Temptation: Read Luke 4:1-13
Contemplation
Now Jesus is alone in the wild. He hasn’t eaten in weeks and he’s starving and woozy from lack of food and proper drink. He can’t feel the joy of living in God anymore. Suddenly, through his pain and confusion, there’s a sense of nastiness and danger. “Go on, what’s stopping you from eating, Son of God! You can make anything into food, can’t you, if you are so powerful.” Jesus knows the voice of evil. Quietly he tells it there are more important things than food.
Next, through his tiredness and confusion, he feels as though he sees the whole world. “I can make you in charge of all this, Oh God king!” Jesus answers back, “There is only one true king over everyone – and it is God, not you!” Suddenly, he feels as though he is standing on the Temple roof in Jerusalem, looking down on the courtyard where he walked when he spoke to the teachers long ago. “If you throw yourself off the roof, you will be fine, won’t you?” Jesus is not taking the bait. “Don’t tempt God,” he says. Suddenly, the evil presence lifts, the warmth of the Spirit returns and he is able to slowly start the walk home.
Talk to Jesus. What is he going through?
When do I feel alone and what do I feel?
What sort of things do I want but that aren’t what God wants for me?
How do I deal with them?