You Have a Place at Grace - 2/19/2026

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt.4:1).

The word “then” connects the temptation of Jesus to His baptism in the preceding verses. After being baptized by John in the Jordan river, the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness (see also Mark 1:12) and temps the Son of God with three temptations. The term “wilderness” reminds us of Israel’s failings prior her entrance into the Promise Land. She complained about food, put God to the test, and fell for the devil’s temptations. Now comes Jesus, the perfection of Israel hearing Satan’s temptations and putting the Tempter to flight by the Word of God.

We can’t miss the order of events in the life of Christ, going from baptism to temptation in just a breath. The Devil still hates the Church and sees the baptized as prey. But like Paul we shouldn’t be ignorant of Satan’s designs (2 Cor.2:11). These temptations keep coming. We think about bread more than the Word, the Kingdoms of the world glisten and gleam to eyes never satisfied, and we test God’s patience when we doubt His Word. “Did God really say?” was Satan’s question in the garden and one today invoking doubt in us who still “walk in the flesh” (2 Cor.10:3).

Jesus walked in the flesh and didn’t succumb to the Tempter. The sinless Lamb kept and fulfilled the Law, doing everything Israel didn’t. The Perfect One continues His journey to the cross Satan fails to stop. His conditional sentence “If you are the Son of God” is another trick planting doubt, presupposing Jesus’ identity isn’t settled and needs proving by a display of power. But Jesus’ aim isn’t proving His might before doing what He comes to do—to die for the world He redeems only by blood.

Returning to 2 Corinthians 10 quoted above, we walk in the flesh, which is only part of the passage. Paul also says we wage warfare with weapons that have “divine power to destroy strongholds.” The Word of God is that power, the weaponry not of the flesh, but of God to withstand attacks that fall before the crucified Christ. We lose many battles this side of glory, and they’re painful reminders of our sin and weakness. But looking at Matthew 4 shows the Perfect One trod in the steps of Israel and all of humanity doing what we can’t—living a perfect life culminating in a spotless sacrifice on a bloody cross to take every ounce of wrath sin deserves. By these stripes, we really are healed.

-By Rev. Ryan J. Ogrodowicz, “You Have a Place at Grace,” February 19, 2026

Grace Lutheran Church - Brenham, Texas

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod