Commentary

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
This command from God comes after all of the “do’s and dont’s”. Here, the L ORD
tells the people that they need to remember God by taking the first fruits to the
temple. The response given by the priest, explains once again the tradition of the
people. They come from a wandering tribe, who were aliens in the land. God
heard their cries and saved them from the Egyptians. Their freedom and the land
that they possess comes as a direct result of God’s direct actions in their parent’s
lives.

Deuteronomy 26:1 the land that the L ORD your God is giving you – The author
announces to the assembly that the property is from God.

Deuteronomy 26:2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit – As a reminder
and not as a sacrifice, the people give a part of the land’s bounty to God.
This reminds them of the source of their wealth.
God will choose as a dwelling for his name – Though many people forget
it, the L ORD decides where He will live.

Deuteronomy 26:3 I have come into the land that the L ORD swore to our ances-
tors to give us – The ritual of remembrance includes an official statement
that recalls the work of the L ORD.

Deuteronomy 26:4

Deuteronomy 26:5 A wandering Aramean was my ancestor – The L ORD selected

a specific individual to bring these gifts to the people. This idea that God
makes these types of decisions is often repulsive since the idea often is that
God operates with equity.

Deuteronomy 26:6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us – The
official remembrance of the people is that they were slaves.

Deuteronomy 26:7 the L ORD heard our voice – The storyline also tells the people
of the faithfulness of the L ORD. He listens to the people.

Deuteronomy 26:8 The L ORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand – The
God of Abraham interferes in history to change its outcome.

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 Deuteronomy 26:9 a land flowing with milk and honey – The country is so rich
that it provides for the people without any effort on their part.

Deuteronomy 26:10 bow down before the L ORD your God – Words are not the
only thing that teaches. Body language like this tells you who have a higher
rank.

Deuteronomy 26:11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who re-
side among you, shall celebrate – Despite the second class status of the
foreigners in terms of blessings, God still expects that justice and mercy be
given to them.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

This psalm has images that have been favorites of Christians for millennia. For
Lutherans, these words are incorporated into the Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress
is Our God.” The psalmist writes of a God who is so strong that no evil can pene-
trate. This God picks you up so that even something as simple as stumbling does
not hurt you. The most violent animals and insects that live in the harsh desserts
cannot harm you. Everyone who loves God will be saved. An additional blessing
is the gift of life and salvation.

Psalm 91:1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High – This psalm speaks to
the ones that the L ORD protects.

Psalm 91:2 will say to the L ORD, “My refuge and my fortress” – The imagery
here is one of defence and not offence. The L ORD keeps this person safe
because of the strong walls that surround the castle. Attacks will come, but
they cannot storm the gates much less the walls.

...

Psalm 91:9 Because you have made the L ORD your refuge – The author now
asserts that a “decision” has been made that places God in the role of pro-
tector. This language of the psalm stands in defiance to the L ORD selecting
the people in Deuteronomy 26:5-10a.

Psalm 91:10 no evil shall befall you – How does one rectify this statement that
the L ORD protects those who select Him given the amount of pain inflected
on His people not to mention His own Son?

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 Psalm 91:11 to guard you in all your ways – The same argument of applies here.
Horrible things happen to the followers of God. Did they make the wrong
decision?
Psalm 91:12 so that you will not dash your foot against a stone – The assertion
here is that even the smallest accident will not happen. This logic that abso-
lutely nothing will happen seems so absurd that perhaps the sincerity of the
entire psalm should be doubted.
Psalm 91:13 You will tread on the lion and the adder – The protection extends to
the most dangerous parts of creation.
Psalm 91:14 Those who love me, I will deliver – Protection comes to those who
do something that pleases the L ORD. This arrangement of G OD rewarding
those who do something does not agree with the text from Deuteronomy
26:5-10a.
I will protect those who know my name – Some “secret” knowledge is
needed to obtain this salvation. This line by the poet disagrees with the
mystery surrounding the L ORD’s Holy Name.
Psalm 91:15 When they call to me, I will answer them – The weaponry changes
to that of attack.
Psalm 91:16 With long life I will satisfy them – The psalmist argues yet another
practical blessing of following the L ORD. Although the Bible uses large
numbers to indicate those people blessed by God, the connection between a
long life and serving God seems to be a very weak argument not seen in the
real world.

