Luke 4:1-12 Spiritual Summary This Passage Depicts

Luke 4:1-12

Spiritual summary

This passage depicts Jesus' famous temptation by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights during his trial. This passage is cited by Christians as proof of the fact that humans have free will. Jesus, despite being the Son of Man, is given a choice as to whether he is allowed to choose salvation or damnation, ruling over the kingdom of earth or heaven. Jesus chooses the path of God, of course, and is not deterred by the temptation to turn from the path of righteousness. He states that he needs spiritual rather than human bread for his primary sustenance.

This passage is a metaphor for the ability of the human mind to withstand suffering. Humans cannot live on 'bread alone' in the sense that they need more to 'feed' themselves than earthly food. Food merely nourishes the body, while spiritual truths nourish the mind and heart forever. Jesus can do without food, but not without truth.

Spiritual importance

From a spiritual perspective, this story illustrates the truth of Christ's mission upon earth. Christianity holds that Christ is humanity's one, true savior, and this tale illustrates his goodness in the face of the ultimate, satanic evil. Christ is able to withstand the temptation of ruling over the world in a temporal fashion -- instead he desires to save the world, rather than merely act like an earthly king.

Christ also is firm in his resistance of despair. The devil tempts Christ to test Christ's power by flinging himself to the ground from a great height. Christ refuses, demonstrating that his goodness is not manifested in miracles (because clearly he could summon angels to help him) but in his willingness to resist the devil, which is the true miracle inherent in the story.

Another Christian point of importance in this story is the resistance to suicide. By refusing to fling himself from the temple at Jerusalem, Christ manifests the strength of will He wishes all of us to follow. Although we may be faint of hunger and faint in spirit, we can follow Christ's example and still hold ourselves back from the plunging cliff before us, and follow the path to God. We can resist the temptations of satanic power and satanic despair alike, because both are conjoined.

From a theological perspective, there is a very important point illustrated in this passage, namely the importance of free will. Christ clearly had free will when he made his choice to die on the cross and turn from Satan. This illustrates his human nature. All human beings have free will when they turn away from evil -- Adam and Eve may have sinned with their free will, but we do not have to do the same. We can act like Christ, not like Adam and Eve.

The idea that human beings cannot live by bread alone is one of the most powerful notions set forth in the Bible. Even many artists have invoked this principle, noting that they need more than mere, earthly aspects of the world to make them feel as if they are living a meaningful life. People who have a calling, whether it is spiritual or vocational in nature, will put that calling above physical, transient aspects of the material world.

As we live our life according to Christ's example, we too must strive to put material possessions in their rightful place. Sometimes it is tempting to take a job that pays well but will not give us adequate time alone with our family. Other times, it is tempting to put aside our dreams and desires and to make the 'safe choice.'

Spiritually, we must be like Christ and follow our 'True North.' It is easy to be tempted by false, internal voices that tell us that making money is more important and pleasing society is of greatest vale. Always we must ask ourselves what is meaningful in life, and look within our souls. We must not fall into the temptation to choose the kingdom that only promises us worldly power but no spiritual sustenance, nor must we fall into despair if our dreams are not immediately realized. We must not make a show of being tended to by angels, throwing ourselves off a cliff in hopes of being rescued -- instead we must rescue ourselves by making correct choices.

Spiritual application to life

From a Christian perspective, in my life, I have often held the example of Christ's decision in my heart, when I have wrestled with issues of great significance to me. I remind myself that I have free will to choose to do right and to do wrong, and I strive to do the former, not the latter, remembering Christ's own decision in the wilderness. I also remind myself that power is of little value in the grand scheme of things. God always has the ultimate power, more so than any human authorities, and any power we accumulate on earth is meaningless, in the face of the power we will inherit in God's kingdom.

Spiritually, when I make decisions, I strive to put my true desires first, and my need for a spiritual life above my need for a materially fulfilling existence. I always try to take time out of my life to read, to do art, and to nourish myself from within. I recall an elderly relative of mine who always painted until the end of her days, and always took time to read the Bible every night, regardless of what was going on in her life. This was the bread that fed her, the spiritual bread that truly nourishes. When we are spiritually fed it is easy to put aside our physical hungers and physical distress, like Christ did.

