112 Christ is led by the Spirit into the wilderness, SECT. XIX. SECT. xix. Christ's victory over the temptations of Satan in the wilderness. LUKE IV. 1. LUKE IV. 1. full of the Holy THEN HEN Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, AND Jesus being with which he had been just anointed in so Ghost, returned from Luke extraordinary a manner, returned from Jordan, Jordan, and [MARK, IV. 1. where he had been baptized; and immediately by the Spirit [MARK, immediately] was led after this was led by the strong impulse of that the Spirit driveth bit] Spirit on his mind into that desolate and solitary into the wilderness [to place the wilderness; that he might there be be tempted of the devil.] [MAT. iv. exercised and tempted by the most violent assaults MARK i. 12.] of the devil; and, by conquering him, might afford an illustrious example of heroic virtue, and lay a foundation for the encouragement and support of his people in their future combats with that malignant adversary. Mark 1. with the wild And he was there in the wilderness forty days: MARK i. 13. And 1. 13. and during that time he was tempted by Satan; he was there in the wilderness forty days, and also was surrounded with a variety of the tempted of Satan; and most savage and voracious kinds of wild beasts; was but they were so overawed by his presence that beasts, [and in those (as in the case of Daniel when in the den of days he did eat nothing.] LUKE iv. 2. lions, Dan. vi. 22) none of them offered him the least injury: and in all those days he did eat nothing at all. Mat. IV. 2. MAT. iv. 2. And when he had fasted And when he had thus fasted forty days and forty nights, as Moses the giver of the law, forty days and forty Into the wilderness.] Christ probably intended this as a devout retirement, to which he found himself strongly inclined, that might give vent to those sacred passions which the late grand occurrences of the descent of the Spirit upon him and the miraculous attestation of a voice from heaven, had such a tendency to inspire. It seems a very groundless conjecture of Mr. Fleming (in his Christology, vol. ii. p. 315) that he was carried through the air to mount Sinai. Mr. Maundrel's is much more probable, that it might be the wil derness near Jordan; which, as he, who travelled through it, assures us, is a miserable and horrid place, consisting of high barren mountains, so that it looks as if nature had suffered some violent convulsions there. (See Maundrel's Travels, p. 78.) This is the scene of the parable of the good Samaritan. (Luke x. 30.) Our Lord probably was assaulted in the northern part of it, near the sea of Galilee, because he is (Exod. nights, said here to be returning or going back to Nazareth, from whence he came to be baptized: Mark i. p. 108. b None of them offered him the least injury.] It is strange that any should think he was during this time hunted by the wild beasts: this is the more improbable, as such a hurry would have been inconsistent with the design of God in leading him thither; which was, that he might be assaulted by Satan, at first probably by secret suggestions, the horror of which would be increased by such a gloomy place. The angels might be the instruments of intimidating the beasts. Could Dr. Lightfoot have proved what he asserts, that this happened in October or November, the cold would have been, as he suggests, an additional circumstance of affliction to our Lord: but it seems rather to have been in the beginning of Summer; see note b, on Luke iii. 1. p. 94. and note k, on Mat. iii. 4. p. 97. c The wards [LOKE iv. 2.] Where having fasted forty days he is tempted. 113 xix. Mat. nights, he was after- (Exod. xxxiv. 28.) and Elias the great restorer SECT. an hungered, of it, had done before him, (1 Kings xix. 8.) having been thus far miraculously borne above the appetites of nature, at length he felt them IV. 2. and was very hungry; but was entirely unprovided with any proper food. 3 And when the he said, If thou be the And just at that time the tempter coming to 3 tempter came to him, him in a visible form (putting on a human apSon of God, command pearance, as one that desired to inquire farther that these stones be into the evidences of his mission) said, If thou made bread. [LUXE art the Son of God, in such an extraordinary iv. 3.] 4 But [Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. [LUKE IV. 4.] 5 Then the devil [Jerusalem] the holy manner as thou hast been declared to be, and be done. But Jesus answered, and said unto him, It is 4 written in the sacred volume, (Deut. viii. 3.) "Man shall not live by bread only, but by every word proceeding out of the mouth of God, or by whatever he shall appoint for the preservation of his life." He can therefore support me without bread, as he fed the Israelites in the wilderness; and, on the other hand, even bread itself, if these stones were turned into it, could not nourish me without his blessing; which I could not expect, were I to attempt a miracle of this kind merely in compliance with thy suggestions, without any intimation of my Father's will. Then, as the devil found it was in vain that he 5 taketh him up into had tempted Christ to a distrust of Providence, city, and setteth him he was for trying to persuade