Luke 4

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.

! If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too.

If you can wait to not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

or being hated, don't give way to hating, and yet don't look too good nor talk too wise.

If you can dream and not make dreams your master, if you can think and not make thoughts your aim,

if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same,

if you can bear to hear the truth you have spoken, twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, and stoop and build them up with worn out tools,

if you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it all on one turn of pitch and toss,

and lose and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss,

if you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone,

and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says to them, hold on.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, if all men count with you but none too much,

if you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run,

yours is the earth and everything in it, and which is more, you'll be a man, my son.

So reads Rudyard Kipling's famous poem, If, penned in 1895.

It's quite a moving poem, isn't it?

The words of a father to a son as he presents his son with the various challenges of life

and exhorts him to face them with courage and wisdom, humility and valour.

The whole poem turns on that one word, if, if, if, if.

It's how the father begins nearly every other line,

as he entertains the possibility that his son might just be able to grow up and perform well.

And if he does, well, yours is the earth and everything in it.

And what's more, you'll be a man, my son.

I wonder if you see the worldview behind Kipling's poem.

It's the worldview of Greek stoicism, the stiff upper lip in the face of life's trials.

It's the worldview of secular humanism, the self trusting itself and exerting itself to achieve mature manhood.

That one phrase is heard throughout,

if you can, if you can, if you can.

And modern humanism chants in the background to the young man,

yes, you can, yes, you can, yes, you can.

But do you see the problem?

If what we saw this morning is true,

then the solution to the problems that plague our humanity do not lie within ourselves.

That's the false gospel of humanism.

The solution to our problems lie outside ourselves in the person of Jesus Christ, the proper man.

The good news of Christianity hangs on the shoulders of the person of Jesus Christ.

And one of the best insights into his humanity are his temptations.

When he faced the hardest tests of his life,

when he faced the biggest challenge of his life,

a fight with the devil himself.

But if we want to understand Jesus' temptations properly,

then we must understand them in the whole context of the Bible.

When Jesus faces the devil here in the wilderness,

there are two shadowy figures from the Old Testament looking on.

To put it in more theatrical terms,

the drama of Jesus versus the devil unfolds on the front stage

with two figures painted into the backdrop of that stage.

In the narrative, Jesus is front stage.

If you look with me at chapter 3, verse 21 and 22,

we'll see that Jesus is front stage.

Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,

the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven,

You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.

So Jesus is affirmed as God's Son, that's obvious enough.

But now look at chapter 3, verse 23.

Jesus, when he began the ministry, was about 30 years of age,

being the son, as was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli.

And then it gives the genealogy of Jesus.

Just glance all the way down there, and you come all the way down to verse 38.

The son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam,

the son of God.

This genealogy is not actually needed.

If you read from verse 22,

it flows perfectly right into chapter 4, verse 1.

You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.

Chapter 4, verse 1.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

There is no need to put the genealogy in here.

So the question is, why does Luke put it here?

Why not put it at the beginning of his gospel, as Matthew does?

Or in the birth narrative in chapter 2?

Why place it here, when he has just been baptized,

and he is about to head into the wilderness?

Well, look how it ends.

The son of Adam, the son of God.

Luke wants us to read this story of Jesus' temptations

with Adam in the background.

Adam is a son of God.

And Luke wants us to watch Jesus' temptations

unfold on the front stage,

with the shadow of Adam on the backstage.

Adam, the son of God, forms the backdrop to this drama.

But there's a shadow of another son in the background as well.

I wonder if you spotted him.

Chapter 4, verse 1 and 2.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness

for forty days, being tempted by the devil.

And he ate nothing during those days.

And when they were over, he was hungry.

Who's the other son?

Well, what do forty days in the wilderness,

being led by God, remind you of?

It's Israel in the desert for forty years,

being led by God.

And in Exodus chapter 4,

Exodus 4 · chapter mention

Israel is called God's son.

Moses goes to Pharaoh and says,

God says, let my son go,

that he might worship me.

Israel is a son of God.

And Luke has given us the location,

wilderness, and the timing,

forty days of Jesus' temptation,

so that we watch this drama unfold

with the shadow of Israel in the backdrop.

So that's the drama we're watching on stage.

It's not one son and the devil.

It's three sons and the devil.

Adam, the son of God.

Israel, son of God.

And Jesus, son of God.

In 1975, my parents gave birth.

No, sorry, they both didn't give birth.

They were given a son.

My mother gave birth.

And as they held their first son in their arms

in those early days,

they were, I'm sure, saying to themselves,

what kind of son will he be?

