Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Read Luke 4:14-30.
TEXT: And they rose up and drove Him out of
town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on
which their town was built, so that they could
throw Him down the cliff (Luke 4:29).


Having defeated Satan's temptations, Jesus
travels from village to village in Galilee sharing
God's plan of salvation and working many wondrous
miracles. Months later He returns to His hometown
Nazareth. Entering the synagogue Jesus reads from
Isaiah, the Old Testament book which most clearly
talks about His work as Messiah. He tells His
neighbors of the forgiveness, peace and freedom He
has come to bring.

At first they are amazed at His gracious words, but
then they remember all the years He lived among
them, and they had never seen anything remarkable
about Joseph's Son before. Having heard about all His
miracles in the neighboring towns, they want Him to
heal them too.

Jesus wants to help them, but He will not reward
their unbelief. He reminds them in the past that God
withheld healing miracles from the people of Israel,
when they refused to believe.

Filled with fury they rise as an angry mob to drive
Him to the cliff to throw Him to His death. In one
blind moment they foreshadow the rejection and
violent death He will suffer at His own people's hands.
But God has chosen a different time, and a different
place.

Jesus gives them one last miracle to consider. They
have Him firmly in their grasp ready to fling Him off
their cliff, then Jesus suddenly turns and calmly goes
His way through their midst-never to return. He leaves
this final warning to His neighbors: if they stubbornly
refuse to repent, they will have to stand before Him
on Judgment Day.

THE PRAYER:

Almighty God, today Jesus comes to me offering to
forgive, restore and save me. Give me faith to trust
Him, so I may escape Your wrath and live in Your
loving, glorious presence forever. I pray in Jesus'
Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

Read Luke 4:1-13.
TEXT: And Jesus was led by the Spirit in the
wilderness for forty days, being
tempted by the devil (see Luke 4:1-2).

When Satan first squared off against humanity,
he tripped up our parents in the Garden of Eden with
his cunningly twisted words. They disobeyed God's
Word, ate the forbidden fruit, and plunged our world
into death and destruction. Now Satan squares off
against our Savior.

For 40 days Jesus ate no food, while our enemy
unleashed a devastating torrent of deceitful temptations.
Luke records three final deceitful traps Satan set
for Jesus.

First, he appeals to Jesus' great hunger: "If You are
the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
It sounds innocent enough, but Jesus sees the trap.
Following Satan's advice will show He doesn't trust God
to provide His needs.Jesus answers, "It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone.'"

The tempter next offers to give Jesus all the kingdoms
of the world if He will worship him. Jesus answers, "It is
written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only
shall you serve.'" He came to walk His Father's difficult
saving path-not Satan's shortcut.

In one final temptation Jesus is placed on the pinnacle
of the temple. Satan challenges Him to jump, appealing
to God's promise in the Psalm, "He will command His angels
to guard you ... lest you strike your foot against a stone"
(Psalm 91:11a, 12b).

If Jesus won't jump, it looks like He doesn't trust God's
promise. But Jesus sees through it. He doesn't have to prove
His faith to Satan. He replies, "It is written, 'You shall not put
the Lord your God to the test.'"

Having ended every temptation unsuccessfully Satan
departs from Jesus, awaiting a more opportune moment.

THE PRAYER:

Almighty God, where Adam and Eve fell to Satan's lies,
Your Son stood firm. Thank You for His salvation. Help
me trust You as He did and cling to Your Word alone.
I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

Read Luke 3:19-20.
TEXT: But Herod the tetrarch who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his
brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them
all, that he locked up John in prison (Luke 3:19-20).


"How dare he challenge me like that? Doesn't he know who I am?" Like most
wealthy, powerful people, Herod didn't want anyone telling him he was wrong,
especially not a young wilderness wanderer, who went around wearing camel's hair
and eating locusts and wild honey. The Baptist didn't like Herod's choice in women,
but wasn't that Herod's own business? True, he had married his half-brother Philip's
wife, the ambitious Herodias. But what was that to John? It was fine when John
was laying into the Jewish religious leaders, but Herod thought his family should
be off-limits.

But God had sent John to confront sinners, so they would acknowledge their
sin and find forgiveness in the promised Messiah. It didn't matter how high and
important you were. John knew it was better to face up to your sins now, so God
could take them away. The alternative was to wait until life was over, and you were
standing before God's judgment seat.

Herod should have listened to John's words and repented; instead, he seized and
arrested John. He added this to his many other sins. Not only had he refused to
heed John's timely warning and escape the wrath of God, he cut John off from the
people, who desperately needed to hear God's warning too.


THE PRAYER: Almighty God, Your Word confronts my pride and my sin. For Jesus'
sake, move me to repent of my sin and seek Your forgiveness. In the Name of Jesus
Christ, Your Son, I ask this. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)