Scripture Study for

The reading from Deuteronomy contains one of the most important creedal statements found in the Pentateuch. This profession of faith was part of the  Israelite celebration of First Fruits. The cultic ritual described here consisted of both action (the offering of the basket containing the produce) and the recitation of the saving acts of God on behalf of the people. This passage describes Moses instructing the Israelites for future observances of this festival. Since these directives come from Moses, the spokesperson of God, they have Mosaic and therefore divine legitimacy. 

The essence of Paul’s preaching is twofold: the centrality of Christ in the drama of salvation, and the need to accept the gospel in order to open oneself to Christ’s saving power. To call Jesus Lord had ramifications in both Jewish and  Greek circles. In the Jewish tradition, it identified Jesus with the one true God. In a Greek culture, it claimed that Jesus—and no other political lord or master—was the one to whom whole-hearted allegiance belonged. Finally, it is faith in Jesus,  not membership in the chosen people of Israel, that justifies and saves.

The account of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness states that Jesus was under the influence of the Holy Spirit. In each temptation Jesus is challenged to prove that he is the Son of God. The temptation to produce bread recalls Israel’s hunger in the wilderness and God’s graciousness in supplying the people with manna. In the second temptation, Jesus rejects the devil’s offer to turn over control of the world to him. The last test was an attempt to force God to protect Jesus. In each instance Jesus rejects the temptation and refers to a passage from Deuteronomy.  Three times the devil tempts Jesus; three times Jesus proves his allegiance to God. He never directly addresses the question of his divine sonship, but he always shows himself to be faithful, whereas Israel was not.