Will he be an extrovert or an introvert?

Will he be studious or sporty?

And then in July 1977, I was born.

And I'm sure they looked at me and said,

what kind of a son will he be?

Will he be like the first son that we had?

Or will he be different?

And then in November 1980,

they had another son.

I'm sure they looked at him and said,

what kind of son will he be?

Will he be like the first one?

Or like the second one?

Or will he be different?

It's what parents do, don't they?

They compare their children.

This one's quiet.

This one's loud.

This one's chilled.

Comparisons go on all the time.

And it's the same as you read the Bible's storyline.

It's a story of three sons.

Adam, son of God.

Israel, son of God.

Jesus, son of God.

And each time you meet each of the sons,

you're asking yourself the question,

what kind of a son is he?

And in the case of Israel and Jesus,

we say,

will he be like the first son?

Well, we saw this morning

that Adam was a disobedient son.

He chose to disobey his father's law

and as a result, he was punished.

He chose to worship a creature, the serpent,

instead of the creator, God his father.

In a garden paradise,

the first son of God failed

and received God's penalty of punishment

and was removed from the garden.

And it's the same with God's second son, Israel.

At Sinai and in the wilderness,

Israel proved to be a disobedient son.

He was given food by God in the wilderness.

Note the same theme of food.

Both sons of God are given food.

And yet he complained.

And when God gave his law to his son,

within days his son had broken the law

by worshipping a creature,

the golden calf,

instead of his father.

So God's first son, Adam,

disobeyed and was punished.

And God's second son, Israel,

disobeyed and was punished.

And now here is Jesus,

God's son,

and he's outside a garden paradise,

in a desert,

being tempted by the devil.

And the question is,

what kind of a son

is he going to be?

Now God,

we've seen in chapter 3, verse 22,

tells us what kind of a son he is.

This is my beloved son.

With him,

I am well pleased.

But while the father may think

he is special and good,

he hasn't really been tested yet,

has he?

It's one thing to affirm something

about your son,

it's quite another to see the evidence.

Parents do this all the time.

We talk up our children

in ways that are exaggerated

and less to do with reality.

There's often more pretense

behind what we say about our children

than there is performance.

Well, God the father

doesn't want to just to be seen,

to talk up his son.

He also wants his son

to prove himself to us.

Did you notice the double reference

to the spirit in verses 1 and 2?

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,

was led by the spirit

into the wilderness.

The devil is not the prime agent here.

He is an intermediary agent

in the temptations.

Yes, he is the prime agent

who brings the temptations

because God cannot

and does not tempt.

And yet the whole scenario

is set up by God.

Jesus is led,

not by the serpent,

not by Satan,

into the wilderness.

He's led by the spirit

into the wilderness.

This is a test from God.

Just as Adam was tested

in the garden

to see what was in his heart,

and just as Israel

was tested in the wilderness

to see what was in his heart,

so God tests Jesus

outside a garden,

in a wilderness,

to see what is in his heart.

God tested each of his three sons

to see what controlled

their wills,

to see if they loved him

with heart and soul

and mind and strength.

And in this passage,

Luke shows us

that Jesus does indeed

live up to God's affirmation

in chapter 3.

He shows us this in four ways,

three in this story

and one at the end

of the gospel

that we'll look at.

Number one,

Luke presents Jesus as,

first,

a son who depends

on God wholly.

A son who depends

on God wholly.

Chapter 4,

verse 2 to 4.

He was being tempted

for 40 days

by the devil

and he ate nothing

during those days

and when they were over

he was hungry.

The devil said to him,

If you are the son of God,

command this stone

to become bread.

And Jesus answered him,

It is written,

Man shall not live

by bread alone.

Now Jesus wasn't

Clark Kent.

He wasn't Superman,

that person who appeared

to be like a man

but we know

that he wasn't a man.

Jesus' humanity

was not a foil

for who he really was.

He was God

but he wasn't really

a human being.

That kind of teaching

is what's called

docetism

from the Greek word

docetio

to think,

to seem.

It was an early church heresy.

The idea was that

Jesus was God,

yes,

but he wasn't really a man.

He just seemed

to be a man

in people's eyes.

But we must get rid

of any docetism in us.

Jesus

was truly God

and truly man.

And

he was starving

for 40 days,

hungry,

fasted for 40 days

and at the end

he was quite literally

starving.

Verse 3.

He was hungry.

And the devil says to him,

If you are the son of man,

command this stone

to become bread.

There's the temptation.

