Scripture reading: Luke 3:21-38 NIV

 

Introduction

  • One of the most important teachings of New Testament is that Jesus is simultaneously both fully divine and fully human.
  • Council of Chalcedon 451: “Two Natures without mixture, without change, without division and without separation; the difference of the Natures being in no way removed because of the Union, but rather the properties of each Nature being preserved, and (both) concurring into One Person.”
  • See “Christ Pantocrator (‘Ruler of all’) Sinai” icon: 6th century, St Catherine’s monastery.
  • Why is it vital to our spiritual health that we relate to Jesus as being both God and man?
  • Last week, we considered a text emphasizing his deity. This week, Jesus’ humanity comes into view through his genealogy (3:23-38), and his temptation (4:1-13).

Jesus’ human ancestry: Luke 3:23-38

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph… 31 the son of David… 34 the son of Abraham… 38 the son of Adam, the son of God.”

  • “…about thirty years old” – thirty was the age for priests to begin their ministry (Num 4:3). Also, it was the age of King David when he began to reign (2 Sam 5:4).
  • “…the son of…” – The main purpose of this genealogy was to demonstrate that Jesus was the legitimate heir to David (“Son of David”), to Abraham (“seed of Abraham”), and to Adam (“Son of Man”).
  • The genealogy affirms the supernatural nature of the Incarnation. One of Mary’s ova was miraculously united with a divine gamete, creating the zygote that was both human and divine: Jesus of Nazareth (Lk 1:35).
  • “…the son of God” – Just as Adam has a unique origin, so did Jesus (“begotten”).
  • Why was it necessary for the Savior of humanity to be a man? To be God? Jesus is the one and only One who can mediate the New Covenant (Heb 9:15).
  • Luke’s genealogy is one of two in the Gospels. The other is Matthew 1:1-17. The two genealogies are different:

 

Matthew 1:1-17                                                    Luke 3:23-38

– Descending (Hebrew: begins Abraham)             – Ascending (Greek: begins Joseph)

– Extends to Abraham (national focus)                 – Extends to Adam and God (all)

– 3 groups of 14 (clearly delineated)                     – 11 groups of 7 (not delineated)

– Includes four moms                                            – Includes no moms

– One is his biological (i.e., Mary’s line)?              – One is his legal (i.e. Joseph’s) line?

Jesus’ temptation by Satan: Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

  • “full of the Holy Spirit” – typical Lukan terminology for spiritual men/women (Lk 1:15,41,67; Acts 6:3,5; 7:55; 11:24).
  • “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” –arid desert west of Dead Sea. Why lead him into a place where he is subject to Satanic temptation?
  • “forty days” – See fasts of Moses (Ex 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8). Israel spent forty years in the desert (Josh 5:6), and Jesus was recapitulating Israel’s story.
  • “tempted by the devil” – diabolos, “accuser, slanderer” or Satan, “adversary, accuser”(Rev 12:9-Dragon).
  • Three temptations are described (there may have been more). Three temptations of Eve were described (Gen 3:6) and three of world (1 Jn 2:15-16). Those of Jesus concern the provision of God, the preeminence of God, and the protection of God.
  • First temptation (provision of God):

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

  • “If you are the Son of God…” – Satan questions Jesus’ core identity.
  • “tell this stone to become bread” – provide for yourself apart from God.
  • Jesus’ response: quotes Scripture (Dt 8:3) – there is more to life that just biological existence: trusting friendship with God.
  • Does Satan tempt us to doubt God’s provision and take matters into our hands?
  • Second temptation (preeminence of God):

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

  • “high place” – likely in a vision. Paul transported to “Paradise” (2 Cor 12:1-4) and John to “heaven” (Rev 4:1-2).
  • “it has been given to me” – he usurped Adam and Eve’s authority and became the de facto ruler of world (Jn 12:31; 1 Jn 5:19; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2) under God (Dt 32:4).
  • “I can give it to anyone I want” – probably true to a degree (demonic jurisdictions).
  • “If you worship me” – Satan craves worship (Isa 14:13-14; Ezek 28:13-16; Rev 13).
  • Satan tries to get us to displace God from the preeminent place in our lives (career, family, friends). Violation of the first commandment (Ex 20:3; Dt 6:5).
  • Third temptation (protection of God):

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

  • “highest point of the temple” – probably the southwest corner of the Royal Portico, towering 450 feet above the Kidron Valley. Later Rabbinic tradition said: “When the King, the Messiah reveals himself, he will come and stand on roof of the Temple.”
  • “if you are the Son of God” – another dig at his core identity.
  • “He will command his angels…” – Satan quotes Ps 91:11-12 but intentionally misapplies it for his purposes (see Gen 3:1). Does he do this to us? Do we do it?
  • “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” – Jesus quotes Deut 6:16. God graciously protects us, but we mustn’t act presumptuously.

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

  • “he left him until an opportune time” – Satan “entered” Judas in Luke 22:3-6.