Luke 4- Andy's thoughts

In the wilderness- I really like this particular phrase. I think that there are seasons of my own life when I have felt like I was in the wilderness. The same phrase is used in the beginning of the Old Testament book of Numbers. In fact, that is the Hebrew title of the book of Numbers; perhaps it is a far more descriptive summary of the contents of that book. I think that Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness is an empathetic fulfillment of Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness.

In the wilderness, Israel was led by God in the form of a pillar of fire and smoke. In the wilderness, Israel moved from captivity to the Promised Land. In the wilderness, Israel was tempted to not trust God. In the wilderness, Israel waited to see the fulfillment of their deliverance. In the wilderness, God was always with them. In the wilderness, Israel did not always see God nor did they always obey God.

In the wilderness, Jesus was led by the Spirit of God. In the wilderness, Jesus moved from his old life as a relatively unknown person to the active teacher and leader in Israel. In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted to not trust God. In the wilderness, God was present. In the wilderness, Jesus saw God and obeyed God.

I think that the life of a disciple involves periods of wilderness wanderings. I am encouraged to read of Jesus’ own time there and I take comfort that being there is not necessarily a sign of failure. It can be a time of temptation and trial but it can also be a time to see God as we make transitions in life. I take comfort in knowing that God is with us in the wilderness. Jesus is Immanuel- “God is with us” even in the wilderness.

It occurs to me how much of an active role the Holy Spirit plays in the life and ministry of Jesus. I think that part of the Spirit’s role in our own lives involves guiding us through the wilderness. I like that after his time in the wilderness, Jesus is described as being filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. As a teacher I know that the purpose of a good test is for the student to learn. As Jesus passed through his temptation, he was filled with power. I suppose that is part of what James means when he writes that we should consider it all joy when we face trials of many kinds because trials produce endurance and the perfecting of our faith.

Timing- So much of this chapter has a subtle undercurrent of timing. Satan tempts Jesus to eat but it was not time for Jesus to eat. Satan tempts Jesus to reveal his authority over all the world but it was not time for Jesus to do that. Satan tempts Jesus to reveal his unique relationship with the Father but it was not time for Jesus to do that either. The result of this time in the wilderness gave Jesus the experience of trusting in the Father’s timing.

The rest of the chapter reveals the fruit of that lesson. When Jesus teaches in the synagogue, he reveals that the time of the Lord’s favor had come. This should have been a cause for celebration and it was, briefly. The rest of the story shows that the Israelites were not yet ready to fully accept what this meant- namely that the Lord’s favor would also extend to the non-Israelites. Timing. Jesus does not reveal everything about himself to the Israelites just yet because it was not yet time.

The Israelites respond by trying to execute Jesus but he does not lay down his life just yet because it was not yet his time. Evil spirits recognize Jesus as the Son of God but he does not allow them to speak because it was not yet time for everyone to know that truth. They weren’t ready to hear it. Jesus had to prepare them for it.

For me, in this 21st century culture, it is not easy to accept that there is a timing to God’s plan. I expect things to happen instantaneously. It is not easy to wait on God. I think that is so much of the fruit of our time in the wilderness. Time there forces us to wait patiently on God’s timing instead of our own.

The Lord’s favor- As I commented in the post about chapter 2, there are so many rituals and sacrifices that people perform as a means of securing the Lord’s favor. I think that it is intrinsically human to want to make bargains with God in order to get what we want or to escape that which we don’t. Isn’t that stage 2 of the 5 stages of acceptance? We want so desperately to control our future that we plead with God in an effort to find His favor. Countless religions and self-help gurus are built upon this premise. But with Jesus, it is all different.

With Jesus we can experience the Lord’s favor without making our own rituals or sacrifices. Jesus has secured the Lord’s favor for us by sacrificing himself. I like the response of the people to Jesus’ reading of Isaiah. They were amazed at his words of grace. The Greek reads something like “the sayings of the grace.” What was the grace that Jesus was saying? He was not just reading a random passage from a random prophet. He was testifying that the Holy Spirit was upon him and that there was good news for the captive and the oppressed.

The Israelites viewed themselves as a captive nation. They had been so ever since the Assyrians conquered the Northern Tribes in the 700’s B.C. and the Babylonians conquered the rest of the Southern Tribes in the 500’s B.C. They had been then captive to the Medes and the Persians and now the Romans. They wanted to be free again and Jesus was telling them that in that very day, the time of the Lord’s favor had come and that freedom was theirs. That is some great news.
But yet there was that element of timing. The freedom was not one of political autonomy. The victory would not be one of military conquest. And the extent of the Lord’s favor would not be limited solely to the Israelites. I believe that the Scriptures teach us that there will come a time when there will never again be political domination and oppression of one person over another but now is not that time.

From his time in the wilderness, Jesus recognized that there was a time to proclaim the Lord’s favor. And that favor, that grace, was for all the nations- captive and captor. As a sign of this, Jesus freed those who were captive to evil spirits and to diseases. And those who were freed responded by serving Jesus. I believe that it is our responsibility as disciples to recognize all 3 of these elements of Jesus’ life and teachings- how to see God in the wilderness, how to trust in His timing, and how to accept and proclaim the Lord’s favor.

As I write these comments, I’m not really sure if they are what Steve had intended. For me, they are becoming a kind of running commentary of things that are going through my head as I read Luke. I hope they are helpful and not pedantic.

-Andy Newberry