He has not eaten

for 40 days.

Now the word

if

can be a little bit

misleading.

It's not a statement

of doubt.

Satan knows exactly

who Jesus is.

That's why he's

tempting him.

It's really

translated,

or better translated,

since,

since,

if it is true,

you are the son of God,

then,

turn stones

into bread.

Satan's not doubting

Jesus' sonship.

He's assuming it

and asking him

to prove it.

Now what could

possibly be wrong

for Jesus

to have a wee nibble

on a bit of granite

come whole wheat

bread?

I mean,

later in the gospel,

doesn't he feed

5,000 people

by multiplying

bread?

So I mean,

come on Jesus,

treat yourself

the wee bit

of granite loaf.

What could be

possibly wrong

with that?

You will use

your power

to feed others.

Why not use your power

to feed yourself?

So the question is,

what is wrong

with turning stones

into bread?

I mean,

come on.

He turns water

into wine?

Well,

it's this.

Satan

is tempting

Jesus to act

independently

of his father

and to provide

for himself

independently

from his father.

Do as you please

when you please.

Are you hungry,

Jesus?

Have some

lime rock

come loaf.

It's a test

of dependence

on God

versus

independence

from God.

Satan challenges

him to prove

his sonship

through independent

thinking

and acting.

For Jesus

to turn stones

into bread,

he would have

to act

independently

from God

instead of

being dependent

on God,

waiting for

his father's

provision.

salvation.

It's exactly

what Adam

was tested

with in the

garden.

He was tested

with a fast

just as Jesus

is tested

with a fast.

That was the

sin of Adam.

God gave him

every tree

to eat from

except one.

God showed

himself to Adam

to be

a God

of abundant

provision

for his creatures.

you can eat

from any

tree

except one.

But Adam

chose to live

not dependent

on God

and on his

provision

but independent

on his own

provision,

the forbidden

fruit.

And in so doing

he made God

look like a

scrooge.

He made God

look tight

and stingy.

That was the

sin of Israel

in the desert,

wasn't it?

Also,

God provided

daily manna

every day

and yet by

grumbling

and complaining

about the

food,

they refused

to live

dependently

on God's

provision.

Israel even

contemplated

returning to

Egypt to

live in their

own provisions.

Their grumbling

was an expression

of not living

dependently

on God.

They made

God look

tight and

stingy as if

he didn't

provide for

his son.

And in each

case the devil

was saying to

Adam and

Israel,

and now to

Jesus,

God's tight.

He doesn't

have your best

interests at

heart.

He doesn't

provide for

his sons.

Act

independently.

Take the

fruit.

Provide for

yourself.

Eat the

fruit.

Return to

Egypt where

we sat

around fires

and what

do they

say?

We ate

lamb from

the pots.

It's all

about food.

It's all

about provision.

Will God

provide for

me or

not?

Well,

Jesus'

response

reveals that

this temptation

is all

about trustful

dependence on

God.

Verse 4,

And Jesus

answered,

It is

written,

Man shall

not live

by bread

alone.

Man shall

not be

dependent

on bread

alone.

The quote

is from

the Old

Testament.

Now,

when there

are quotes

of the Old

Testament and

the New

Testament,

you've got

to,

here's another

picture for

your mind,

you've got to

think of an

iceberg.

Okay?

What do you

see in the

sea when you

see an iceberg?

Well,

you see the

tip of it

coming up

over the

sea,

but what's

underneath?

They say at

least two

thirds or

more is

underneath the

surface.

And Old

Testament quotes

in the New

Testament are a

bit like the

icebergs.

The bit

that's quoted

is the bit

above the

surface.

But there's a

whole bit

below the

surface that

sort of

comes with

it.

That is,

they might

quote a

line from

the Old

Testament,

but actually

what comes

with it is

the whole

chapter,

okay,

or the rest

of the

verse.

And that's

what's going

on here.

All Jesus

says is,

you man

shall not

live by

bread alone.

But we

know if you

go to

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8:3

chapter 8

verse 3,

it goes on

to say,

but on

every word

that comes

from the

mouth of

God.

And by

quoting just

that section,

Jesus means

the whole

thing.

In other

words,

human life

does not

consist in

simple

dependence on

food,

but in

total

dependence on

God's

word.

If you want

to be a

human being,

this weekend,

you can eat

your food

next door,

but you have

not exhibited

true humanity,

if that's all

you do.

true humanity

is exhibited

in total

dependence

on God's

word.

Adam

chose to

act

independently

of God.

