Jesus’ Temptations: A Parody of God’s Promise to Abraham and Sarah?
In Gen.12:1-3 God gives Abram what I take to be the ground-plan or plotline of the biblical story in the form of a threefold promise. God promises that through Abram and his wife Sarai he will raise up a great new people, bless that people with his presence and land, and through them, this great new God-blessed people, the rest of the nations will similarly receive divine blessing. I wonder if the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness by the devil is not shaped by, or at least correlates to, this basic biblical promise. Matthew’s account (4:1-13) follows immediately upon Jesus’ baptism where Jesus makes a point of entering into solidarity with his people through John’s baptism. Jesus claims this is necessary for God’s “righteous” purposes to be fulfilled (3:15). I take it he is highlighting his connection with this people as heirs of the great promise to Abraham. Such as claim stirs up the powers resisting God’s plan and purpose and Jesus, led the Spirit, undergoes his wi...