Luke 4

Luke 4:1

In Luke 3, we saw Jesus baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. When He came out of the water, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove. Then He heard a voice saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Talk about a radical baptism! But be aware of this fact: After a high time often comes a hard time; on the heels of a triumph, trouble often follows. Consequently, here in chapter 4, we see Jesus, having been baptized, having heard the voice of the Father, facing a difficult time indeed… Notice that Jesus was ledor literally drivenby the Spirit into the wilderness, where Satan would tempt Him. Why? Was the Spirit trying to do Him in? Not at all. The Spirit led Him into the place of temptation not to do Him in, but to show Him off. Think of it this way: If you were to show some interest in a Jeep, the salesman would tell you to take it for a drive in the mountains or the dunes in order to show you its power and durability. So, too, the Spirit was able to show off the power and the ability, the holiness and tenacity of Jesus. The same is true for you. Why does the Lord allow hardship in your life? He’s out to show His strength in your life that the devil might be defeated once again. The three temptations that correlate with what John delineates in his first Epistle constitute Satan’s entire game plan… For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.1Jn_2:16 Satan has only three temptations, three plays in his playbook: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And he runs them over and over again… “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food…” (Gen_3:6). The first temptation Satan used in the Garden of Eden is the same one He used first in the wilderness: the lust of the flesh. And it’s the same temptation he sets before you whenever he whispers, “Don’t you deserve a moment of satisfaction, a moment of pleasure? Why should everyone else have all the fun? Aren’t you a child of God? Don’t you think He wants you to experience life and be fulfilled?” The author of the letter to the Hebrews was absolutely right when he said there is pleasure in sin for a season (Heb_11:25). If you give in to the lust of the flesh, you will indeed have pleasure for a seasonfor a momentbut you’ll experience pain for the rest of your life. If, on the other hand, you deny your flesh, you might experience pain for a moment, but you’ll have pleasure for the rest of your life. The choice is yours.

Luke 4:4

In answer to Satan’s temptation, Jesus did what you and I are to do. Submitted to the Word, He quoted the Word (Deu_8:3). Such was the Sword He used to beat back the seduction of Satan.

Luke 4:5

“And that it was pleasant to the eyes” (Gen_3:6). After the lust of the flesh came the lust of the eyes. Satan had the right to offer the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, for Paul declares him as the god of this world (2Co_4:4). You see, when Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan rather than God, they, in effect, handed him the title deed of the planet. That is the reason for the pain and the problems that beset our world daily, our lives individually. The lust of the eyes doesn’t refer only to looking at something that would tempt or stimulate you to do wrong. The lust of the eyes is seeing any other way than God’s to accomplish His purpose. “Why go through the agony and the suffering of Calvary?” Satan asked Jesus. “Just bow down and worship me, and the kingdoms of the world will be yours.” When Satan, one of the highest of all the created angelic beings, was in heaven, his desire to be worshiped was what got him cast out of heaven in the first place. And yet he still desires to be worshiped. “Worship me,” he says to Jesus, “and I’ll show You a shortcut to saving the world so You won’t have to die on the Cross or plunge into hell.”

Luke 4:8

Again, submitted to the Word, Jesus quoted the Word (Deu_6:13), and therein found victory.

Luke 4:9

“And a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof” (Gen_3:6). After the lust of the eyes came the pride of life, as Satan set Jesus on a pinnacle of the temple and said, “Multitudes will come to hear You preach if You jump from the temple and let angels catch You. Show them who You are.” I find it more than coincidental that this temptation took place at the highest point of the holiest placethe temple. Haven’t you discovered that it is when you are at church that you are presented with strong temptations of pride or cynicism, envy or apathy? I believe that one of the places the demons are most active is the place where the body meets together corporately.

Luke 4:12

Satan quoted Scripture, and Jesus came back with another. That’s why we are to be students of the Word (2Ti_2:15). Any cult, demon, or false religious teacher can build a case from one isolated text, but be completely in error if he doesn’t take into account all of the counsel of God (Act_20:27). Scripture balances Scripture. I believe the three temptations Jesus faced at the outset of His public ministry are the same three temptations that will come to anyone involved in any aspect of ministrybe it to family or to the body… The temptation of materialism. “You should be living in a nicer house,” Satan will whisper. “You’re the King’s kid, aren’t you? Don’t you think He wants you to drive a Mercedes? Aren’t you hungry?” The temptation of pragmatism. “Look at all those nations,” Satan says. “Shouldn’t they be saved? So you have to bow down to me for just a moment, and look at what you’ll get.” The temptation of sensationalism. “Come and see the power of God as we jump from the temple,” the evangelist beckons. “Angels will surround us. The glory of God shall move among us. Healings and wonder and glory will flow through us.” Materialism, pragmatism, and sensationalismthree ways Satan will try to infect a ministry. Watch out. Be as wise as serpents in these last days in which we live.

