NOTES for Luk 3:23-38

To understand the account of the temptation of Jesus Christ, we need to recall the story of Adam, to whom the evangelist points in the final words of the preceding chapter. In the biblical account of Adam’s temptation (Gen 3), he was offered the chance to become “like God” by breaking unity with God and tasting the forbidden fruit. As He begins His ministry, Jesus, as the “new Man,” must pass through the same trial: He is offered the chance to become King by “traditional means”—bread, spectacle, force, and wealth. He chooses another path, one that will lead Him to Golgotha. By placing before the reader these two examples—Adam and Christ—Scripture awaits the reader’s choice as well, for every person has a great purpose and everyone is free to use devilish means to achieve it.