He took

the forbidden

fruit.

Israel acted

independently

of God.

They grumbled

about the

given food,

but not so

this son.

He's different.

Here is a

son who

depends on

God

wholly.

Number two,

a son who

worships God

only.

A son who

worships God

only.

Verses five

to eight.

And the devil

took Jesus

up and showed

him all the

kingdoms of

the world

in a moment

of time and

said to him,

to you I

will give

all this

authority

and their

glory,

for it has

been delivered

to me,

and I will

give it to

whom I will.

If you

then will

worship me,

it will

all be

yours.

And Jesus

answered him,

it is written,

you shall

worship the

Lord your

God and

serve him

only.

The temptation

is a simple

one.

In order to

receive all

the kingdoms

of the world,

Jesus must

worship Satan.

There are

echoes in

verse six

of Psalm

chapter two

verse eight

and Daniel

chapter seven

verse fourteen.

In verse six

the word

giving

and I

will give

to you

all the

kingdoms.

Psalm two

verse eight

ask me

and I

will give

you the

nations

as your

inheritance.

And the

reference to

authority

in verse six

reflects Daniel

seven

verse fourteen.

I saw in the

night visions

and behold

with the clouds

of heaven

there came

one like a

son of man

and he came

to the

ancient of

days and

was presented

before him

and to him

was given

authority

and glory

and a

kingdom that

all peoples

nations and

languages should

serve him.

His authority

is an everlasting

authority which

shall not pass

away.

His kingdom

one that

shall not be

destroyed.

So think

about it.

Psalm two

verse eight

Daniel seven

verse fourteen

made clear that

the kingdoms

of the world

would be

given to

God's son.

It was just

a matter of

how he was

going to

get them.

Would he

take the

shortcut here

by worshipping

Satan and

receive all the

kingdoms of the

world or

would he take

the long

course of

suffering and

obedience and

then receive all

the kingdoms of

the earth.

The father's

will is the

long course

Satan's will

is the short

course.

What Satan

is trying to

get Jesus

to do

here is

to grasp

for something

before his

time.

He's trying

in essence

to destroy

God.

He's trying

to get

Jesus to

snatch

something from

his father

before his

father's ready

to give it

to him.

And Jesus

responds in

verse eight

you shall

worship the

Lord your

God and him

only shall

you serve.

A quote

from

Deuteronomy

six verse

thirteen.

Jesus chooses

to worship

God only.

As God's

son Adam

exchanged the

worship of his

father for the

worship of a

creature,

a serpent.

As God's

son Israel

exchanged the

worship of his

father for the

worship of another

creature, a

calf.

As God's

son Jesus

is tempted to

worship Satan

but instead he

worships his

father only.

and because of

his loyalty

he will be

rewarded with

sovereignty.

Adam bowed

the knee to

a serpent,

he was kicked

out of the

garden of

paradise.

Israel bowed

the knee to

a calf and

later to the

beals and he

was later kicked

out of the

promised land.

Jesus refuses

to bow the

knee to Satan

and as a result

he will be

given this

land and

every land

and all the

kingdoms of

the world.

Here is a

son who

worships God

only.

Well Luke is

showing us a

son who depends

on God

wholly, a

son who

worships God

only and

third a

son who

trusts God

completely

chapter 4

verse 9

to 12.

And he took

him to

Jerusalem and

set him on

the pinnacle

of the

temple and

said to

him if you

are the

son of

God throw

yourself down

from here

for it is

written he

will command

his angels

concerning you

to guard

you and

on their

hands they

will bear

you up lest

you strike

your foot

against a

stone.

And Jesus

answered him

it is said

you shall

not put the

Lord your

God to

the test.

Jesus has

quoted the

Bible,

Old Testament

to Satan

twice and

now Satan

tries his

own go at

a bit of

Bible memory

recitation.

He quotes

Satan

quotes

Psalm 91

a psalm

that promises

God's

protection for

those who

trust in

him.

If the

first temptation

was to test

God's

provision

this one

is about

testing God's

protection.

What Satan

is saying to

Jesus here is

let go and

let God.

Let go and

let God.

In a sense

Satan was

saying to

Jesus what

he said to

Adam.

You will

not

surely

die.

Jump off

the temple

you will

not

surely

die.

Won't

your

father

send you

the angels

to protect

you?

And the

reason he's

saying that

is because

of where

Jesus is

standing.

The temple

was a

symbol of

God's

presence.

If God

is going

to rescue

anyone it

will be

his son

whom he

loves and

if he's

going to

rescue his

son anywhere

it will

be on his

front doorstep

at the

temple.