Luke 4:14

If it was Jesus’ custom to be in the synagogue, how much more so should it be ours. “I can worship God on the golf course,” some say. Or “Our church is so dead. I get more inspired when I’m surfing.” Do you think the synagogues Jesus attended were places of “Holy Ghost Happenings”? Do you think they were vibrant and moving? I don’t. Do you think Jesus actually learned from the teachings of the rabbis? I don’t. Yet it was His custom to attend anyway. Why? Simply to be in the midst of the church (Heb_2:12). And His presence in our midst is much more than enough of a reason to come together corporately, to meet together consistently.

Luke 4:17

As was the tradition in those days, Jesus, a visiting Rabbi, was afforded the opportunity to read and comment briefly on Scripture. And the text for that given day being Isaiah 61a prophecy concerning the coming MessiahJesus’ first sermon would be about Himself. We often hear people say, “I feel the Lord’s anointing upon my life.” But watch what Jesus says His anointing consisted of… The poor, the downtrodden, the outcast, the unattractive, and the forgotten peoplethese are the people to whom we are to reach out, especially if we are to be like Jesus. Brokenhearted people are not easy to minister to because it’s not easy to walk with someone who’s hurting, to listen to their repetitive rambling, to dry their seemingly endless tears. And yet these are they to whom Jesus came lovingly, tenderly, and specifically. Jesus was anointed to preach to the very people to whom we all too often impatiently say, “I’ve told you what to do once; I’ve told you how to be free twice; why are you still in bondage to that habit, that person, that substance?” Of the spiritually blind, we are tempted to say in frustration, “Why can’t they see it? How could spiritual truth be any clearer?” Yet they are precisely for whom Jesus came. Afraid of getting hurt, bruised people hold back. They’re defensive, timid, and fearful. Yet because He is anointed to free them, Jesus finds a way to reach them. I am so impressed with Jesus. He is the One who is patient with those who are bruised, who listens to those who are blubbering, who continues to take time with those who just can’t see, who works with the one who is in bondage. Lord, move me in this direction. Make me more like You. A Most Magnificent Mission A Topical Study of Luk_4:18-19 If you have read leadership or management journals, you know that a real trend has been for every organizationwhether business or ministryto issue a Mission Statement, a succinct description of its vision or mission. We find Jesus’ Mission Statement in the first message He preached in Nazareth when He said: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD…Isa_61:1-2 Some commentators have suggested that the year Jesus began His public ministry was the Year of Jubileea year of celebration and liberation when all debts were canceled and all slaves set free. If this be the case, Jesus’ message would be especially fitting, for He was about to set people free from religious domination as well. In Jesus’ day, the rabbis taught that there were 613 commands in the law. Consequently people struggled under a heavy burden of what they were told constituted true religion and holiness. No wonder, then, that they would marvel at the gracious words Jesus spoke to them (Luk_4:22). But as He continued speaking to them of their need for Him, their marvel turned to wrath. “How dare He give a word of correction to us?” they asked. “We know Him. He grew up here. This is just Joseph’s boy.” Jesus caught these people off guard because quite possibly there were boys in the town who were much better candidates to be Messiah than He. After all, the other boys wore phylacteriesboxes worn on the forehead or around their wrists which contained Deu_6:4. Jesus, evidently, never did (Mat_23:5). Because I like to take my Bible with me wherever I go, phylacteries seem like a good idea. Obviously, the scrolls were too big and bulky to carry about, so phylacteries would seem to be a wonderful way to express the importance of the Word of God. I’m sure I would have spotted the guys wearing their phylacteries faithfully and said, “There are our leaders, right there.” But that’s because I’m a closet Pharisee. I’m impressed with signs of spiritualityphylacteries, prayer shawls, broad borders, and all the rest. Jesus, however, models something entirely different. As they watched Him grow up, the people in His hometown didn’t say of Him, “Now there’s a spiritual young man.” No, they wanted to kill Him (Luk_4:29). You wouldn’t want to kill a man you thought was qualified to be Messiah. Not only did Jesus not carry a Bible, He evidently never gave a formal Bible study to His disciples. I look for every opportunity to hold a formal or an informal Bible study. That’s what the Pharisees did too. Endlessly. They unrolled the scrolls. They had discussions. They prodded and pontificated. But although Jesus knew the Word better than all of them by the age of twelve (Luk_2:47), His approach to spiritual life and Bible study was entirely different. And because Jesus was able to move about without a big Bible in hand, impressing people with His knowledge, He was able to do incarnational ministry that was completely nonintimidating as when He would derive a succinct