Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, January 15, 2023
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Jesus faced temptations that would make his work easier and less painful. But Jesus chose the harder path.
This story of Jesus’ temptation is one of the few that really shows how challenging it was for Jesus to be human. It can be tempting to think Jesus wasn’t really tempted—he was God, after all. But the fact that Jesus really did struggle with these temptations is part of what makes Jesus’ incarnation accessible. To be human is to know temptation.
Let’s take a step back from the supernatural aspect of this story (the devil doesn’t usually show up in horns and a pitchfork to tempt us). Temptation doesn’t always come at us from outside ourselves. Often, the temptation is a struggle we have within ourselves, and the voice of “the devil” is a battle between what the mind wants and what the body wants.
Jesus had fasted for forty days. Of course, he would be famished! He also knew he had the means (supernatural or otherwise) to eat at any time. But the fast was a spiritual practice he had committed to in preparation of his years of ministry. To finish his spiritual journey meant he could handle whatever God and people would throw his way. To eat meant he might not be ready to answer God’s call. By refusing to eat, he overcame temptation and prepared himself for the difficult work ahead.
Next, Jesus was tempted to test God. It would be natural to want to know that God has your back if you’re going headfirst into such a challenging mission. But God doesn’t work like that. You don’t make God prove that God’s got your back. The test of faith is moving forward, even when you can’t prove God’s got you.
Finally, after conquering his physical hunger and accepting his faith, Jesus was ready to handle whatever came his way. He was so ready in fact, he knew that his wisdom, strength, and conviction could take him far. It could probably even take him to the top of the political realm. In fact, he could probably become king and avoid all the suffering that would likely come with the kind of work God had laid out for him. But that was a temptation too far. Jesus knew the work God had for him, and he knew it would be difficult, painful, and thankless. Ultimately, Jesus would resist that final temptation. He would do the harder thing.
