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(25) Mapping the journey (Luke 4:1-2, 11th May 2008)
(26) Bread or God? (Luke 4:1-4, 18th May 2008)
(27) Devil worship (Luke 4:5-8, 1st June 2008)
(28) Think before you leap (Luke 4:9-13, 8th June 2008)
(29) The year of the Lord's favour (Luke 4:13-21, 15th June 2008)
(30) A prophet at home (Luke 4:22-30, 22nd June 2008)
(31) Defeating demons (Luke 4:31-37, 29th June 2008)
(32) Jesus the preacher (Luke 4:38-44, 13th July 2008)
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The Lord Jesus is on a journey in Luke's gospel. It begins when John the Baptist preaches repentance and says he is doing so in order to "prepare a way for the Lord" (Isaiah 40) that salvation might be seen by all mankind. God is going to go on a journey to bring salvation to the world and he'll make that journey in the person of the Lord Jesus. Now stage one of the journey takes the Lord to Jerusalem and that's what Luke's gospel is about. However, this journey is not without a map. It is a little old and needs updating, but it's still useful: the map is the Old Testament. We've already seen this in Luke's use of the Old Testament, earlier on, to explain about Jesus and that will continue throughout his gospel. Now in chapter 4 Jesus is just setting out on his journey, and immediately we can see the map coming into use. In particular we pick up reminders here of the Exodus – when the Israelites escaped from Egypt. Remember that the Exodus wasn't just a journey for the Israelites but for the Lord himself who lead them in the pillar of cloud and fire (Ex 13:21) and lived among them in the Tabernacle. The Exodus began with God's people passing through the Red Sea and likewise we've seen God's new people passing through the water, in baptism. Then the people spent 40 years wandering in the desert, just as Jesus will spend 40 days wandering in the desert. They were lead during that time by God, just as Jesus is lead by the Spirit, and they relied upon God for food, just as Jesus will do by fasting. But what does all this say to us? Well, it reminds us of the importance of the Old Testament. If we want to understand what the Lord Jesus came to do, then we need to understand the Old Testament. To do that we must be reading it. All of it: both the exciting and interesting parts, and the more difficult and boring parts. Of course, some passages will seem more directly relevant and helpful, such as Isaiah 53. And we will want to visit those places more regularly. But nonetheless we mustn't ignore the plainer locations, such as Numbers 31. All of it is on the map for a reason, even if we don't see it at the moment. However, we must strive to see the value and we do that, in particular, by learning from the New Testament: how is the Old Testament used there? And especially we must seek out those pointers to the Lord Jesus – like Isaiah 53 – which come shining through in the Old Testament and teach us lessons. But don't forget that the Old Testament is also about us because we are on the salvation journey with our Lord.
(1) During the week why not look up the words which Jesus quote from Deuteronomy during his temptations in the wilderness? Then in the light of the Old Testament stories try to work out why Jesus uses those particular words.
(2) Choose one book, or section, of the Old Testament that you haven't read for a long time. Then make time to read it and think about it.
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We've previously seen how Jesus is on a journey and has the Old Testament as his map. This comes through in Luke 4 with a number of reminders from the Exodus and it also helps us to understand why Jesus is tempted. He is being humbled and tested to see where his heart lies, just as the Israelites were in the desert (Deuteronomy 8:2). Now the temptations are brought to Jesus by the devil: an evil spirit who is opposed to God. The devil wants to take the whole world, and all people, away from God. God allows him to try and do this because God knows that true believers will remain faithful and uphold his honour, which is precisely what Jesus does perfectly. We don't know if the devil literally appeared to Jesus (which seems unlikely) since we only have Jesus' brief summary of the event. But how it happened doesn't really matter since the important thing is that Jesus recognised the devil's hand behind what was going on. Now the first temptation seeks to get Jesus to act independently of his heavenly father. Jesus is very hungry due to his long fast and the devil invites him to turn stones into bread. But Jesus remembers the Exodus where the hungry Israelites allowed their longings for food to cause them to distrust God; instead of trusting God for food, they moaned and cried out to return to Egypt where food was plentiful. So he sees in the devil's idea a temptation to distrust his heavenly Father who, by the Spirit, has brought him out into the wilderness. As a result Jesus refuses to change the stones and instead quotes words from the time of the Exodus to the devil, telling him that "Man does not live by bread alone." (Deut 8:3) He's saying that nothing will stand between himself and his father, not even his great longing to eat. In another situation Jesus will happily provide food but he knows that he cannot here in the desert, because of what it would mean. All of this shows to Christians the Saviour's great reliability: he does what is right and is not deflected by personal circumstances, as we often are. Secondly, we see that the Saviour understands us perfectly because he has faced the same pressures and temptations that we face (Hebrews 4:15). We also learn from Jesus here that we need to be grounded in the Bible so that we're ready to identify, and so resist, the devil's temptations. Which means, in particular, watching out for good desires which might be exploited to lead us away from God. If necessary, we refuse those desires, trusting in God's wonderful promises. But where we fail to do so, we can repent and find forgiveness again.
