CHRIST TEMPTED BY SATAN An explanation by Saint Theophylact

CHRIST TEMPTED BY SATAN

From an explanation by Saint Theophylact

Saint Luke 4:1-15 King James Version (KJV)

4 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

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.

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.

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.

13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.



15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

The Lord was baptized, that he might sanctify the waters for the sake of us who would enjoy this gift of grace. After He was baptized, He was led by the Spirit to a desert mountain. For it was the Holy Spirit who was leading him up for the contest with the devil. They go away into the desert, to give the devil an opportunity to attack Him, for it is especially when we are alone that the devil attacks us. He fasted for 40 days, not exceeding the extent of Moses and Elijah's fasting, so as not to give Satan immediate cause to suspect that the Lord was greater than Moses and Elijah, but instead to encourage Satan to attack, thinking that He was only a man. The Lord also fasted for 40 days so that we would not think that he took flesh and appearance only. 

He is tempted after his baptism, showing us that after our baptism temptations await us. He fasted to teach us that fasting is a great weapon against temptations, and that after baptism we too should fast and stop gormandizing. The enemy first assaults Him with a temptation of gluttony, as he did also Adam. Then he tempted the Lord with the love of riches, showing Him all the kingdoms of the world. How did he show them? Some say that he suggested the kingdoms to Him and his thoughts; but I think that the devil did not suggest Him to his thoughts but to His senses making them to appear as a phantasm; but the Lord would not fantasize. Thirdly the devil assaults Him with vain glory, "If thou be the son of God, he says, cast thyself done from hence." He flatters him, while suggesting such nonsense, hoping that the Lord might be deceived by flattery, and will want to show that He was the Son of God by throwing himself down. In this way the devil would discover who Christ really was. See how the Lord repels the devil with the words of scripture, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." For men ought not to throw himself into clear danger, testing to see if God will help them. Notice also what great benefit is to know the scriptures. Even the Lord himself repelled Satan by means of scriptures the words man shall not live by bread alone are from the books of Moses and was spoken in reference to the manna sent from heaven. For manna was not bread, yet it miraculously fed the people. And the words thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God are also from the books of Moses.