He's

hardly about

to let

his son

die in

his own

home.

But the

problem with

Satan's

quote is

that it's

out of

context.

If you

flick back

with me to

Psalm 91.

Psalm 91.

Keep your

finger in

Luke 4.

Psalm 91

Psalms 91:1

verse 1 and

2.

He who

dwells in

the shelter

of the

Most High

will abide

in the

shadow of

the Almighty.

I will

say to

the Lord

my refuge

and my

fortress

my God

in whom

I trust.

Do you

see what

Psalm 91

is about?

It's about

those who

trust in

the Lord

for refuge

not about

those who

test the

Lord for

refuge.

Hence

why Jesus

quotes

Deuteronomy

6.16

back in

Luke 4 and

says do

not test

the Lord

your God.

Again it's

not the full

quote it's

like that

iceberg it's

just the

tip and

when you

go and

you read

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6:16

6 verse

16 it

says you

shall not

test the

Lord your

God as

you did

at Massa.

Now what

did Israel

do at

Massa?

Well in

Exodus 17

they said

this is

the Lord

among us

or not?

They were

complaining about

the water

and the bread

and they're

saying is he

with us

or not?

Where's

his presence?

Will he

really do

what he

said he

will do?

Provide for

us.

And that

was Satan's

temptation to

Jesus.

Test and

see if God

is really

with you.

Test and

see if he

is true to

his word

whether he

will be

your refuge

or not.

See if he

is your

father or

not.

But the

problem with

Satan's test

is that God

the father

is not the

one on

probation.

Jesus is.

And Jesus

resists the

temptation.

He trusts

his father's

protection.

He does

not test

his father's

protection.

He trusts

that his

father is

present and

will provide

for him in

due course.

He does

not test

his father's

presence.

Adam in

the garden

tested to

see if God

would do

what he

said he'd

do.

Punish

if they

ate from

the forbidden

tree.

Will we

really die

if we

eat from

this?

Israel in

the desert

tested to

see if God

would do

what he

said he'd

do.

Provide for

them by

being present

with them.

Is the

Lord among

us or not?

And Jesus

at the temple

does not

test if God

would do

what he said

he'd do.

Protect

him.

Rather he

trusts that

God will

protect him

because he

trusts that

God is with

him.

Here is a

son who

trusts God

completely.

So we've

seen that

Jesus has

passed the

test three

times.

A son who

depends on

God

wholly,

a son who

worships God

only,

and a son

who trusts

God

completely.

But this

was not

Jesus' last

temptation.

Did you

notice that

in verse

13?

And when the

devil had

ended every

temptation,

he departed

from him

until an

opportune

time.

When was

that opportune

time?

Well, we

know the

Pharisees were

children of

the devil who

constantly

attacked Jesus.

We have the

incident where

Peter tries to

stop Jesus

going to the

cross and

Jesus says,

get behind

me,

Satan.

But Satan

returns with

his most

forceful

temptation

during Jesus'

passion.

In Luke

Luke 22 · chapter mention

chapter 22,

we read that

Satan enters

Judas Iscariot

just before the

Last Supper,

and then Judas

goes out into

the night

to betray

Jesus.

Jesus'

last temptation

is one

long,

extended

temptation

that lasts

from

Gethsemane

till Golgotha.

I want you

to come with

me and let

us see this

temptation.

Luke 22,

Luke 22:39

verse 39.

And Jesus

came out

and went,

as was his

custom,

to the

Mount of Olives.

And the

disciples

followed him.

And when he

came to

the place,

he said

to them,

Pray that

you may

not enter

into

temptation.

The place

is the

garden

of

Gethsemane.

And he

withdrew with

them about

a stone's

throw and

knelt down

and prayed,

saying,

Father,

if you

are willing,

remove this

cup from

me.

Nevertheless,

not my

will,

but yours

be done.

And there

appeared to

him an

angel from

heaven,

strengthening

him.

And being

in an

agony,

he prayed

more

earnestly,

and his

sweat

became like

great drops

of blood

falling down

to the

ground.

And when

he rose

from prayer,

he said to

the disciples,

he came to

the disciples

and found

them sleeping

for sorrow,

and he said

to them,

Why are you

sleeping?

Rise and

pray that

you may

not enter

into

temptation.

Do you

note the

theme of

temptation?

verse 40,

pray that

you may

not enter

into

temptation.

Verse 46,

pray that

you may

not enter

into

temptation.

