Luke

4:1-13

The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50

2. Testimonies to the Messiah, 2:41-4:30

v] Witness of the temptation.

In this passage, the fifth testimony to Jesus, Luke records Jesus' temptation. In the temptation story there are three tests: i] Stone into bread; will God supply the Messiah's needs as he seeks to bring in the kingdom? ii] Authority over the world; will the way of suffering achieve results? iii] Signs and wonders; could self-glory achieve a better response and so hasten the coming kingdom?

The second section of Luke's gospel, Testimonies to the Messiah, 2:41-4:30, consists of a group of episodes which give witness to the coming messiah. Each of the six episodes serve to inaugurate Jesus' mission and tell us something of his messianic character.

This passage gives some very interesting insights into Satan: He recognizes that Jesus is the messiah, the anointed one who is to lead his people out of the slavery of sin and gather them together in the promised kingdom; he accepts the authority of scripture; he is described as lord over the present age, with the power and glory of this age in his hands; he is a deceiver and so sets out to compromise Jesus' messiahship.

The story of the temptation of Jesus is very useful for the purpose of testing methods of Biblical interpretation.

Methods for the interpretation of scripture are many. On this site the Bible is treated as the Word of God when rightly interpreted. God's Word to us, in the final analysis, is the message of the writer, ie. the writers' message is God's message (irrespective of the myriad human elements evident in the writer's words). This conservative approach gives weight to the historicity of Biblical events, eg. Jesus was actually temped. None-the-less, redaction criticism has its part to play, but less so source criticism. The return of interpreters to literary criticism is to be applauded, although we could do without today's reader response approach - whatever-it means-to-you-is-true.

The story of the temptation of Jesus evidences an oral tradition in a homiletic form. It is a perfect three-point sermon, and was most likely preserved for us in this form. It also evidences a kingdom of God Biblical theology, a theology grounded in the Old Testament. The gospel writers have taken the oral tradition of the temptation, shaped it to achieve their didactic purpose, which purpose is inspired by God. Note the different approach taken by Luke and Matthew.

We could search for the original oral form, or search for the historical substance of the temptation, but in the end, the inspired Word for us is the message of the writer, namely, the three points of the sermon framed in the Biblical theology of the kingdom of God. It is hard to find a better passage for the purpose of testing different methods of Biblical interpretation.

plhrhV pneumatoV aJgiou "full of the Holy Spirit" - full of Holy Spirit. Often used by Luke in the sense of equipped to speak powerfully and truthfully for God, Acts, 6:5, 8; 7:55, 11:24.

hgeto (ago) imperf. pas. "was led" - was being led about. A divine passive. Note that Luke does not further the anomaly found in Matthew where Jesus is led out into the wilderness after having been with the Baptist in the wilderness.

en tw/ pneumati "by the Spirit" - in the Spirit. en followed by the dative = "in", local, or possibly "by means of", instrumental. It is sometimes equivalent to hupo followed by the accusative = "by", but not when following a possessive verb as here. Jesus is not under the Spirit's control, but is rather guided by the Spirit; he is walking in the Spirit.

en th/ erhmw/ "in the desert" - // LXX Deut.8:2. Jesus is led about in (not "to") the wilderness by the Spirit as Israel was led about all those years before.

peirazomenoV (peirazw) pres. pass. part. "was tempted" - being tempted/tested. The participle is verbal, possibly attendant circumstance, "being led .... and being tempted", or possibly adverbial, temporal, "while the devil tempted him", Moffatt. The present tense indicates that the testing is during the 40 days. As with Mark, the testing is during the 40 days as was Israel's testing during the 40 years.

ouk efagen ouden "he ate nothing" - he didn't eat nothing. In this double negative, the first negates the clause and the second the object. Luke could have used words appropriate for fasting here, but has chosen not to. So, Jesus is not fasting? For Luke, Jesus comes eating and drinking.

en taiV hJmeraiV ekeinaiV "during those days" - in those days. Luke uses this Old Testament phrase as a cue to the fulfilment of scripture, cf. Act.2:18. Yet, how does Jesus' not eating fulfill scripture? It is likely that the whole 40 days experience is what fulfills scripture, although God's gift of manna is an act of grace to a grumbling people who have little faith. They ate, Jesus did not.

suntelesqeiswn (suntelew) pas. part. "at the end of [them]" - having been completed. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal; "when they were over he felt hungry", Moffatt.

epeinasen (peinaw) "he was hungry" - The temptation reaches a crescendo when Jesus is affected by hunger pains.

oJ diaboloV "the devil" - Equivalent to the Old Testament satan meaning "adversary", "slanderer". Matthew uses either "satan" or "the tempter."

ei "if" - Introducing a hypothetical conditional clause, 1st class, expressing a supposition which implies nothing as to the fulfilment or otherwise of the condition; "if, for the sake of argument, .... then ....." The verb in the protasis, here the verb to be, is indicative. Of course, Satan knows full well that Jesus is the Son of God.

uJioV tou qeou "Son of God" - Many commentators argue that Satan is using this title as a descriptive of Jesus' filial relationship with the Father, but the term is also used as a messianic title for the Israel of God. It is surely more appropriate for Satan to cast doubts upon God's willing provision for Jesus' journey as the new Israel, in much the same way as he tested the faith of Israel of old as they journeyed from Egypt to the promised land.

