The Tuesday after Invocavit Sunday
Posted on March 11, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 4:1-15 (NKJV)
4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him 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 shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’
11 and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Devotion
Our Lord loves and serves us, but that does not mean we give Him orders or dictate terms for His obedience. It is easy for us to look at the story of Christ’s temptations and condemn Satan’s words, but we must remember that our hearts are also wicked, and we try to command God to submit to our wills, as well.
Our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” Unfortunately, our thoughts and prayers often say, “If you are a loving and powerful God, do what I want…” The difference is faith and humility from God’s Holy Spirit. Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world, he told Him to use His power to make bread and eat of it, and he urged Jesus to show His glory as God’s Son by testing the promise of the Scriptures. From a human perspective these could seem like ‘reasonable’ requests. But they were not. The devil twisted God’s Words and promises, and he still encourages others to do likewise.
Our Lord has indeed commanded us to pray, and He has promised to hear, help, and bless us. But our Lord is above all, and His will is best, even when our thoughts and wills do not know the details that He sees. That is why we are to trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5).
Collect: O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer, and stretch forth the right hand of Thy Majesty to defend us from them that rise up against us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Lent
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
