| We then come to the three temptations of Jesus. Luke's account of this is as follows: |
| Ch 4:1 Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and returned from the Jordan river. He was then led by the Spirit into the desert and for forty days was tempted by the devil. He did not eat anything during those days and when they were ended he was hungry. The devil said to him. “If you are the Son of God tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” Jesus answered him. “t has been written that 'man shall not live on bread alone.’” Then leading him up to higher ground he (the devil) showed him all the | kingdoms of the inhabited earth in a moment of time. The devil said to him "I will give you authority over all of this and over its glory because it has been delivered to me to give it to whomsoever I wish." Therefore if you worship before me all of this will be yours." Answering Jesus this said to him. "It has been written "You shall worship the Lord your God Answering Jesus this said to him. "It has been written "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only will you serve." | And he (the devil) led him to Jerusalem and set him on the gable of the temple and said to him. "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it has been written 'He will command his angels to preserve you. They will bear you up on their hands in case you dash your foot against a stone." Answering Jesus said to him (the devil). It has been said "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." And having finished putting forward every type of temptation the devil went away from him until an opportune time. |
This account of the Temptations is similar to that found in the gospel of Matthew. But there are a few differences. 
In the first temptation about turning stones to bread Matthew refers to "every word that comes through the mouth of God." A hallmark of Judaism is its reverence for the "word of God" which is to be found in the Judaic Scriptures.
But Luke omits this sentence and only says "man shall not live on bread alone".
In Matthew, the second temptation involves being taken to the top of the temple where Jesus was tempted to throw himself down so the angels would save him. But in Luke this is the third temptation
For Luke the second temptation involves all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth. The devil claims to have authority over these. Given that Judaism promotes the belief it is God who has authority over the Jews, the inference
here is that in Luke, the devil is emphasising the wider world of all time, a world that reaches beyond Judaism.
As with the gospel of Matthew there are echoes here of the three social commandments (in the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses) and the position of Jesus in "raising the bar" of these. |
Consider: This commandment relates to meeting material requirements. But Jesus claims there are more important things, - "man shall not live on bread alone". Consider:  This commandment involves self-determination and power over others. But Jesus claims that self-determination has to be within the framework of God's law and for the benefit of others, - "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only will you serve." Consider: 
In Luke the third temptation is to rely on the concern and support of others (in this case the angels). But Jesus insists a social support group (whether one's own or someone else's) is not to be taken for granted. Rather it is something to be worked at, - "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." |