When I am absorbed in a task I love, or am in church, I do not focus on material concerns, even though they may be trying. This is why fasting and other forms of exertion -- even physical exercise -- can be so useful, in helping us forget the body, and focus on what is most important to us, namely our eternal souls, our reward in heaven, and the contribution we will make to the world that will live on long after our physical bodies have died.

In my own life, I have experienced many temptations in the wilderness to forget about what is important to me. One of my first jobs was in a very high-pressured work environment. Almost every moment of the day was spent on the phones, directing calls. It was my responsibility to act as a gatekeeper for the doctors on staff, and to keep them from bothering the doctors. All day, I would find myself arguing with unsatisfied 'customers.' I had to continually make up excuses as to why patients could not see their physicians or why a referral was delayed.

The job literally tore me apart inside every day, because I felt I was always covering up for an unfair system, and an unfair healthcare bureaucracy. I told myself over and over again that I had to stay in the job because I needed the money. I reminded myself how low I would feel without a job. Yet my sense of esteem had plummeted.

Eventually, I realized that certain things are more important than material betterment. I had to trust God to take care of me, and trust my own instincts to strive for a better life. If I did not make a move and ignore the material needs to feed myself on bread, I could see myself in the same miserable job for the rest of my life. Eventually, I did make the needed move, and found work that I loved, to which I was better suited temperamentally.

I still remember the jealous looks of my coworkers on the last day of my employment as I left that job. I pray that someday all of them will find a more fruitful source of work, and find a way to survive that does not merely give them a paycheck, but is also a source of emotional and spiritual satisfaction. Without time for hobbies and time for ourselves, our lives are indeed empty -- empty of spiritual sustenance.

Matthew 20:1-16

Spiritual summary

This passage details how a man who owned vineyards contracted different sets of workers -- some at the beginning of the day, some mid-day, and others at the end of the day. With every set of workers, he agreed to pay them the same sum. At the end of the day, all were paid a denarius. The longest, hardest working workers bridled at this, and complained that they received the same amount of money as people who had worked only an hour.

The vineyard owner, a clear metaphorical representation of Christ, told the angry workers who had toiled longer that they were being paid what they were supposed to have been paid -- no more and no less. They were not cheated. The moral of the story is that a believer should not angrily compare his or her lot in life to others, so long as the Christian receives the ultimate reward: the kingdom of heaven.

In this passage, Jesus seems to be using a parable to illustrate that the perceived differences between old and new converts are meaningless. The Jewish people from which Christ springs are represented by the laborers who have toiled in the field all day and are paid the same as those who have toiled less. Within the Christian community, there was an undeniable tension during its early years between gentile and Jewish converts. Some Jewish followers of Christ believed that gentiles should become Jewish -- however, this passage seems to indicate otherwise. The old covenant between the Israelites and God is neither superior (nor inferior, as some Christians wished to say later) to the more recent bond between gentile followers of Christ and Christ himself. Everyone receives the same sum in the end.

The parable of the vineyards echoes other parables in the Bible, like the parable of the prodigal son, in which the older son complains his goodness was ignored, because his father celebrates the return of his prodigal brother. Jesus instructs the reader not to be angry if someone who has worked less still receives the kingdom. All of us are unworthy to some degree, and we should not compare ourselves to others, lest God subject us to more stringent standards. We are all unworthy, we are all not toiling enough, yet God gives us all the possibility of salvation in heaven (symbolized by the worker's payment). There is only one reward for us all, so long as we all accept Christ.

Spiritually, this passage reminds us all not to judge others based upon their perceived 'commitment' or material output in the world. It is easy to be angry at someone and mutter 'they have not worked hard enough.' But they may have worked as hard as could have, given the limits of their circumstances.

I think of people I have seen who have had some privileges, and often people turn against them with resentment. "Of course, she has money -- that is why she is successful." I know that the daughter of a wealthy man has worked hard at school, and makes every effort to volunteer and to excel in the pursuits she loves. True, she has not been tried by suffering like some people. Her father has not lost his job, she has not been forced to care for younger siblings, nor has she had to work her way through college. But that is not her fault -- and she has toiled, given the tasks put in front of her.

