Luke 4:1-13: Refusing the Devil's Bargain

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 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.

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

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

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 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. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

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

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

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

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1-13

Are you driven by what you need? Are you driven by what you control? Are you driven by who you think you are to other people? Then, the devil has a deal for you.  And if we are honest, we would probably say that we have probably raised our hand for one of these "deals" at some time in our life. Why? Because we are needy people in a world that is uncertain and we aren't sure that we're worth anyone's regard. It is true. We are needy, the world is out of control and we can't tell how anyone really feels about us. So we accept the hand out from the devil, whether grudgingly or gladly.

But Jesus knew that the devil is a terrible "lord" So he didn't take the deal. And when, after refusing the deal, the devil revisited him "at an opportune time" he was killed and lived again, he offers a hand out to all us who have been willingly suckered into the devil's deal and fallen. Because Jesus is a good "lord"--the kind I want to serve because I believe he is good.