him to presumption: on a pinnacle of the and to this end he taketh him along with him temple; [LUXE iv. 9.] to Jerusalem, which, being the place where God dwelt in so distinguished a manner, was commonly called the Holy City; and there he set The tempter coming to him.] Our translation, which in its rendering of these words is not so literal as the version I have given, seems to intimate, what is not any where asserted in the sacred story, that this was the first time the templer came unto him; a circumstance which can hardly be supposed. d The promised Messiah, who is expected under that character ] That the Jews supposed the Messiah would be in a very extraordinary manner the Son of God, appears from comparing Mat. xiv. 33. xvi. 16. xxvi. 63. John i. 34, 49. xi. 27. xx. 31. and Acts viii. 37. teth e As he fed the Israelites in the wilderness.] It is to this the passage that is quoted here hath a plain reference, as it stands in the Old Testament. f Taketh him along with him.] This is the exact English of waparaμbavu. (See Elsner. Observ. in loc.) But whether he did or did not transport him through the air, cannot, I think, be determined from this passage. 8 The holy city.] This is a phrase that frequently, and very properly, is used to express Jerusalem. (Compare Neh. xi. 1. Isa. ii. 1. Dan. ix. 24. and Mat. xxvii, 53. The heathen writers, in like manner, often 114 The devil would urge him to presumption. xix. Mat. charge concerning thee SECT. teth him on one of the battlements of the temple, which in some parts of it, and particularly over the porch, was so exceeding high that one could IV. 6. hardly bear to look down from it. And as he 6 And saith unto stood upon the brink of this high precipice, the him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thytempter saith unto him, If thou art indeed the self down [from hence] Son of God, cast thyself down courageously from for it is written, He hence, and mingle with those that are assembled shall give his angels for the worship of God in yonder court. The [to keep thee] and in sight of such a miracle will undeniably convince their hands they shall them of the truth of thy pretensions; and thou bear thee up, lest at canst have no room to doubt of thy safety; for thy foot against a stone, any time thou dash thou well knowest it is written, (Psal. xci. 11, [Luxs iv. 9, 10, 11-1 12.)" He shall give his angels a charge concerning thee, to keep thee; and they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou shouldest by any accident dash thy foot against a stone." And surely the Son of God may depend upon a promise which seems common to all his saints. 7 7 [And] Jesus [answering] said unto him, It is written a And Jesus answering, said unto him, It is also written, to prevent the ungrateful abuse of such gracious promises as these, (Deut. vi. 16.) gain, Thou shalt not "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," by tempt the Lord thy demanding farther evidence of what is already God. [LUKE iv. 12.] made sufficiently plain', as my relation to God is, by the miraculous and glorious testimony he hath so lately given me. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up to an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms glory of them, (in a moment of time.]— 8 Again, the devil being resolved once more often call those cities holy in which any h One of the battlements of the temple.] i Hardly bear to look down from it.] Josephus gives us this account of it, Antiq. and of the world, and the Jud. lib. xv. cap. 11. (al. 14.) § 5. p. 781. kA charge concerning thee, to keep thee.] Many (after Jerom) have observed that Satan made his advantage of quoting scripture merely by scraps, leaving out those words, in all thy ways. The cause of truth, and sometimes of common sense, hath suffered a great deal by those who have followed his example. 1 By demanding farther evidence of what is already made sufficiently plain.] That this is the purport of the phrase tempting God, is easy to be seen from comparing Exod. xvii. 2, 7. Numb. xiv. 22. Psal. 1xxviii. 18. and Psal. cvi 14. See Limborch. Theol. lib. v. cap. 22. § 16. m One The devil vanquished in all his temptations. [All these things] will 115 xix. and pomp, and glory of them; displaying to his SECT. view one of the finest prospects that the most pleasurable and triumphant scenes could furnish Luke LUKE IV. 6. And out. And, with the most egregious impudence IV. 6. the devil said unto and falsehood, the devil said unto him, All this him, All this power extensive power [and] all these splendid things, I give thee, and the will I give thee, and all the glory of them, which glory of them; for thou hast now before thee; (for it is all delivered that is delivered unto to men, who am the prince of this world, and I ever I will, I give it. give it to whom I please :) And great as the gift is, I am so charmed with that wisdom and If thou therefore magnanimity which I have now observed in wilt [fall down and] thee, that I propose to give it thee upon the worship me, all shall be thine. [MAT. IV. easiest terms thou canst imagine; for all that I desire is that thou shouldest pay me homage for it if therefore thou wilt but fall down and worship me, upon thy making this little acknowledgment to me, all these things shall be thine. me, and to whomso [MAT. IV. 9.] 