Ultimately, all of our suffering is small, because we can always turn to one side and find someone who has endured more or less. The task we are given in our spiritual vineyards is to toil for as long as we are instructed to do so -- short or long -- and to prove ourselves as worthy as possible for the kingdom of heaven, even though we will inevitably fall short of the standard set by Christ.

Spiritual importance

This passage is important because it defines the terms by which people will be accepted into the Christian fold by Christ -- even people who may have been sinners, and contracted (converted) late in life, are still welcomed and accepted by Christ. People who have always been 'good' are often angry when those who have led sinning lives in the past accept Christ and are 'saved.' It is not fair, they may think, that I had no 'fun' and we will receive the same, no more and no less. But there is only one kingdom of heaven that can be given to all -- there are no gold, silver, and bronze medals in terms of one's spirituality.

Christ is all-accepting -- just as he embraced people from all walks of life; he also embraced gentiles as well as Jews into his fold. As the parable of the Good Samaritan indicates, he did not differentiate based upon nationality, or how long the person had been a believer. The Christian notion of 'sameness' is manifest in the doctrine of universal salvation preached by almost all Christian churches. The notion of 'Amazing Grace' or the fact that even a fallen sinner can hear the sweet call of the Lord and save a poor wretch is manifest in this parable.

This passage teaches what can feel like a hard and bitter spiritual truth, namely that no one is perfect in the eyes of God. It is very tempting to compare one's self to another and to say 'I am better than him.' I go to church, I don't drink, I don't smoke, and therefore I have greater spiritual significance in the eyes of God, as I have worked harder. The story of the vineyards tells us that what matters is that you have heard the call of God, not that you are better than a particular individual.

The temptation of justifying one's salvation and goodness by comparing one's self with another is dangerous because it is so easy to make excuses, such as saying to one's self -- oh, my small flaw of lying and gossiping isn't that bad, because at least I am not a thief, like the person with whom I must work at my place of employment. The toilers in the vineyard compare themselves to other people and see themselves as morally superior. However, they do not understand in the grand scheme of things human labor is light and rather than wanting to work less and receive the same reward from their master, they should wish to work harder.

Spiritual application to life

Instead of striving to work less and receive more, we should strive to work harder and not complain about the reward we are given. Any reward we receive from God is more than we deserve. To apply this teaching to our lives demands humility and a lack of judgment of other people. Even in the popular Christian media there is a strong, often ugly undercurrent of judgment of other human beings, based upon their lifestyles. Also, there is the temptation to judge those who seem righteous, if they err or fall. Instead of judging people based upon their pasts, we should instead base our estimation of them how they behave in the here and now. Christ will judge people based upon their willingness to come to Him, not by the fact that they came first.

This is one of the most difficult principles to apply to my life, because I often find myself angry at people who seem to have had an easy life. I think of the sister of one of my friends. My friend has worked hard her entire life -- she paid for her own college, and is currently struggling to 'make ends meet,' working a job and paying rent. It will be a long time before she can afford to pay for her own house and to get married. Her sister lives at home because the younger woman 'took some time off,' drifting from job to job, and has only recently returned to college. My friend's sister is indeed trying to become more responsible and turn her life around after a long time of being idle. But it is hard for my friend not to feel resentful and angry (and for me to feel sympathetic with her) that she never had her family's financial and emotional help when she was starting out.

Christ wisely counsels to put such resentment behind us. Instead, we must only judge ourselves by our own actions, and accept the promised reward willingly. My friend has won independence, which her sister strives for -- although she may have been the first laborer in the vineyard, she cannot expect that her sister will be given less love and less support from her parents, even though the younger woman came to learn the pleasures of toiling and sacrifice later in life.

"You are totally being taken advantage of," I would say to my friend, but in retrospect, I wonder if that was the right advice. My friend, her younger sister, and myself -- we were all striving for the same goals of independence and fulfillment. But some of us take a bit longer to find that path of spiritual righteousness.