Jesus' Temptations: Patience

Continuing to look at the temptations of Jesus in Luke 4, we see the second temptation as Luke recorded it was an offer from Satan for all the kingdoms of the world, if Jesus would worship him.  At first, that sounds a little hollow -- didn't Satan know who he was talking to?  That would be like trying to offer Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, a chance to throw the ball around a little with the Rockies if he would resign his position. C'mon, are you serious?  But apparently the devil was.  “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please.  I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

Jesus didn't dispute Satan's claim to rulership of the world, but he didn't agree either.  He didn't try to argue about who was in charge, or even assert his divine authority (as the Son of God) over Satan.  He simply bypassed the claim and responded by quoting Deut. 6:16 “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” 


Jesus had perfect faith in the Father.  His loyalty was not wishy-washy.  He kept his focus on his mission, relying completely on the Father's plan.  Luke records the risen Lord saying in 24:26 “Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”  He knew that his calling required his death, and there was no shortcut.  And by rejecting Satan in all these temptations, he responded as the perfect human, the obedient second Adam (Rom. 5:12-19).  

So what lessons could we gain from this temptation?  First, of course, to have faith in God.  (Our faith isn't perfect, of course; it wavers and is stronger some days than others.  But Jesus' faith was perfect, and we can trust in the Father through him; we don't have to worry if we will succeed, since we know he succeeded!) Second, to be patient, which means knowing we are with Jesus on a journey of faith leading to maturity -- it can't be hurried but has to be taken one step at a time.  And maybe, for the Bonus Round, recognizing that Jesus wasn't worried about being in charge, so maybe we shouldn't either.  

Are you being tempted, or feeling impatient?  Maybe it's time to stop and reflect on the perfect response of Jesus:  to worship and serve only God, and rest secure in the knowledge that God has the future worked out.