LUKE 4:1–11
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.” For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
CONSIDER THIS
I have a long history with angels. By that, I don’t mean that I have angel posters and placards on my walls, or that I have experienced visitations of angels or visibly encountered spiritual beings.
What I mean is that I have a long history thinking about angels, considering angels, and seeking to understand how to even begin to think about spiritual beings. I believe that such a history, which predates me coming to faith in Jesus, was triggered by myriad spiritual experiences for which I had no explanation other than some mysterious powers at work.
I grew up with people I knew in my town hanging strange, ethereal angel images on their paneled walls (one, if I recall correctly, was beside an old clock taken from a local bar). I even remember the first time I saw an image from Dante’s Inferno, and thinking, angels and aliens; what if there is no difference? A few bands from the ’70s and ’80s were clearly asking the same question.
In Colossians 2:18 we read: “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.” Angels are not supposed to be a central focus for the believer; Jesus is. But we are to be aware they are present and active on our behalf.
But Jesus spoke of angels, from the Greek word which means “messengers,” being about the Father’s work in the world. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to see what Jesus saw as he ministered to the people and preached the good news of Luke 4 to the individual and to the masses? Wouldn’t it have been startling to perceive the demonic at work in an almost visible way, or to perceive the angelic beings at work on behalf of the children (“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” [Matt. 18:10])?
Jesus was not walking alone through this world. Yes, the Father and the Spirit were with him. Yes, his disciples were close by. Yes, Jesus had crowds following him. In Matthew 4:11, another passage about Jesus in the wild, we read that when Jesus’s testing was complete, the “angels came and attended him.”
You and I are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses” cheering us on (Heb. 12:1) and by angels attending us along our journey (Heb. 1:14). Jesus was ministered to by angels, and so are we. With our singular focus on worshipping God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and our prayers directed to God without distraction, we can know that the Lord is sending angels, messengers, to encourage us along our journey home.
THE PRAYER
Lord of the Wild, there is joy in knowing that we are not alone on this journey. We are filled with you, present in us and with us. You’ve given us companions and the community of saints for encouragement. And there are also ministering angels attending to us all along the way. We bless you for caring for us so. In Jesus’s name, amen.
THE QUESTIONS
While the Bible encourages us not to focus on angelic or spiritual beings, we are told they exist and are at work in the world. Can you think of a circumstance where you felt like you were cared for in a way that went far beyond what you could have hoped for? What happened?
For the Awakening,
Dan Wilt
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2 Responses
Yes. Once something abruptly stopped me immediately before I ran in front of a speeding car that I hadn’t seen. Another time I accidently slammed a car door on my infant daughter in her baby carrier. I looked around and the sharp corner at the bottom of the door was touching her temple. I pulled the door back and there was a tiny red dot on her temple, but she was completely unhurt. In these two incidents I believe an angel saved my life and an angel saved me from a lifetime of horrible pain by rescuing my daughter from my carelessness.
The Bible demonstrates that there are two opposing sets of invisible beings working behind the scenes to influence people — angels and demons. One set humbly seeks to help us open wide our heart directly to God’s Spirit; the other proudly strives to deceive us and coerce us to keep our heart shut down to the Holy Spirit. If we don’t learn to discern the difference between these two sets of unseen influences and fully surrender out heart to God, we’ll wallow in various degrees of confusion and bondage.
Though the angels didn’t minister to Jesus during the temptations, I’d wager they were at His beconed call. They angels knew when it was time to serve and confort Jesus because they showed up when the satan shuffled out.
Matthew 4:11
Then the devil left Him and the angels came and began to serve Him.
Angels protect and serve, demons confuse and destroy. And sometimes, being comfused is enough to destroy serving God in the Great Commison, because confusion leads to complacency and complacency is surround by fear. We know we should, but should is the fog that distorts the clarity of God’s plan. To know and not do, is in the same catagory of doing wrong.
James 4:17
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
What is God’s plan for our lives? Serve other as the angels served Jesus. Where does He want us to serve? Wherever His is already working! If you’re confused about where to server, join in anywhere, and from there, He will direct you further. I believe God waits to see us serve anywhere before He gives specific directions to wherever. Then again, wherever is anywhere!
Matthew 25:21
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[a] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Staying 💪’n Christ