Romans 10:8b-13
Paul outlines the basic requirements for salvation. Everyone who publicly con-
fesses that Jesus is the ruler of all and believes that Jesus was raised will be saved.
(Note that this formula for forgiveness and eternal life presented here does not
have any reference to Baptism of the Eucharist.) In this passage, Paul expects
that belief and action go hand and hand. Paul then reiterates the confession that
speaking the name of Jesus saves.
Romans 10:8b the word of faith that we proclaim – It appears that Paul is refer-
ring back to the previous discussion on the salvation of Israel. Paul’s faith

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 that he speaks to others is that God is faithful to His promises, which in-
cludes the redemption of His people Israel.

Romans 10:9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – The
structure of the sentence indicates that this message is for all the people who
do not fall under the Jewish covenant.
The minimum requirement for calling yourself a follower of Christ is two
fold. First, you must be willing to speak the Word that Jesus rules over your
life. Of course, this includes the official language of the church found in its
creeds and confessions but it also includes living the life in the outside world
that clearly tells others that your Lord is Christ Jesus. Second, you must
understand the ramifications that the dead Jesus lives due to God’s gift of
life. This is not some warm fuzzy that you feel. In the Jewish understanding
of the body, the heart is the seat of intellect. Paul’s requirement is that you
realize the tension between what you can rationally work out through the
use of logic and what can only be accepted as a mystery that will never be
revealed.

Romans 10:10 one believes with the heart – This phrase drives home the point
that the heart is where you think.

Romans 10:11 No one who believes in him will be put to shame. – This text
that appears to point back to Isaiah 54:4, does not speak to us in the world
where we no longer have the clear cut categories of honor and shame. In
our lives, our only desire is having experiences. More specifically, we want
to encounter the world in a way that validates our own world view. These
interactions might either cause us to change our position on an item our it
might reinforce our stand on a particular subject. Because of our viewpoint,
these words of promise no longer ring true in our ears. A better way of
expressing the same sentiment would be something like, “All who bring
their experience of Jesus to the world will never forget their interactions
with creation.”

Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek – Paul’s argu-
ment is one of perspective. Step back far enough, he says, and everything
blends into one because there is a single God that causes all to exist.

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 Romans 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. – The
tension in this verse is threefold. First, the name of the Lord is not know
to everyone. Someone must bring the message of salvation. Next, the Older
Testament is clear on the usage of this Holy Name. Punishment awaits all
those deliberately defame the name of the Lord and do not seek forgiveness.
Finally, the time of salvation is unspecified. Does health and healing occur
in the present age? Of course, but for whatever reason, that outcome is not
guaranteed.

Luke 4:1-13
The author of Luke/Acts recounts the temptation of Jesus. After being the the
wilderness for forty day without eating, Jesus is tempted by the “devil.” First, the
devil asks Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus tells the tempter that life is more
than food since it comes from God. Next, the “devil” tells Jesus the world is His
if He would acknowledge the “devil.” Jesus quotes Scripture and tells the tempter
that God is the ruler. Finally, the “devil” tells Jesus to trust God by jumping off
the top of the temple. Jesus’ response is that you do not test God. The “devil” left
for a future time.
Jesus sees though all of the half-truths that the devil tosses out. Food, power,
and protection are not the problem. Instead, the issue is how each of these items
is used. Instead of feeding our belly, we need to listen to God’s command. Rather
than grabbing power, we must realize that everything comes from God. And as an
alternative to looking out for ourselves, we need to recall that God is protecting
us.

Luke 4:1 full of the Holy Spirit – This is language that the author of Luke/Acts
uses to indicate that the character is a prophet (Luke 1:15; 1:41; 1:67; Acts
2:4; 4:8; 4:31; 6:3; 6:5; 7:55; 11:24; 13:9).1

Luke 4:2 for forty days – The interaction between Jesus and the one who tempts
lasts for forty days.
he was tempted The verb πειράζω for testing/tempting is used by the LXX
for testing God’s people.2 According to Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 8:16, and 13:3b
1
Luke Timothy Johnson; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of Luke, Volume 3,
Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991), p. 73.
2
Ibid.