9.] 8 And Jesus an Get thee behind me, Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, [MAT. IV. 10.] Then Jesus, moved with indignation at so g swered and said unto blasphemous and horrid a suggestion, answered him, [Get thee hence] and said unto him, with becoining resentment Satan, for it is written, and abhorrence, Get thee hence, Satan", and beThou shalt worship the gone out of my sight, for I will no longer endure thee near me: for it is written, as a fundamental precept of the law, (Deut. vi. 13.) "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." It would therefore be unlawful thus to worship thee, who art no other than a mere creature, even though thou wast indeed One of the finest prospects that the most pleasurable and triumphant scenes could furnish out.] As Christ was probably attacked with this temptation upon some mountain in the wilderness, this beautiful and taking prospect that was represented to him, being set off by the horror of the place he was in, would in such a contrast appear peculiarly charming: see note a, p. 112. dom.-It is remarkable that, among other 19. o I am so charmed with that-which I have now observed in thee.] This seems the most plausible view in which the temptation could be introduced.-It is plain from the next verse that this was the last temptation; but Luke makes it the second : whence it evidently appears that Luke did not confine himself exactly to observe the order of time in his story; a remark of vast importance for settling the Harmony. See note g on Luke i. 3. p. 22. For it is all delivered to me.] Grotius has well observed that this contains a vile insinuation that God had done what none that truly understands the nature of God and the creature can suppose possible, namely, that he had parted with the government of the world out of his own hands. And we may add to this, that in the text which Christ has quoted there is enough to overthrow that notion; since God's appropriating to himself the worship of all his creatures, plainly implies his universal P Get thee hence, Satan.] The word empire and dominion over all, and the re-vays plainly expresses his authority over gard he has to the religious adoration and Satan, as well as his detestation of so vile obedience of all the subjects of his king- a suggestion. 116 xix. Luke Reflections on the temptation of Christ. SECT. deed his deputy on earth; and how much more 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departfrom him for a season. MAT. IV. 11. Then the devil lear And, then the devil having left him, behold, a detachment of angels came and waited upon him, eth him; and behold, furnishing him with proper supplies for his hunger, and congratulating so illustrious a victory nistered over the prince of darkness. angels came and mi unto him. [MARK I.-13.] IMPROVEMENT. Mat. IV. 1, & seq. WHO can read this account without amazement, when he compares the insolence and malice of the prince of darkness with the condescension and grace of the Son of God! What was it that animated and emboldened Satan to undertake such a work? Was it the easy victory he had obtained over the first Adam in Paradise? or was it the remembrance of his own fall, from whence he arrogantly concluded that no heart could stand against the temptations of pride and ambition? Could he, who afterwards proclaimed Christ to be the Son of the Most High God, and had perhaps but lately heard him owned as such by a voice from heaven, make any doubt of his Divinity? Or, if he actually believed it, could he expect to vanquish him? We may rather conclude that he did not expect it; but, mad with rage and despair, he was determined at least to worry that Lamb of God which he knew he could not devour; and to vex with his hellish suggestions q The great avowed enemy of God and man.] This odious character is intimated in the name Satan, which our Lord gives him, by which he made it to appear he knew him, however he might seek to be disguised. If we suppose him now to have worn the form of an angel of light (as 2 Cor. xi. 14,) it will make both this and the former temptation look more plausible: for thus he might pretend, in the former, to take the charge of Christ in his fall, as one of his celestial guards; and in this, to resign him a province which God had committed to his administration and care. And this may be consistent with supposing that he first appeared as a man (it may be, as a hungry traveller who pretended to ask the miracle of turning stones into loaves for his own supply), for angels under the Old Testament had often worn a human form, Compare Gen. xviii. 2. xix. 1. 10, 16. Josh. v. 13, 14. Judg. vi. 11, 12. and xii. 3, 8, 10. Angels came and waited upon him.] The word Saxovy does often signify to wait at table; see Mat. vii. 15. Luke xvii. 8. xxii. 27. and John xiii. 2. —As one celestial spirit might have been abundantly sufficient for the relief of our Lord's necessities, it is reasonable to suppose that the appearance of a number of them upon this occasion was to do him the more illustrious honour after this horrible combat with Satan, to which, for wise and gracious reasons, he was pleased to condescend. |