lesson on spiritual life simply from seeing a man casting seed into a field (Luk_8:5). I am anything but succinct. I don’t make my points quickly. I love to go on and on. Jesus did just the opposite. When Thomas doubted, Jesus didn’t say, “Let Me give you five reasons why the Resurrection is true, fifteen Old Testament prophecies that shed light on what is happening before you.” No, He simply said, “Touch My wounds” (see Joh_20:27). It’s not that He didn’t know the prophecies. It’s not that He didn’t have a grasp on Scripture. But it’s as though He had distilled them to the point where the people He cared about could be effectively reached without being intimidated by His knowledge. His was an incarnational ministry that amazes me. Nonetheless, I find myself asking, “Couldn’t You have given some Bible studies to Your disciples and recorded them in the Word, which we could use as a model for how Scripture is to be taught?” Oh, Jesus did this on one occasionon the road to Emmaus. But, being that this is the only time such teaching is recorded, it was the singular exception rather than the ruleand even then, it was given to two individuals who were outside of His inner circle of twelve. Not only do we find an absence of recorded Bible study in the Word, but there is not one recorded instance in the New Testament where Jesus prayed with His disciples. There is not one recorded instance when He gathered His boys around a fire and said, “Let’s spend some time in prayer,” not one time where He said to His disciples, “It’s a great night. Look at the stars above. Let’s talk to the Father together.” Finally, after a year and a half, His disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray. John does. The Pharisees do.” Indeed, the Pharisees did pray: in the parking lot, on the street corner, in the marketplace, they loved to give long prayers. I like that. That’s spirituality. That’s holiness. If I were Jesus, I would have taught on prayer, given seminars on prayer, called special meetings for prayer. But what did Jesus do? In response to His disciples’ request to teach them to pray, He not only repeated the simple prayer He had taught them a year and a half earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, but He shortened it by five words. Jesus’ disciples knew prayer was the foundation of His ministry. Seeing Him slip away before the break of day morning by morning (Isa_50:4), they knew He was a man of passionate prayer. And yet He didn’t necessarily pray with them. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, “You stay here while I go and pray” (see Mat_26:36). Why? I suggest it was because, although prayer is a glorious privilege, it can also be very intimidating to people. Whenever I tell a congregation to break into groups for conversational prayer, I can feel the tension that fills the room. Evidently, Jesus was so kind, so gracious, so loving that He would not put that kind of trip on anyone. I like to pray with peoplebut when was the last time I spent all night alone in prayer? Jesus reversed the entire order. He talked about a prayer closet, about praying in secret, as if to say, “Forget the outward expression because it intimidates people. They’re burdened by your seeming spirituality, but I came to set them free.” As a result, common people heard Him gladly (Mar_12:37). They were drawn to Him like moths to a flame not because He was well groomed or well attired (Isa_53:2), but because there was evidently something in His eyes that welcomed them, something in His voice that warmed them. I’m sad to admit that I look for guys who are sharp in appearance as leadership material. The Pharisees did too. The best-dressed men of their day, they came across as very polished and sophisticated. But they also came across as stern and unapproachable. Not Jesus. So easy was He to be with that for His inaugural miracle, He made wine for a wedding party. History tells us that in Jesus’ day, when a baby girl was born into the family, her father would annually make a batch of wine for himself and one for his daughter’s marriage celebration. Therefore, if the bride at Cana was fifteen or sixteen, there would have been presented to the happy couple sixteen years’ worth of wine. But after drinking all sixteen years’ worth, the wedding party in Cana ran out of wine. So what did Jesus do? Did He give them a lecture on the danger of overindulgence? Did He make a bottle or two? No, He made one hundred eighty gallons (Joh_2:6). If I were Jesus, I would have kicked off my public ministry with a nice healing miracle or by bringing someone back from the dead. Instead, Jesus said, “Here’s a little bride and groom who are embarrassed. I want to help them.” He gave no teaching; He got no glory. He simply provided wine with no strings attached. In fact, in studying His miracles, very rarely do we see Jesus make application to the people He touched, healed, or helped. With the exception of a couple occasions, no tracts were given out, no teaching was given. “Sell your goods and follow Me,” He said to the rich young ruler (see Mat_19:21). But when he couldn’t do this, Jesus didn’t say, “Let’s get together for coffee and rethink your decision. I want to take you through Ecclesiastes and explain to you the emptiness of riches.” No, He simply let His invitation stand. Reformers