Luke 4:1-13: The Test
Thursday, Christmas Day, December 25, 2025
Today we watch as Satan tests Jesus, hoping to tempt him into succumbing to his control. We hear Jesus remind Satan that he cannot test God. Even after his failure, Satan departed from him until an opportune time. The devil never gives up . Neither does God.
St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians (10:9), reminds us of this again. In 2 Corinthians (2:9) he encourages us to be stalwart so that we might withstand our own test and temptation. In 8:8 and 13:5 he recommends that we test our own spirit to see where it needs bolstering. In Galatians 6:4 he again suggests that we test ourselves. To the Thessalonians he says: Test everything. Hold on to the good and avoid every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)
St. James (1:12) lauds the holy one who can withstand the test.
St. John in 4:1 of his first letter writes that we are to test false prophets and stray spirits to examine the origin and veracity of their authority.
Jesus cites Deuteronomy 6:16 when he reminds the devil that we are to refrain from testing God. We are to obey the commandments, to do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord. In the Old Testament, this clinging to commandments and laws brought God’s protection and defense. In the New Testament we realize that we are graced with God’s protection as a birthright; we receive uncounted blessings each day, even in the midst of suffering.
All of this testing of self and this refusal to test God takes a great deal of effort, and by the end of each day we may be fatigued from holding firm and maintaining our own appropriate behavior. Spiritual exhaustion may accompany a life of trust in God, patience with God’s creatures, and perseverance in living a life of charity. It is for this reason that we must refill the well and give ourselves permission to rejuvenate the spirit. Perhaps when our nerves are frayed we ought to take this as a sign that we need to retreat from life for a bit.
When Jesus is tempted by Satan, he replies: One does not live by bread alone; worship the Lord your God and serve him only; and do not put the Lord your God to the test.
When we feel ready to explode, about to fall apart, or are just plain exhausted, we might repeat these words to ourselves and follow them with . . . if this is a test, dear Lord, give me the grace, the peace and the will to follow you, to know that you will convert all harm to good, and to know that we need trust only you.
In this way, we may pass each test that comes our way.
Image from: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4453/Jesus_Tempted_in_the_Wilderness_J%C3%A9sus_tent%C3%A9_dans_le_d%C3%A9sert
For more images of Jesus from the Brooklyn Museum, click on the image above or follow this link: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4453/Jesus_Tempted_in_the_Wilderness_J%C3%A9sus_tent%C3%A9_dans_le_d%C3%A9sert
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