"IT IS WRITTEN!"

Luke 4:1-13                                  (ESV)
"1 And JESUS, full of the HOLY SPIRIT, returned from the Jordan and was led by the SPIRIT in the wilderness
2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And HE ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, HE was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If YOU are the SON of GOD, command this stone to become bread."
4 And JESUS answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"
5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
6 and said to HIM, "To YOU I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
7 If YOU, then, will worship me, it will all be YOURS."
8 And JESUS answered him, ""IT IS WRITTEN", "'You shall worship the LORD your GOD, and HIM only shall you serve.'"
9 And he took HIM to Jerusalem and set HIM on the pinnacle of the temple and said to HIM, "If you are the SON of GOD, throw YOURSELF down from here,
10 for "IT IS WRITTEN", "'HE will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,'
11 and "'On their hands they will bear YOU up, lest you strike YOUR foot against a stone.'"
12 And JESUS answered him, ""IT IS WRITTEN", 'You shall not put the LORD your GOD to the test.'"
13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from HIM until an opportune time."



When the scriptures above are considered, one can easily see how JESUS might have been in a bad state after fasting for 40 days!  Were we observing me, irritability and impatience are most likely the characteristics that would have been displayed.  However, this was GOD in the flesh, DIVINITY clothed in humanity, and HIS response shouldn't surprise, nor alarm us.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says "For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways and MY thoughts than your thoughts."

Although JESUS was, and is GOD, HE was still wrapped in a human body.  Satan evidently thought he had JESUS on his turf (in this world) and JESUS was without all of HIS power?  The enemy was quickly corrected as JESUS almost constantly replied to satan's temptations with "IT IS WRITTEN", reminding him of what GOD had said about following GOD's instructions.  According to the Gospel of John 1:1 "In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD."

JESUS is the WORD of GOD!  Whenever HE spoke the WORD of GOD came out of HIS mouth with no effort. HE has been with GOD since the beginning and HIS memory is better than anything we have ever experienced.  When HE was but 12 years old Luke 2:46-48a records "After three days they (JESUS' parents) found HIM (JESUS) in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard HIM were amazed at HIS understanding and HIS answers. And when HIS parents saw HIM, they were astonished".  The teachers in the temple, HIS parents, and ALL who heard HIM were astonished!  Now satan had the opportunity to be astonished as he got to see that JESUS has lost none of HIS Power when HE wrapped flesh around his SPIRIT to come to earth!

The enemy still acts as though he is the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), but there is only one GOD and HE will not share HIS glory with another (Isaiah 42:8)!  We are living in a tumultuous world that is a manifestation of what living life as though there is no GOD can bring.  When will our eyes be opened to see that "IT IS WRITTEN" is not just a prognostication of what COULD happen, it is GOD's WORD and what it says will happen!  Just like satan had to be shown in Luke 4, evidently we will have to be shown ONCE AGAIN that when scripture says "IT IS WRITTEN", IT WILL HAPPEN!!!