LESSON: EPHESIANS 6:10-17

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7

The devil’s second temptation is quite different from the first one but quite similar to it in its absurdity.

Here the devil teaches us to tempt God, just as he urged Christ to throw Himself from a pinnacle of the temple. This was quite unnecessary in any case, because there would probably have been a good set of stairs available on which He could have climbed down. That the devil here tried to induce Christ to a temptation of God is quite clear from Christ’s reply.

Wherever the devil comes upon a heart that trusts God in the hour of want and need, he quickly abandons concerns for bodily welfare and greed and makes his assault from quite a different angle. “If you want to be all spiritual and trusting,” he says, “I’ll give you some help.” He proceeds to come at you from another direction: he tries to get you to put your faith into something that God has not commanded you to believe and does not want you to believe.

It may be that God has supplied your house with bread, as He does annually throughout the whole world, and you refuse to make use of it, making want and need for yourself, declaring, “We are to put our faith in God. I will not eat the bread but wait till God sends me bread from heaven.” That would be tempting God. For He does not tell you that you must still hope for what you already have and keep on working for it. How can you hope for something you already have?

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PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, our old evil foe, the devil, was cunning enough and brazen enough to attack even your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. When he tempts us into unbelief and wrong beliefs, you have shown in our Son’s example how to overcome the devil’s temptations. Grant us your grace and strength to do this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

LESSON: MATTHEW 26:36-41

If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. Matthew 4:3

After approaching Christ, the devil assails Him by confronting Him with His bodily welfare and casting doubt on God’s goodness, saying, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

It is as though he meant to say: “Rely on God and don’t bake; wait until a roasted rooster flies into your mouth. Do you now claim that you still have a God who cares for you? Where now is your heavenly Father, who looks after you? I am telling you; He is leaving you in the lurch. Eat up now and drink in faith and let us see how satisfied you will be, especially if they are stones. What a fine Son of God you are! What a Father He is to you, when He does not even send you a crust of bread, and lets you be so poor and needy. Just keep on believing that you are His Son and He is your Father.”

With such thoughts the devil assails all the children of God. Christ certainly experienced all this. He was no stock or stone, although He was pure and without sin and remained so, as we cannot be.

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PRAYER: For our sakes, O Lord, you suffered yourself to be tempted by our enemy, the devil, and overcame him with the powerful testimony of your Father’s holy Word. Enable us, your disciples, to gain a similar victory over the devil whenever we are assailed by him, for your truth’s sake. Amen.

LESSON: LUKE 12:22-31

Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Hebrews 5:8,9

The account of Christ’s temptation has been written both for our learning and admonition.

First, we should learn here how Christ, by His fasting, hunger, temptation, and victory, served us and helped us. Accordingly, he who believes in Christ shall suffer no want, and no temptation can harm him. He will have sufficient in the midst of need, and he will be safe in the midst of temptation. His Lord and head has conquered for him and for his benefit in all these respects. Of this he is quite sure, for his Lord has declared, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If God could nourish Christ for forty days without food, He can also nourish His Christians.

Secondly, this example also admonishes us to endure want and temptation gladly in the service of God and for the good of our neighbor, as Christ did for us, as often as the need arises. It will certainly arise if we are to teach and confess God’s Word. Therefore, this Gospel is a wonderful consolation and strengthening against our unbelieving and shameless flesh. It establishes and strengthens our conscience that we do not plague ourselves with worry about our bodily welfare but are certain that He will and can nourish us.

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PRAYER: Thanks and praise be to you, O Lord our Savior, for all that you suffered in our stead and on our behalf. Bless us at all times with your gifts, that we gladly suffer in the service of God and for the benefit of our neighbor, for your mercy’s sake. Amen.