Verse 42,

Father,

if you

are

willing,

remove

this cup

from me.

I just

want to

pause there.

we're so

used to

reading the

final words,

but not

my will

be done,

but yours,

that we

skip over

those first

words.

If you

are willing,

Father,

please

take

this

cup

from me.

Do you

see that?

Jesus

Christ

wanted

to walk

away

from the

cross.

He was

in

turmoil.

He was

in

anguish.

He had

convulsive

fear.

As John

Calvin put

it,

in

Gethsemane,

Jesus

trembled

at death.

What he

was about

to go

through on

the cross,

crucifixion,

but more,

far more,

the black

hole of

God's

wrath.

It

brought him

to within

a

hair's

breath

of a

nervous

breakdown.

What

this

perfect

son

saw

in

Gethsemane

was his

father

with the

sword

raised.

So much

so that

God had to

send an

angel from

heaven.

Did you

notice that

in verse

43?

And there

appeared an

angel from

heaven.

Why?

To

strengthen

him.

God

had to

send an

angel from

heaven to

strengthen

Jesus so

that he

would go to

the cross.

He was

that close

to wanting

to pull

out.

And after

the angel

strengthens him,

he continues

in anguish so

that his

sweat is

like drops

of blood

dropping from

him.

This is

surely what

Hebrews 5

or 7 means

when it

says that

Jesus offered

up loud

cries and

tears to

his father.

Here was

a man in

anguish and

turmoil on

the brink of

a breakdown.

Donald

Macleod writes

movingly,

the wonder of

the love of

Christ for

his people is

not that for

their sakes he

faced death

without fear,

but that for

their sake he

faced it

terrified.

And that

is what he

did.

He faced

it.

Not my

will be

done,

but yours.

The final

part of this

one long

temptation

comes on

the cross.

If you

flick over

to chapter

23,

verse 35.

And the

people stood

by watching,

saying,

but the

ruler scoffed

at him,

saying,

he saved

others.

Let him

save himself

if he is

the Christ

of God,

his chosen

one.

The soldiers

also mocked

him,

coming up

and offering

him sour

wine and

saying,

if you are

the king

of the

Jews,

save

yourself.

There was

also an

inscription

over him,

this is

the king

of the

Jews.

One of

the criminals

who were

hanged,

reeled at

him,

saying,

are you

not the

Christ?

Save

yourself and

us.

See the

temptation

three times?

Save

yourself,

save

yourself,

save

yourself.

Yet Jesus

remains on

the cross.

He doesn't

save himself

so that he

can save

us.

And in that

moment he

was treated

by God

like he

was the

greatest

rapist,

the greatest

murderer,

the greatest

porn addict,

the greatest

materialist,

the greatest

idol worshipper,

the greatest

tax invader,

the greatest

blasphemer that

has ever

walked on

the earth.

He remained

on that

cross in

darkness,

receiving the

wrath of

God in our

place.

He resisted

the temptation

to trust to

save himself

so that he

could save

us.

And that is

Luke's final

presentation of

Jesus, a

son who

obeys God

perfectly.

A son who

obeys God

perfectly.

Here is

the perfect

son.

And his

father says

to us this

morning,

this is my

beloved son

with whom I

am well

pleased.

Here is

the perfect

man.

Rudyard

Kipling's

poem was

that he

thought

problem,

sorry,

was that

he thought

his son

could maybe

be a man,

could maybe

attain

mature manhood.

If you

can,

if you

can,

if you

can,

which son

or daughter

of any

father has

ever lived

their life

well enough

to earn

the world

and everything

in it.

But here

is a man

who has

the right

to the

world

and everything

in it.

Here is

the proper

man.

From

conception

to the

cross,

from the

cradle

to the

grave,

Jesus

Christ

was

impeccable

in his

humanity.

Here is

the perfect

Israel.

Here is

the perfect

Adam.

And here

is where

the hope

of the

world

lies.

Not in

the first

Adam,

that great

giant to

whom we are

all hooked.

No,

our hope

lies in

this second

great giant,

Jesus Christ.

Because where

the first

Adam failed,

Jesus,

the second

and last

Adam,

does not

fail.

Where Adam

succumbed

to the

serpent in

a garden

of plenty,

Jesus resisted

the devil in

a wilderness

of scarcity.

Where Adam

failed by

keeping silent

and not

speaking God's

word to

rebuke the

serpent,

Jesus opened

his mouth.

And what

does he say?

It is

written,

God has

said,

and he

rebukes the

serpent.

Where Adam

stood in

a garden

and said,