Luke 4: 1-13 I propose a biblical analysis with the following steps: a study of each Greek word of the gospel passage, followed by an analysis of the structure of the narrative and its context, to which is added a comparison of parallel or similar passages. At the end of this analysis and as a conclusion, I propose to summarize what the evangelist meant, and I end up with some suggestions on how this Gospel could shed light on our current situation.
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full of holy spirit |
Jesus is inhabited by the Spirit since his baptism, Luke tells us. This baptism was a crucial moment in his life, a moment when he discovered his mission and which would reorient his life. From then on, the Spirit will accompany him throughout his mission until his last breath on the cross, when he will let go his spirit.
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returned from the Jordan |
We can understand his need to isolate himself in order to take stock: when one experiences a shock that disrupts one's life, one needs to find oneself and digest what has just happened. During his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul of Tarsus experienced the same need to isolate himself by going to Arabia (see Gal 1: 17). The desert or wilderness represents this isolated place. Let us not imagine the dunes of the Sahara, for the desert of Palestine is rather rocky and arid. Since the baptism took place in the Jordan Valley, we do not have to go far to find the wilderness: we need only go further south to the Dead Sea Valley.
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wilderness |
The wilderness also represents an important symbolism for Israel. When Luke has Stephen tell the story of the Jewish people in his Acts of the Apostles (7:2-53), the wilderness is the place of the burning bush where Moses meets Yahweh in the flame and is sent on his mission. It is in the wilderness that Sinai is found where Moses receives the words of life (Acts 7:38). It was in the wilderness that the people walked for 40 years and gave in to the temptation of idolatry (Acts 7:41), while carrying the Tent of the Testimony. In this context, through his stay in the wilderness, Jesus relives the history of his people.
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v. 2 to undergo for forty days the trial of the adverse desires, and he remained fasting all this time, so that in the end he was hungry.
Literally: forty days being tested by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days and having been completed he got hungry. |
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We know that the number 40 is highly symbolic. In the Bible, forty years is the length of a lifetime. Around this will be grafted different related meanings: the time of the stay of the Jewish people in the desert (the time of a life) or of the life of Moses (Acts 7, 23) and here, the time of fasting and temptation. We understand that the emphasis is on a long period of time that symbolizes the length of a lifetime.
Luke does not tell us anything specific about this period. But translating "devil" as "adverse desires to his mission" as we do (see explanation of this translation), one can imagine the temptation to return to his hometown and continue to ply his trade as a carpenter as he had been doing up to that point, and probably experience a normal life like any good Jew of the time. In fact, what is wrong with maintaining the status quo? Why should one have to go through an abrupt breakup and be playing the hero? Really, only one thing is mandatory, to be true to oneself and one inner callings. Luke speaks of 40 days of fasting. There is something implausible about extending the period of fasting to 40 days, but Luke is probably referring to a period of intense reflection when Jesus must make a decision that will guide the rest of his life. |
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v. 3 One of the adverse desire said, "If God is with you, order this stone to become bread.
Literally: Then, said to him the devil, if son you are of the God, say to this stone so that it would become bread. |
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How is the desire to eat a temptation when you are hungry? Here the temptation is not in the desire to satisfy one's hunger, but in the way of doing so. The human way of doing it is to rely on others, like those who can make bread and exchange it for something our hands can make. The temptation is to look for a way where we have complete control over the making of bread, or where we don't even need bread, both of which would be God's order. So the question comes down to this: do you want to be human or divine?
Asking for bread is quite legitimate since it is part of the prayer that Jesus left us: "Give us each day our daily bread". And the breaking of the bread is at the heart of Christian symbolism: "Taking bread, he gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, given for you; do this in memory of me.'" The temptation is to get the bread without going through the sharing. |
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v. 4 Jesus replied, "It is written in the Bible, 'The person must not live by bread alone'."
Literally: And answered towards him the Jesus, it has been written that not on bread alone shall live the man. |
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Jesus' answer refers us to the experience of the Jewish people in the desert. Here we have a reference to Deuteronomy 8:3: "He (Yahweh) humbled you, he made you hungry, he gave you to eat manna that neither you nor your fathers had known, to show you that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that comes from the mouth of Yahweh." In other words, the Jewish people did not have to worry about bread in the wilderness, because Yahweh saw to that by giving them manna. What was important was to remain faithful to Yahweh and his word.
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v. 5 Lifting him up to see at a glance all the kingdoms of the universe,
Literally: And having led up him, he showed him all the kingdoms of the universe in a moment of time |
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v. 6 another adverse desire says to him, "I will give you all this power and the fame that comes with it, because I control all this and I can dole it out according to my pleasure.
Literally: and said to him the devil, to you I will give all this authority and the glory of them, for to me it has been delivered, and to whom if I would wish I give it. |
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v. 7 And if you become my slave, all these kingdoms are yours".
