Luke 4 is a rich chapter!

Oftimes, the wilderness represents a time of testing. In this chapter, Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil. He had nothing to eat in those forty days. I love the understatement of verse 2. “… he afterward hungered.”

Jesus had just gone through a challenging time for forty days, difficult in every day. The devil came to tempt Him when He was weak and hungry. Yet, how did Jesus respond? With Scripture!

• Luke 4:3-4, “³ And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. ⁴ And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
• Luke 4:5-8, “⁵ And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶ And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. ⁷ If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. ⁸ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
• Luke 4:9-12, “⁹ And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: ¹⁰ For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: ¹¹ And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. ¹² And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Jesus quoted Scripture to fight the devil’s temptations.

As the chapter continues, we also see Jesus showing His power over crowds, demons, and illnesses. He taught people, healed them, and ministered to them.

As we sing the carols and celebrate the holidays, remember that our Jesus is all-powerful! He is more than just a babe in the manger!

Our Jesus is all-powerful! He is more than just a babe in the manger!