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 God does test people. Johnson thinks that this usage is in line with tempting
and not testing.3
Job 2:3 is the primary example of the devil as tester (chief of quality con-
trol).
The Greek audience would hear the warnings against the “love of pleasure,
love of posessions, the love of glory.”4
by the devil – Luke uses devil (διάβολος) here although in other places he
uses satan (σατανᾶς).
He ate nothing at all during those days – There are two different ways that
we can read today’s Gospel Lesson. One approach is to think of Jesus as a
“Superman,” a person from a different planet who is not threatened by the
normal problems found here on Earth. When applied to the temptation of
Christ, this method of interpretation yields the following results. The idea
of turning stones into bread never enters the mind of the man of steel since
he has control over every need that his body might have. Hunger, thirst,
pain, and love never affect him at all. This man from a foreign world does
not need power, glory, or even authority because he is much stronger than
everyone else is. He is the real force in the world that keeps evil in its place.
A superhero needs no protection because he is invincible. In fact, he cannot
ever die.
This way of thinking has been with the Church since its earliest days and
it has been given the name “Docetism” or it seems like. Followers of idea
cannot believe that Jesus could or even would take on human flesh because
in their mind our body is either evil or corrupt. Instead, they taught that
Jesus was a pure spirit, which only looked like you and me.
The implications of this incorrect idea are staggering and completely for-
eign to our view of Christianity. According to their teachings, the disciples
are the biggest fools of all times. They lived with Jesus but they could not
tell that Jesus never really existed. What they saw was nothing more than
an optical illusion. Christ’s death on the cross did not happen because Je-
sus never had a body in the first place. Likewise, this resurrection could not
occur because Jesus never died.
3
Johnson, Luke, p. 73.
4
Ibid., p. 76.

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Luke 4:3 Son of God – People often have the idea that the Son of God is nothing
more than a miracle worker that hands out gifts to others.
stone to become a loaf of bread – This quote is an echo of many other
sources: John the Baptizer who tells us that God can raise stones to be fol-
lowers, the idea that God give bread in the wilderness to the hungry people
and the prophet, and the Greek idea of children of god who perform mira-
cles.5

Luke 4:4 The best texts do not have “from every word that comes from the mouth
of God” which is found in Matthew 4:4 and its original source located in
Deuteronomy 8:3.6

Luke 4:5 in an instant – Is this a “real” happening, a dream, or a memory? John-

son thinks it is a vision.7

Luke 4:6 for it has been given over to me – How much of this statement spoken
by the devil is actually true?

Luke 4:7 worship me – This is the eastern tradition of falling down (to prostrate
προσκυνέω ) before a leader.8

Luke 4:8 serve only him – The verb for serve (λατρεύω) also has an idea of
worship.

Luke 4:9 took him to Jerusalem – This use of Jerusalem foreshadows the direc-
tion Jesus takes. There on the cross, He gives up glory and authority so that
the entire world may be saved.
Even in God’s Holy City here on earth, the devil is at work.

Luke 4:10 to protect you – Protection against the problems of the world is a com-
mon wish. The tension in the text is a question of how much and when? In
other words, does God have the power to change the here and now? Cer-
tainly this happens sometimes but for the most cases it appears that pro-
tection from the elements, people, and this life does not occur any more in
followers of God than anyone else.
5
Johnson, Luke, p. 74.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid.

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 Luke 4:11 not dash your foot against a stone – The devil calls out for a leap of
faith that many others would like Christians to follow.
This is argument presented here moves from the lesser to the greater.9 For
example, see that Psalm 91:1 tells of how King David will be protected. If
David is safe from stubbing his toe, the argument the devil makes is that so
will Jesus.

Luke 4:12 Do not put the Lord your God to the test. – This way of life moves one
from a person who has faith into one who tries to analyze the situation and
see if God is really present. It also refers back to the concept of protection
found in 4:10. Assistance provided by God might be something that cannot
be quantified.
Jesus does not ask for understanding. He does not try to skip the darkness
that is coming (Isaiah 50:10). He continues obeying the Father.

Luke 4:13 he departed – The unspoken assumption found in this phrase is that
Jesus already has defeated the devil and the rest of the account is nothing
more than finishing up the isolated pockets of resistance.10
an opportune time – This emphasizes the work of the one who tests since
this one tries to find the best time to find weaknesses in the system.

References
Johnson, Luke Timothy; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of Luke,
Volume 3, Sacra Pagina, (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN: The
Liturgical Press, 1991).

9
Johnson, Luke, p. 74.
10
Ibid., p. 75.