(1) Which desires and wants do you think might be used by the devil to tempt you in your life?
(2) Can you think of tests the Lord has put you through in the past which have prepared you for later situations? Review them and give thanks for them. Then pray for grace and wisdom to face future tests.
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Horror films and books portray devil worship as something magical and sinister, involving rituals and horrible practices. However, our passage shows us that real devil worship is far more subtle and dangerous than those things. This second temptation of Jesus begins with him becoming suddenly aware of all the authority and splendour of the world. Somehow the devil shows Jesus all the wonderful things that the nations of the world have on offer. As Jesus observes them, he knows that one day all that is good in the world will be under him, for he is one to whom God will give the world (Psalm 2). But even as he looks, the devil is boasting to Jesus that the world is his, which has the implication that the world works in the devil's way. We can see this every day, when we watch or read about the deceit, cruelty and self-centredness which marks our world: all of which are characteristics of the devil. But why is the devil telling Jesus that he owns the world? So as to intimidate and entice him. The devil is trying to get Jesus to see that God's way of preaching truth, loving the neighbour and being humble, cannot hope to win in a world shaped by the devil. The devil wants Jesus to feel this and change plan, in order to come into his kingdom. Jesus, however, recognises what the devil is trying to do because he knows the story of the exodus. When the Israelites were on the borders of Canaan they saw how rich the land was but they also feared the inhabitants and so came up with a plan to return to Egypt: instead of trusting the Lord, they were intimidated and enticed by the world. But Jesus refuses to make the same mistake because to do so would be to rank the devil alongside God, it would be to worship him. So Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6 and shows that he must trust and serve God above all others. This teaches lessons to us. Firstly, it tells us that we must seek to know God in his way and not our own, and God's way is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, it tells us that Christians must not be intimidated into thinking that the message of the gospel is powerless. It isn't, because all the power of God stands behind it. Thirdly, we must watch out that we are not enticed to believe that the world must work in the devil's way. When we enjoy good things in this world, we must always ask how God has told us to use these things and not assume that the world has got it right. Fourthly, the church must not use the devil's techniques – telling people what they want to hear or simply trying to satisfy them. God must direct all that we do.
(1) Try to identify those things which most intimidate you about the world. Can you think of any situations in the Bible where similar intimidation was felt by believers? How did those believers react? What can you learn from them?
(2) Have you known any time in your life when you particularly identified a devilish temptation breaking upon you, as Jesus knew here? Does this passage help?
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Luke chapter 4 has a different order for the temptations compared with Matthew 4: Luke's 2nd and 3rd are Matthew's 3rd and 2nd. This willingness of the writer to rearrange his account reminds us that we only have a summary here of what went on in the wilderness. - the actual temptations probably took place over an extended period of time. In Luke's third temptation, Jesus finds himself standing in a high place on top of the temple. The temple has already appeared a number of times in Luke's gospel and is clearly an important location: Jesus is at the heart of Israel, within the Father's official home on earth. Now what is the devil doing with Jesus? Well he seems to be exploiting three human characteristics. Firstly, there is the giddy feeling we get when in a dangerous situation: our stomach turns and our mind has wild thoughts. Secondly, there is the desire we sometimes get to do something which will provoke another person to react. Thirdly, there is the natural human desire to see and feel that God is near. Here in this world we have to live by faith in God and that's very hard to do. Many people refuse to trust an invisible God, instead saying that he doesn't exist or making idols for themselves. Even Christians can chase after supposed supernatural experiences in their desire to know that God is near. Jesus, standing on his Father's home, has the same desire. And then, with these three things at work within him, Jesus suddenly hears Psalm 91 which speaks of how God will care for his own. So surely Jesus could step off from this great height, and prove the love which his Father has for him? Jesus, however, recognises that this is the devil trying to tempt him to distrust his Father, because if he jumped he would be behaving like the Israelites at Massah (Exodus 17). There they tested God by demanding that he prove his concern for them by providing water in the dry desert. Jesus will not fall into the same sinful mistake, and so he rebukes the Devil using the words with which God warned the Israelites never to behave that way again (Deuteronomy 6:16). Christians should learn from this temptation that we must keep constantly in mind all the things which God has done for us, and promised to us. We also see that we should be wary of hasty decisions, made under the pressure of circumstances. Furthermore, we must watch out for times in our lives when things are difficult and we feel like giving up in our service of God. Lastly, we must treat the Bible carefully and not let any abuse of the Bible guide us in the wrong way.
