Luke 3:21-4:1-13

Luke takes us in these few verses from a baptism, back through the history of known time to a rather fierce confrontation between good and evil.

To offer a comment would be an endless exercise. So I will mention three observations for you to think about.

1. At the baptism, Jesus and maybe others heard the words, ‘this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased’. There was a wedding, and I was invited to the reception. The time for speeches came, and we listened and tried to pay attention to the endless inappropriate jokes. Then the father of the bride rose from his chair to speak. He walked behind the head table and stood behind his daughter – the bride. His smile covered the room, and when he opened his mouth to speak, his lips quivered and he struggled to regain control. We expected this would be an emotional moment for him, because Bob was not afraid to show his emotions. After a minute or so, he smiled again, put his hands on his daughter’s shoulders and said, ‘this is my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased’. I hope that God looks upon me, and you, and speaks the same words.
2. Genealogies are never very exciting, so this section of chapter 3 of Luke’s Gospel is not well read. In fact, most of us get tired of reading ‘the son of’ and the names become clouded in gibberish after a while. Yet, in the midst of it all is a very pivotal point for Luke and his writings. ‘The son of Obed, the son of Boaz’ provides insight into a central truth of Luke’s message. You see, Obed is the son of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:13-17), and Ruth was a Gentile. Here Luke is explaining the universality of God. Jesus is the God of all people.
3. I once saw the Temptations of Jesus acted by two mimes. The individuals were so convincing that you were caught up in their performance, and you received their message without a word being spoken. Standing on the edge of the desert (wilderness) where Jesus spent His 40 days fasting, I could imagine what it was like to go 40 days without food. Luke describes the obvious when he says after 40 days without food, Jesus was ‘famished’ … so true. Then in that weakened condition is when the evil one or tempter or devil (whatever you prefer) decided to go for broke. We know the outcome, and we need to look at similar situations in our own lives. But we also need to heed the warning in the last sentence. Like Jesus, after we have been weakened by physical deprivation and put through some difficult choices, we may finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and think that we are home free, but we are not. As the last few words remind us, ‘when the devil finished tempting Him in every way, he left Him FOR A WHILE. As they say in the fight game, ‘always keep your guard up’.

Question – If God were to say to you ‘this is my beloved daughter/son in whom I am well pleased’, what would God be pleased about in your life?


Tomorrow's reading: Luke 4:14-44

(Today's post submitted by guest writer, Rev. Hollis Hiscock.)