In this part of Luke’s account of the ministry of Jesus, Jesus is already full of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Spirit-filled messenger of God. The Holy Spirit is already active in the world (even before Pentecost!). The Holy Spirit had already filled Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:22). The Spirit of God arrives in Jesus of Nazareth and so the great spiritual struggle with evil must begin. Therefore, at the impulse of the Holy Spirit, Jesus goes into the deserted place where the embodiment of evil resides (4:1-2). It is a cosmic struggle for authority and power over humankind. However, the episode ends with Jesus, the Messiah, in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, having resisted the great temptations of the devil. What does this mean for us today?

Life in the power of the Holy Spirit will:

1.. impel us to go into hard places to confront evil, 2.. help us overcome hardships, even those as terrible as starvation (4:4), 3.. help us resist the temptations of greed and worldly power (4:7), 4.. help us to be humble and to radically trust God (4:12), 5.. enable us to have hope and fortitude because evil does not have authority over those who have a spirit-filled relationship with Jesus (4:13).

Blessings,

KIM THODAY

HEWETT COMMUNITY CHURCH OF CHRIST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA