Episode 423 Temptation in the Wilderness (Matthew 4:1-17)

This week we’re reading Matthew 4:1-17, the story of the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness. We wrestle with the very concept of the devil, which often strikes modern people as an antiquated idea. But once we recognize the ways that the ways that Jesus is tempted, we begin to recognize the work of the devil all around us—in the economic, political, and prestige systems that that tempt us to turn our own lives away from the kingdom of heaven and toward the ways of the Empire. Jesus is first tempted by his own physical need for bread and water, then by his need to demonstrate to others that he is worthy of love, and finally by the possibility of conforming the whole world to his will—temptations that, in one way or another, come to us all. The devil may tempt you to skip this podcast—but don’t do it! This is urgent stuff!