intrigue me. Reformers are intense, single-minded, committed. Yet the fire in their eyes and the determination on their faces can cause people to be intimidated, to back away, to feel bad. Reformers can be uptight. Not Jesus. Why? He trusted the Father that in due time the rich young ruler would see the truth of His words and the depth of His love and come back. Even when He cleansed the temple, John makes it clear the scourge Jesus made was a small scourge and that He took care to protect the doves (Joh_2:15-16). There’s never any panic or frenzy seen in Jesus. Rather, He moved with serenity, certainty, and tranquility. As a result, although He was referred to as a glutton, a winebibber, and the friend of sinners, no one ever accused Him of being too busy. “Master, all men seek for You in Capernaum. That’s the hot spot of the northern region, the epicenter of the area outside of Jerusalem. What an invitation!” But what did Jesus say? “For this reason came I forth,“not from heaven, but from His morning prayer time"to go to a little un-walled village to talk to the villagers there. And that will about do it for today” (see Mar_1:38). Jesus cared about one thing: His Father’s will. That’s all. That is how He was able to move around with serenity, focus, and a complete lack of busyness. “My burden is easy and My load is light,” He said (see Mat_11:30). And He lived this out in such a way that no one ever once suggested or implied He was busy. Jesus truly breaks the mold of what we perceive holiness and spirituality to be. Although we think this is seen in the fact that He hung around publicans and sinners, I believe it is seen more clearly in the fact that He dined with Pharisees. To be sure, He spoke harshly to the Pharisees because He knew that’s what it would take to get through to those about whom He genuinely cared. But when they invited Him to their gatherings, He went. You see, at the home of Simon, Jesus ministered to the Pharisee and prostitute alike (Luk_7:36-39). We understand so little of this. How easy it is for church congregations to say, “We want more young people. What can we do to be more youthful and vibrant?” Or, “We need some tithers. How can we appeal to the older set?” Or “We want hippies. We want to do the ‘Jesus Movement’ thing.” Or “We want to reach yuppies. That’s what is current.” Or “We want to be interracial. We want our Fellowship to be one about which visitors say, ‘Wow, the people in your church are varied and cool.”’ Jesus was completely not interested in this. Pharisee, prostitute, woman, man, young, and oldHe loved anyone and everyone the Father sent His way. “Master, we saw Your disciples picking wheat on the Sabbath day. This ought not be” (see Mat_12:2-4). “Have you not read of David stealing the showbread from the temple in order to feed his men?” Jesus asked, as if to say, “There are laws, and there is love. But when love and the law collide, love always has precedence.” A mother was called to the nursery to take care of her baby. But because she forgot to take her nursery identification with her, the nursery staff understandably wouldn’t let her have her baby. “I’ll get my card,” she said. But when she returned to the amphitheatre at Applegate Christian Fellowship to get it, she was stopped by deacons who were doing their job, trying to keep disturbances at a minimum. So she was stuck. Everyone was doing his job. Everyone was following the rules, but a woman was crushed in the process. I like rules, parameters. I like everything in place. But Jesus said, “There’s something a whole bunch more important than rules. It’s people.” Jesus dealt with the woman at the well without ever dealing directly with the issue of her living with a man who was not her husband. If I were Jesus, I would have made sure she understood the importance of getting out of that relationship, of making things right. But in recording the story, the Holy Spirit seems to say to any who question this, “That’s none of your business. You don’t need to know whether Jesus dealt directly with that issue or not.” Could this be because, knowing this woman had had five husbands and was living with a man to whom she was not married, she would have obviously been branded as an immoral woman whose only option to survive financially was through prostitution? Could it be that Jesus was saying, “What the religious are concerned about, I’m not all that concerned about. And what the religious aren’t concerned about, namely love, concerns me to the utmost”? “I am anointed to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, to give sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are bruised,” Jesus said in the most magnificent Mission Statement ever conceived. And He fulfilled it perfectly, exquisitely, and completely. Jesus blows apart every idea I have about spirituality and ministry. And in so doing He sets us all free from the burdens and baggage of grumpiness and condemnation, of fear and intimidation. Revisit Jesusthis laid-back Lover of people whose intensity was private and personal, who didn’t put pressure on people. Reacquaint yourself with the Friend of sinners, the Man who spoke gracious words continually, who healed unconditionally, who loved sacrificiallyfor although He is unrecognized by most religious people, He alone defines true holiness.

