Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
But a little reflection should help make things clear. The context of the verse is the tempations of Christ in the wilderness, Satan has just suggested that Jesus should throw himself from the temple because God will order the angels to catch him in accordance with the scriptures. This line is Jesus's reply. I take it to mean that God's promises for things like protection (or even provision) are not meant to be wrested from the context of a life being conformed to God's way. This temptation is to abrogate to oneself the promises of God aside from the overall will of God. It is presumptuousness; presuming God will serve us.
It seems to me that a good example of the temptation today is prosperity teaching which essentially starts well in God's promises of provision, but slides out of a resposible contextual trust into a fairly selfish and narrow view which seems to expect the world to run for 'me' and mistakes the contingency of living in a prosperous society for a universal spiritual template for wealth attraction. Similarly, to live irresponsibly using God's protection as a pretext seem presumptuous too: not to look before stepping into to road because 'God will protect us' is irresponsible and putting God to the test. Trusting God to provide but not being prepared to be the agent of at least some of that provision is also not faith-full but rather ducking out of our responsibilities.
So here I tend to be praying about not being presumptuous and making sure I am doing my bit or playing my part in God's providence.
Save us from the time of trying God's patience and that of those who have to clear up after us ...
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Crosswalk.com - Luke 4:12:Filed in: Prayer_beads, paternoster, Praying_the_Pattern, reflection, rosary, Christian, spirituality, prayer, Abbeynous
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