(1) Can you think of an example of “Bible abuse” that you have heard, when a passage was being misused? What did, or would, you say as a corrective to that abuse of Scripture?
(2) What pressures build up in your life, that push you to take decisions which actually need some thinking about? How do you counteract them?
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In this section Luke gives a sermon account from the start of Jesus' ministry. The sermon is preached to Israelites because they are the starting point for God's plan to save the whole world. However, as Luke has shown us in earlier chapters, Israel is currently in no fit state. Priests like Zechariah doubt God and preachers like Simeon warn of troubles ahead. But the person who spells it out most explicitly is John the Baptist. John, however, comes not only to identify the problem but also to begin the repair process. He does this by restarting the nation: telling Israelites not to rely on the fact that they come from Abraham but that they must seek God afresh through repentance. But although John can begin this repair work, he cannot solve the problem of sin. So through baptism John points repenting people towards the saviour who is on his way: one who will wash them through with the Holy Spirit and make them new. Following this, Jesus appears and asks to be baptised by John. He does so to show that he fully agrees with John's message and stands with these repenting people: they are the way ahead for God's work. And Jesus has come to them as the saviour whom John spoke about. To confirm this Jesus is then tempted, like Israel, in the desert: to prove that he is faithful to God, without sin and thus able to rescue others from sin. And now, after the temptations are complete, Jesus begins to preach and it is no surprise to hear that his message concentrates upon his ability to rescue sinners from their ruined lives. Now in his preaching Jesus' policy, as seen in Luke 4, is to begin with those who take part in the synagogue services – Sabbath gatherings for Jewish worship where the Old Testament is read and preached. In theory these gatherings should be the ideal recipients for the good news of salvation which Jesus is bringing, although sadly it proves to be otherwise. Jesus bases his sermon in the Nazareth synagogue on the prophet Isaiah. Luke quotes mostly from Isaiah chapter 61 but Jesus may have read a much longer portion since part of chapter 58 also seems to appear in the quotation. The prophet's words talk about a time when God will send a servant who will solve all the problems of a failed Israel. Israel will be reaping the curses of God – poverty, disease, slavery, loss of land – but God's servant will rescue them from their sin and its effects. Jesus tells his listeners that that time is today – Isaiah's words are coming true with him. Jesus has come to set the world right from the all the problems caused by sin.
(1) When you read the news or watch it on the television, does the amazing hope of the gospel come to mind? What can you do to encourage yourself to think that way every day?
(2) What impact should Jesus' message in this sermon have upon the ways in which Christians worship each Sunday, do you think?
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In Nazareth's synagogue Jesus identifies himself as the one who fulfils Isaiah 61: God has sent him to put everything right in the world. However, Jesus hasn't yet fully explained how and when this change will come about. Nonetheless, his hearers should know how it begins since John the Baptist has already been preaching that people need to see their sins, repent and entrust themselves to Jesus to save them. But the people in Nazareth show no signs of a repentant attitude. Although they are initially impressed by Jesus because his words have something of God about them, yet soon they are turning against him. Rather than showing humility before God, they become angry and resentful. They are like this because of their family-obsessed attitude – something which comes through in their reference to Jesus as the “son of Joseph”. Despite hearing Isaiah's words, they're not even thinking about God's curse or a need to repent! Instead they try and pressurise Jesus with the demands of loyalty: he really ought to be doing miracles in Nazareth and they'll only really trust him once that's what they see! This is exactly like the way the Israelites behaved in the past when their forefathers demanded miracles in the desert before they'd trust God. But Jesus will not pander to such an attitude and he tells them this by reminding them of Elijah and Elisha. Both of those prophets preached in Israel at a time when God's curses were being felt – famine and disease – and yet neither performed miracles for their own people; instead their miracles were received by outsiders. However, sadly the people of Nazareth do not want to learn about themselves from Jesus. So instead of doing them good, Jesus' analysis of them provokes hatred. They consider him disloyal and only worthy to be expelled from their community in the most extreme way: by being put to death. The crowd drives him out to the cliff edge, ready to throw him down. Jesus, however, walks through them and away – his Father keeps him safe from falling. This incident warns us of the danger of an attitude which makes demands of God before it is willing to respond with trust. We have no right to do that to God; rather we should be listening to him, seeing our sinful failure, and asking for forgiveness. Furthermore, we see here how Christians will, at times, find themselves rejected by those they love best, because of their stand for God. Finally, this passage shows that whilst miracles point us to the glorious future which Jesus will bring one day, the important thing in our time is to listen, repent and believe.
(1) Read through Luke's gospel picking out the miracles done by Jesus and seeing how much he makes of them. Does it chime in with the way some modern Christians talk about the “miracles” that they are doing?
(2) Look at your prayers and look at your life. Are any of your prayers going unanswered because of sins you haven't repented of?
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This world is prone to decay and ruin. The reason for this is the rejection of God by mankind. God made this world to be alive; he made us to be alive. But when we listened to God's enemy and went our own way, we brought God's curse down upon ourselves and the world: a curse which works itself through deterioration leading to death. However, the processes of decay are not impersonal. They come about through the wicked behaviour of people, and of the devil and his evil spirit colleagues who are working in opposition to God. But although the devil boasted to Jesus that the world will remain his (4:6), in Nazareth Jesus denied that and announced God's scheme to make the world good again. It would happen by the rejuvenating power of God's Holy Spirit coming through the work of Jesus himself. Well in Nazareth that message was rejected by the selfishness of the people and so Jesus gave no demonstration of his power. However, he finds things to be different in Caparnaum where people like Simon are willing to become his followers. Hence, in the Synagogue at Capernaum Jesus uses his authority and power to confront a demon. A man who has lost much of his self-control is being very visibly manipulated for cruel ends by an evil spirit. And when Jesus enters the synagogue this spirit tries to take charge of the situation by announcing who Jesus is. Jesus, however, will not allow the demon to take the initiative. Indeed he will not even enter into any debate with the spirit, as he did with the devil in the desert. Instead Jesus simply asserts his authority, silences the rebellious, evil creature and commands him to stop manipulating the poor man, and leave him alone. The spirit has no choice but to obey and thus the sorry man is returned to his right mind. As a result all the congregation are amazed by Jesus' power and authority, such that news about him spreads everywhere. This incident shows us that the devil and his colleagues really have power in this world to do much harm, sometimes in clearer ways than at other times. But we also see that they are now running scared. Jesus is more powerful than the forces of evil and before him they must bow in silent obedience. Many people believe in evil spirits and then give them respect, by practising superstitious nonsense. Christians need none of this because we know our Saviour is stronger than them all. So we simply remain close to him – listening to him, speaking with him, trusting in him – and in that way know we are perfectly safe.
(1) Have there been times in your life when you've been most aware of the work of evil? How did you deal with it? Was it the right way?
(2) There have been many stories produced about evil spirits. Books about ghosts and the such like. Films which include wicked unseen powers and scary scenes. Should a Christian read and watch such things?
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Jesus, in the town of Capernaum, displays the reality of his divine power to fulfil the words of Isaiah 61: he has the power to defeat the devil and all the evil which ravages this world. However this display of miraculous power is not the main way that Jesus goes about his work in this world. Rather the miracles are foretastes of the outcome of Jesus' work: the way things will be when he returns and makes all things new. Jesus' work in this world, as this passage shows, is preaching: bringing people to know God, find forgiveness and live lives of obedience to God. In vs 38 Jesus goes into a house, reminding us that following Jesus means him touching and changing all of our lives, not just our public worship at church. In Simon Peter's home, Jesus is asked to heal Simon's mother-in-law who is very unwell – a request to which Jesus willingly responds. As he did with the demon, Jesus “rebukes” the illness, showing that the devil and his cohorts are involved in all the troubles in the world, although some people – such as the man in the Synagogue – may be more obviously under his sway. But whatever the situation, Jesus has all the authority of God to remove the forces of evil and heal the harm that they have been doing. Once the lady has been healed, she then shows her gratitude and love by her service, giving Jesus a home amongst these people (whereas his own home of Nazareth rejected him and tried to kill him). Jesus' activities in Capernaum trigger great interest in him: many come to be healed; many come to have demonic influence removed from their lives. However, when demons try to announce who Jesus is, Jesus silences them as he did in the Synagogue. He will not engage in open warfare with them because that isn't God's way. Jesus' plan is not to fight endless demonic battles but rather to preach – this is the method by which God's salvation will come into the world. To remind himself of this, Jesus returns to the desert where the devil previously tempted him to build God's kingdom the devil's way. There in the desert Jesus renews his determination to do things God's way. Hence when the people find him, he tells them that he cannot stay around, but must go on to preach elsewhere. That is Jesus' task in the world: to preach to good news of God's kingdom. All of us need to listen to Jesus. Even if we're already Christians, we must go on listening to him. And if we've lost sight of that priority then we've got a problem which we need to sort out. Jesus has come that we would listen, trust and gain a new life.
(1) Do you ever take time out from all the rest of your life, and think again about Jesus' preaching and what it means for you? If not, why not?
(2) What can you personally do to make Jesus' preaching better known in our society? Can you think of any new ways in which you might go about that task? Can you think of new ways the church might go about that task?
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