Literally: Therefore, you, if you would kneel before me, will be yours all. |
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We are faced with political power. Luke has a negative view of this power by affirming that it is in the hands of the forces of evil: God would have accepted that in this world this power could rule and ensure its succession. It seems that this could have been an option for Jesus: to enter into the logic of power. With his ability to attract crowds, we can imagine that Jesus could have carved out a small kingdom of people that he could control at will like a guru. And when we look at the politicians of this world and their incessant effort to maintain power, we understand the extent of the temptation.
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v. 8 Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written in the Bible, 'You shall make obeisance to the Lord your God, and you will cleave to him only.'"
Literally: And having answered the Jesus, he said to him, it has been written you will kneel down (before) Lord the God of you and him alone you shall worship, |
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Jesus' answer refers us again to the experience of the Jewish people in the desert. Here we have a reference to Deuteronomy 6:13: "It is Yahweh your God whom you shall fear, him whom you shall serve, by his name you shall swear." Let's recall the context. Yahweh has communicated to Moses his ten words, i.e. the laws and customs that He asks the people to put into practice. By accepting these laws, the people will live long and inherit land, houses and wells that will be given to them as gifts. In return, the people must cling to Yahweh with all their being and have no other absolute than Him. This implies that what must guide their lives must take its source in this word received at Sinai. For Jesus, the dilemma becomes this: what is the source of authority, oneself or God? The dictator answers: myself. Jesus answers: God. Of course, it can be a sham to claim authority from God. Without entering into this discussion, suffice it to say that putting oneself under God's authority implies the search for an answer that is not tied to one's own interests, that is not immediate but requires a lot of reflection, and often comes through others.
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v. 9 Another adverse desire then takes him to Jerusalem, standing on the top of the Temple, and says to him, "If God is with you, throw yourself down.
Literally: Then, he led him into Jerusalem and stood upon the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, if son you are of the God, throw yourself from here down, |
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v. 10 For it is written in the Bible, He will charge his messengers to protect you,
Literally: for it has been written, to the angels of him he will give orders concerning you to take care of you, |
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v. 11 and even: They will lift you up with their hands to prevent your foot from hitting a stone".
Literally: and upon hands they will take up you, lest you would ever stumble towards stone. |
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What temptation is it exactly? It is about the prospect of death. Throwing oneself down from a high place means certain death. One might ask why one has to go to Jerusalem and, more precisely, to the top of the Temple to find a high place to throw oneself from. It must be that the temple of Jerusalem, with its high walls, was a great source of inspiration and must have made one dizzy at times. This temptation is subtle, because it is based on the Bible, more particularly on Psalm 91, vv. 10-12, which says: "Woe shall not come upon thee, nor shall the plague approach thy tent: he hath given his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. On their hands they will carry you so that your foot will not stumble on the stone." In other words, a protégé of God has nothing to fear, for God will see to it that nothing happens to him. There was something similar in the racing driver Ayrton Senna who said he had nothing to fear and felt protected by God, because he prayed regularly. You probably know the rest. He died tragically in an accident during a car race.
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v. 12 But Jesus answered him, "The Bible says, Thou shalt not restrain the Lord thy God by forcing him to reveal his presence."
Literally: And having answered he said to him the Jesus that it has been said, you shall not test Lord the God of you. |
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Jesus' answer again refers us to the experience of the Jewish people in the desert and is a citation from Deuteronomy 6:16: "You shall not put Yahweh your God to the test, as you put him to the test in Massah." Let us remember that in the wilderness the people complained to Moses about not having water to drink and blamed him for dragging them out of Egypt to experience misery, and thus questioned God's protection and support of them, which forced Yahweh to tell Moses to take the same stick used to strike the river when they came out of Egypt to bring water out of a rock. This place was later known as Massah and Meribah. The reproach of the Bible to the people is that of doubting the active and benevolent presence of God, and thus of forcing him to act as we want, and not as he wants. Two different wills are then confronting each other. Jesus' intention is clear and we hear it clearly in Gethsemane: "Not my will but yours be done". Jesus' answer means this: we cannot act without worrying about God's will, hoping to draw him into our path.
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v. 13 After exhausting the ordeals' list, the adverse desires became more discreet before coming back at the right time.
Literally: And having completed all tests, the devil departed from him until the (right) time. |
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The point is that Jesus was confronted with agonizing choices all his life. Of course, a list of temptations is presented at the beginning of his mission, but these temptations will never really leave him. Luke is simply saying that Jesus will also have to make heartbreaking choices when he faces death. By grouping these temptations together as Jesus ponders his future, Luke is shedding light on his entire ministry.
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-André Gilbert, Gatineau, February 2013 |