Luke 4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written,
‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’
11 and,
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
If thou art the Son of God … When Jesus was baptized a voice came from heaven declaring, “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Luke 3). Immediately following His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. In the Temptation, Satan comes to Jesus and prefaces his temptations with, “If thou art the Son of God …” As was the case in Genesis 3:1, Satan begins by raising doubt, “If thou art the Son of God.” “If” questions the fact … and Satan demands proof. Why does Satan demand proof? Is he doubtful that this man is the Son of God? Jesus having eaten nothing for forty days was hungry. Jesus’ hunger highlights the fact He is a man. And Satan has prevailed against “the son of God,” ( that is, Adam, cf Luke 3:38) from the beginning. So what proof does Satan demand?
Tell this stone to become bread
Worship me and I will your all the kingdoms of the world
Throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the Temple and show that God’s angels have charge over you to protect you
Jesus’ answers, taken from Moses’ admonitions to Israel before their entry into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy, are instructive … (citing here a fuller text):
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:12-15 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14 You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15 for the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. [Exodus 17 … Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” … Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”]
Israel was tested by God with hunger, God fed them manna … Jesus in His hunger knows that man shall not live by bread alone, but by God’s word.
Israel was tempted to worship other gods, as was manifest in worshipping the golden calf … Jesus avers that man must worship God alone.
Israel put God to the test asking whether God was with them or not … Jesus refused to put God to the test.
Jesus, in our human nature, shows Himself to be a faithful Son of God. So is Satan satisfied with the proof that Jesus is God’s Son? Not in the least ... "When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." He will try Jesus again through Peter (Mark 8:2), the multitudes (John 6:15) as well as others. And though Satan is not expressly mentioned in Jesus’ personal trial in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sets aside all other human considerations and affirms His determination to obey and submit to His Father’s will, humbling Himself even to death on the cross.
JSH+