February 4, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him. ” (Matthew 4.11)

“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4.13)

“At once the Spirit sent Him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended Him.” (Mark 1.12-13)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

There is an obvious difference between Matthew and Mark with the gospel rendering of Luke in the temptation story. The gospel of John does not have this event as a part of his recollection of the life and teachings of Jesus. He does declare at the end of his gospel that there were many more stories and teachings of Jesus to report. The volume of those teachings would overwhelm the ability of the earth to hold them all. Some textual criticists would say that what is the exception may well be the truth. If that were the case in the comparison of the “temptation” stories, then Luke’s version would definitively stand alone. What am I referring to (if you haven’t gone back to read the verses posted above)? In both Matthew and Mark, the conclusion of the prosecution, the legal term used here, was that angels came to minister to Jesus after Satan left Him in the wilderness. Such a testimony would add to the claim of divinity attributed to Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God. The appearance of angels (which also occurs in Luke’s gospel as part of the birth narrative) invokes the blessing of God in completing the work of redemption. Redemption is the theme of the birth narratives. It is the hope and the intertwining of the threads of the Law and the Spirit voices throughout scripture for both the Old and New Testaments. The demonstration of God’s redemptive effort on behalf of the whole world and realized by those who profess allegiance to God and more importantly profess Jesus as the Christ, is the entire message of the Bible.

I wanted to take a moment to speak to the message which Luke presents in his temptation story by leaving out, or never intending to include the mention of, “angels attending Jesus.” Most biblical scholars agree that the order in which the gospels were written was Mark (mid 60s before the death of Peter), Luke (in the mid 70s following the death of Paul), Matthew (in the mid 80s,in response to the “gentile” gospel as presented by Luke) and John (near the end of the first century as part of the compendium of writings including The Book of Revelation being the supposed “last” living disciple of Jesus.) It may be too simple to say that as a co-laborer with the Apostle Paul (who at times was at odds with the Apostle Peter) that such an omission may be a “personal” comment. If would also be an affront to the message of Luke to allow such a bias to influence the gospel of Jesus as the Christ. Was it a mere oversight? Did Luke have another source which, apart from Mark’s recording of the teachings of Peter, did not include “angels ministering to Jesus”?

Let’s take a look at the very concern of the angels to minister to Jesus after He was in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights (a reference to the Noah and the Flood story which is also a judgment/redemption story.) Such care from Heaven would affirm that though Jesus was the Son of God, and thus divine, He was also the Son of Man, and thus human. That God cared so much for the welfare of His Son that He would send His angels to minister to Him becomes an indication of how He cares for us as human beings and, by faith, His children and/or “the people of God.” It would also confirm the dualism of Jesus’ identity as “Immanuel, God with us.” From this, we can hear the echo of affirmation which Jesus Himself presents to those listening to His teachings such as those gathered for “The Sermon on the Mount.” In that collection of sayings remembered by Matthew, Jesus taught “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else that is needed to sustain you will be provided.” (Matthew 6.33) We see no such teaching, nor an aside to it, in Luke’s recollection often called “The Sermon on the Plain.” The references to “geographical position” become obvious when the audiences of both writers is considered: Matthew (Messianic Jews or Jews considering following Jesus) and Luke (Gentile Christians or Gentiles considering following Jesus). Matthew’s “elevation” refers to authority as in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. A mountain or hill signals authority both literally and figuratively, such as in the teaching of “a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” The obvious application of the teaching is that “hiding a candle under a bushel basket is not wise” speaks to the authority in the home being properly exercised and not hidden away (for both men and women, husbands and wives.) So, it would be then that the “plain” would represent the general population (Jew, Gentile or Samaritan). Jesus spoke to the common person as if they were of great value to God and of equal value as to those who were leaders; thus “the first shall be last and the last first” or “whoever is to be great among you must become the servant of all.” The gospel was for “all people” and not just those in authority.

Where might this lead us in understanding the lack of mention of “the angels ministering to Jesus“? Remember, Luke’s recollection simply states “…the Devil left Him until a more opportune time.” Why were there no ministering angels? As we established before, Luke certainly held to a belief in angels and their vital role in serving both God and humanity. What we do know is that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism. He was directed into the wilderness by the leading of the Holy Spirit. This would speak to the truth that there was a reason for Jesus to be so directed. This was not a random event. Jesus didn’t say “Oh, I have been dunked under water, so let me go to the desert to dry off.” Such a “time away” would have been recognized by prophet and ascetic as a time of reflection. The Apostle Paul spent time in much the same way to gain a better insight to his own call to ministry by the Resurrected Jesus on the Damascus Road. Perhaps Luke was highlighting the extent of the call of God in the new believers’ lives. They just didn’t walk out of the baptistry “ready-made.” There was a time of discipleship and reflection as well as a time of trial/testing and error. Not that Jesus made any mistakes, mind you. Still, it was the nature of Jesus to take time away from the disciples and the crowds to spend with His Heavenly Father. He didn’t go on vacation. He went on a spiritual retreat. He prayed. He fasted. He rested. He reflected. He moved forward. What a powerful testimony to us as believers and co-laborers in the call of our redemption. We are not simply saved from our sins but empowered to do the work intended for us as a part of God’s whole plan for creation. Thus, the lack of mention of “ministering angels” may well point Luke’s audience, and us as mighty ones of God, to dependence upon the Holy Spirit. In the gospel of John, Jesus spends a great deal of time instructing the disciples about leaning into the Holy Spirit in times of trial and testing (John 14-17). From Luke’s perspective, this is what Jesus must have done as well. Having been “sanctified,” set apart for ministry at His baptism being blessed by the Holy Spirit, He was then put to the test of trusting that same Spirit in the flesh and in the spirit world. He was certainly tested by the body and by the enemy during those days immediately following His baptism. Immediately following, Luke says “Jesus full of the Holy Spirit returned to Galilee preaching the gospel.” At this point, He was a stand-alone preacher, pastor and prophet in Galilee from the Jordan to Nazareth to Capernaum where He would call His first disciples to “Come, follow Me.” It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t need ministering angels that Luke does not mention them. It would be for the sake of the power of Jesus’ testimony itself, that the Holy Spirit was all He needed. The same might be sad for us in our times of trial and our times of service.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.