Luke 4, 5

After dipping liberally into my 24 days of grace for the trip and to complete the blogging about it, back to reading through the New Testament today.

Luke 4, 5

Overview:  Luke's account of the temptation of Christ. Jesus teaches in Nazareth to a poor reception and then moves down to Capernaum.  Jesus helps his will be followers fish for fish and then calls them for other purposes.

I want to hold the verse that ends the temptation story up against the verse that follows it that begins the next phase in Jesus' ministry.

"When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.  Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to the Galilee...."

The way I read these verses the temptation experience was not draining for Jesus, but rather was energizing.  It was not that he was left in need of further renewal after encountering the devil and the devil's temptations it was that he was "filled with the power of the Spirit".  When we meet temptation head on and respond, as Jesus did, with faithful Scriptural responses, the outcome can clearly be more than survival.  It can be growth. It can be the strength and stamina - the power of the Spirit - to do new things.
I'm also captivated again by Jesus fishing lesson for the disciples.  Here was something they did not need help from Jesus to do.  They were fishermen.  They could use his help on lots of things, but this they could handle on their own.  Or maybe not.  Having caught nothing, Jesus chips in with his instruction and, suddenly, fish.  Of they myriad lessons in this passage one may well be the reminder that we need Jesus in every way in all that we do.  Not just in the areas we struggle.  Not just in our growing edges.  Even in the things we think we do well.  The things that we've got covered.  Whatever we are capable of, it can be better with Jesus direction.