“When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” Luke 4:13 NLT
He’ll be back! That what he does. Luke tells us straight out that Jesus was tempted and who was doing the tempting. And Luke calls the tempter by one of his character descriptions.
The word tempted is interesting enough. The word means to test or to try, but it comes from a word that means, poke, pierce or pick at to literally see what’s on the other side. It’s a test to examine and prove.
The other interesting word is the word Luke uses to give Satan a character title, diabolos – the slanderer, the false accuser, the one who brings a constant barrage of charges to bring someone down – diabállō – properly, “to throw across (back and forth), “either with rocks or words with slander, gossip, the word implies malice even if the thing said is true. He’s a slander-slinger and never stops harassing the work of God, humans created in God’s image and here in Luke 4, even God himself.
Here the slinger uses the word “if” in every volley. Ever the sly, he beckons to question and cause doubt or he spins a selfish, preferred future that is hinged on a simple act of worship to himself.
Ah, deals with the Devil, same pitch, same results. But oh how sad that he snares and snags so many by poking and prodding until he finds a weakness. Then he sets the hook and owns your soul. Creepy huh?
He didn’t own Jesus that day, however, Luke leaves us with a cliff hanger so to speak. Luke says, “until next time…” Oh no, he’ll be back! Where, when and how did the slinger tempt Jesus again?
PRAYER:
Dad,
This stuff gives me the creeps! Not only the insidious methods, but the fact that they work on us. Part of me is rattled at how effective the temptations can be, the other part is embarrassed and angry that I fall for them. The temptations are so consistent and even though I see the patterns of how and what is happening, there is still the desire to grab the bait, knowing there’s a shiny hook waiting. It’s not even that the slinger is so good at it, it’s that I am so weak in thinking “this time” would be different. It sure makes me ache for that day of perfection when neither the lie nor the ill-desire will have an effect on me.