ride prosperously [victoriously]
because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
the peoples fall under You. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore
God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness…” (Ps. 45.2-7).

Hubris, denial, and lies are the only way the enemy can cope with the King of victory and truth. Either that, or they could join us. We were all where they are at one time or another. “But God [demonstrated] His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5.8) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3.16).

Regime change happens in a single heart—revived to change the world. Revive us, each one, O Lord (Ps. 85.6, 7), to ride forth as a mighty army of love to unravel the hold of Satan. Knowing that One little Word shall fell him. And that Word is Jesus!

For reflection
1. Why is the temptation of Jesus so important to the rest of His story?

2. What should we learn from Jesus about dealing with temptation?

3. Why is it important we understand that even the devil and his minions are in the hands of the Lord?

Satan never lacks the will, but the Lord has bound him so that he cannot exercise his subtleties as he desires. Furthermore, we have a promise, “He will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to bear.” Satan did not go away permanently, that Christ might lead the rest of his life without trouble. If therefore it happens that we are so tempted, let us not think that an end is made to it by and by, but let us prepare ourselves for new conflicts. Martin Bucer (1491-1551), An Ecclesiastical Exposition upon Saint Luke 4.13

Pray Psalm 27.7-14.
Seek the Lord and the glory in His face (2 Cor. 4.6). Wait patiently on Him. Seek His way for the day ahead, and call on Him to use you to overcome the evil of this world with the goodness of the Lord.

Sing Psalm 27.7-14.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
Hear, Lord, when we cry and be gracious, we pray!
Lord, do not deny us Your favor this day!
Our help, our salvation, though others may fall,
preserve our good station when on You we call.

Lord, teach us; Lord, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, Lord, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.

Wait, wait on the Lord; persevere in His grace.
Hold fast to His Word; seek His radiant face.
Be strong, set your heart to abide in His Word;
His grace He imparts; therefore, wait on the Lord.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.