Our Seedbed.com Wake Up Call devotional this morning was on the final verse of Luke 4:
“When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”
It caused me to reflect on opportunism, as I have before when thinking about the satan’s ploys. It helps understand better this word from Jesus…..
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
These are among Jesus’ words to his disciples, the Twelve, as he was preparing them to be sent, two by two, out into the world. He commended the wisdom, or shrewdness, of the serpent to them in the larger context of Matthew 10: 1-23:
“Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. ….. These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. 16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”
One can observe Jesus’ experience with and appreciation for the ways of the serpent in his own very personal direct assault from the unmasked satan in the account of Jesus’ journey into the wilderness in Luke 4. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was taken into the wilderness, we are told, by the Spirit, where he was to be tested. In reading of this encounter in Matthew 4 and in Luke 4 we see that Jesus knew why he was in the wilderness, fasted and in keeping with the Hebrew tradition of fasting one would understand that Jesus was also praying. Jesus knew that it was coming, knew the real source of the testing, knew what weapons to use against the Enemy, and succeeded in fulfilling the Father’s will through it all. Prayer, fasting, and use of the Word were Jesus’ equipping.
Notice, additionally, the final observation offered by Luke:
13 “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” Every temptation. He had attempted to exploit every available vulnerability in Jesus’ humanness.
Satan is an opportunist.
God, in all His Triune Godhead, knows this. And Jesus Christ tells us that we should know it, too. The Enemy is shrewd, which is a different kind of wisdom than that which comes from God. Watch out for shrewd opportunists who try to disguise or insinuate their presentation, their motivation, or their application of their true selves. Note also in these accounts and others that satan is not particularly creative. He uses the same tools again and again. As 1 John 2:16 describes them as “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”, and they are the vulnerabilities of our human condition that he attacks. The same three tools were used against Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6) as these three used against Jesus in the wilderness in these two Gospel accounts. And as John tells us, they are the same tools used against all humankind over and over again. They are, in fact, “all that is in the world.” These three motivations are the root, the lowest common denominator, of all human vulnerability to temptations that exist and are the fountainhead of all sinful behavior. The temptation may come from outside us, but the ability to be lured into yielding to them lies firmly within one’s own spirit, soul, and body.
Opportunism, in and of itself, is not evil. How it is used, however, can be. We are to recognize opportunities that are presented to us and use them for God’s glory, our good, and the gain of those through whom the opportunities to serve God and grow in our faith are given.
If satan cannot crack the solid steadfastness of your spiritual identity as a beloved child of God, or twist words to deceive your soul’s reasoning to cause doubt, he will come against the physical integrity and natural defenses of your body. If that doesn’t wear you down, he will use someone weaker with the convenient access of proximity against you or he will come at you through someone who holds the affections of your heart. Or he’ll entice you with a dainty that delights your curiosity and sense of adventure. If all else fails, he’ll use someone’s jealousy, greed, or resentment to incite war against you.
All of these are designed to distract us from our knowledge and understanding of God’s will and plan, His promises and purpose, and His abiding love.
Keep your defenses up. Be ready for anything. Know that, if you keep to the path God has set and do not turn to the right or the left, He will fight every battle for you and you will be safe and secure in His will. Delight in Him, trust Him, commit your way to Him and He will act on your behalf……always.