iJna + subj. "to [become]" - that [it may become]. Here introducing a dependent statement of entreating/commanding expressing what Jesus should tell the stone, namely "become bread".

artoV (oV) sing. "bread" - loaf. Turn this stone into a loaf of bread. The singular is more appropriate than Matthew's "loaves".

cf. Deut.8:36. For the messiah "there is no need to leave off attending to God to seek for oneself", Nolland. Israel's yearning for the bread of Egypt displayed their little faith, but the new Israel will not go the same way.

oJti "-" - Introducing a direct quote from scripture.

anagagwn (anagw) proV auton "led him up" - having led up, taken up. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal; "then he lifted Jesus up", Moffatt. No mention of a mountain as in Matthew, just the going up. Also, note that Matthew has this as the last test.

en stigmh cronou "in an instant" - in a moment of time. The phrase probably carries the idea of Jesus receiving an instantaneous vision supplied by Satan. Another indication of Satan's power.

thV oikoumenhV "of the world" - inhabited world, but certainly not just the Roman Empire.

thn exousian tauthn aJpasan "all their authority" - all this authority/power. Such power, in Satan's hand, is horrific. We have all witnessed it in war and famine.

thn doxan autwn "their ....... splendor" - the glory of them. The "their" does not have a natural antecedent here, but of course refers to "the kingdoms of the world", v5. oJti "for" - that. Here expressing cause/reason; "because".

emoi paradedotai "it has been given to me" - it has been given to me. What has been given to Satan: the inhabited world, the power and/or the glory of the inhabited world, or all three? Probably both power and the glory, but possibly just the glory (is it all just mirrors with Satan?). In any case, Satan has been given "it" and has the right to give "it" to whomsoever he wills. The kingdom is easily established through an application of the power and glory of this age, and so Jesus is tempted to take the easy path of compromise. Mind you, Satan may be lying!!!!!

oun "so" - therefore. Drawing a logical conclusion.

ean + subj. "if" - Introducing a conditional clause, 3rd. class, a future supposition, where the condition expresses a posibility, "if, as may be the case", ..... then ...." If you do this, these consequences will result.

pasa "all" - everything. "Everything" over which Satan has authority within the creation. Of course, being a liar, Satan would not necessary follow through on the agreement.

proskunhseiV (proskunew) "worship" - you shall worship. Deut.6:13.

hgagen (agw) "led" - brought.

to pterugion (ov) "the highest point" - a little wing. A high part of the temple jutting out from the wall.

ei + ind. "if" - As above, introducing a hypothetical conditional clause, 1st. class.

enteuqen adv. "from here" - From where they were standing and therefore not at Satan's feet. Satan and the Father are the onlookers. The test seems designed to force a divine response for the protection of the messiah and thus, the inauguration of the kingdom outside the divine plan to establish the kingdom through the suffering of the cross.

gar "for" - Expressing cause/reason, "because".

gegraptai (grafw) perf. pas. "it is written" - it has been written. A standard introduction to quote from scripture. oJti "-" - Here serving to introduce a quotation.

peri + gen. "concerning [you]" - about, concerning.

tou diafulaxai (diafulassw) aor. inf. "to guard [you] carefully" - The intended purpose of the genitive article with the infinitive here is unclear. Zerwick suggests that the article is pleonastic, having no particular use / redundant. Luke is fond of the construction and interestingly tou diafulaxai sou is not found in Matthew's gospel account. The infinitive itself forms an object clause after a verb of saying or thinking, ie. it forms a dependent statement of entreating/commanding expressing what God will command his angels to do, namely "guard you carefully."

kai oJti "-" - and that. Serves to identify that verses 10 and 11 of Psalm 90 are being quoted separately to support the case that God protects a godly person. Yet, Jesus knows that the messiah is to be saved through death, not from death.

mhpote + subj. "so that [you will] not [strike]" - lest, that not. An indefinite negation, sometimes expressing a negated purpose, "in order that not ....", as NIV. "Lest you strike your foot against a stone", Bock.

apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "[Jesus answered]" - [Jesus] having answered [said to him]. Attendant circumstance participle, redundant.

eipen (eipon, legw) "it says" - say. An interesting use, given that "it is written" is the usual form of words for a quote.

ouk ekpeiraseiV (ekpeirazw) fut. "do not put ..... to the test" - to test, to try, to put to the test: to try to learn the nature or character of someone or something by submitting such to thorough and extensive testing*. The future possibly functions as an imperative, so NIV. Test God, his capacity/power to act or his willingness to act, Deut.6:16? The people of Israel put God to the test at Massah when they doubted his provision for them, they doubted that he would keep his promise to them, Ex.17:3. Note that the sense is different to the "test" Satan applies to Jesus where he seeks to catch Jesus out, trip him up, tempt him.

suntelesaV (suntelew) aor. part. "when [the devil] had finished" - having finished, completed. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV.

panta peirasmon "all this tempting" - every temptation. Every kind of temptation, all kinds of temptations.

acri kairou "an opportune time" - until a time. Until a suitable time

Luke Introduction

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