Luke 4:20

Here an itinerant Rabbi had opened the Scriptures and shared with the people in such a way that they marveled at the gracious words He spoke. He hadn’t come down on them. He hadn’t preached at them. Rather, He shared with them in a way they had never heard before. All too often, I think I’ve got a teacher, a brother, a co-worker peggedonly to discover later that, because my information is limited, because my ability to understand is not as great as I think it is, my conclusion is completely amiss. As I read a book or listen to a sermon, if I’m not careful, I can find myself doing just what the Galileans didfirst marveling at the message, taking in the teaching, receiving the word coming to mebut then missing out on the miracle because I erroneously analyze the messenger.

Luke 4:23

Jesus knew the people would ask Him to validate His ministry and substantiate His authority by doing a miracle among them even as He had done in Capernaum.

Luke 4:24

Jesus’ word to the Jews was, “When Elijah and Elisha were not received in their own land, they were sent to the Gentiles to do significant miracles. So watch out because if you’re not careful, once again, you will miss the opportunity to receive miraculous ministry.”

Luke 4:28

Because the Jews believed that Gentiles were good for nothing but to keep the fires of hell hot, Jesus’ implication that Gentiles would be the recipients of anything other than the disdain of God filled them with wrath.

Luke 4:29

So incensed were the Jews that they mobbed Jesus with the intent of killing Him by throwing Him over a cliff.

Luke 4:30

Why was this mob able to drive Jesus out of the city and all the way to the edge of the precipice, but unable to push Him over? What happened to the crowd that made them part? I don’t know. Perhaps it was something in Jesus’ eyes, or a look of determination upon His face that allowed Him to walk through them like a hot knife through butter. It amazes me that people today don’t want to study the Scriptures. They want to go to power seminars and have power meetings wearing power ties at power breakfasts. Everything is power in this decade in which we live. But true power is in the Wordtaking in the Word, contemplating the Word, giving priority to the Word. The powerful working of God in our lives is directly connected to our receiving His Word.

Luke 4:33

Jesus never went looking for demons. He never held deliverance meetings. He never taught deliverance seminars. But where Jesus is, the demons suddenly get restless, and they expose themselves. Nowhere in Scripture are believers told to search for the devil and pray against the devil. If you and I are doing our job in just teaching the Word, sharing the Word, and sharing the Lord, demons will surface from time to time and make themselves knownnot necessarily physically or tangibly, but we’ll sense their activity. Our emphasis, however, must remain on the person and work and nature of Jesus. Demon possession is a real phenomenon of our day. But I also believe the church can suffer from demon obsessioncentering on, talking about, dealing with the devil and demons more than walking in the light. If you walk into a dark room, you don’t speak against the darkness, have a rally against the darkness, or give seminars on the darkness.

You simply turn on the light. And I think that’s the best way, the right way, the scriptural way to deal with spiritual darkness as well. Keep your ministry, your focus, your priority on Jesusand Satan will run for cover.

Luke 4:38

Coming home from the synagogue, Peter walks in to find his mother-in-law sick with a fever. How often that happens to us. We leave the refreshment and restoration we find in church only to find feverish activity and fiery trials awaiting us at home. But Peter models the solution because guess who he brought with him! Take Jesus home with you. Then, whatever feverish trials await you, the Lord is there with you. Talk about Him on the way home. Talk with Him when you get home, and you will thwart any attempt of the enemy to undo what you have received.

Luke 4:40

One of the most effective tactics of the Enemy is to get people who don’t know the Lord or care about the Lord to be in positions where they’re talking about things of the Lord, even though their lives are a mess and their motives are amiss. In this way, the church, the body of Christ is discredited.

Luke 4:42

Jesus was accused by His enemies of many things, but one thing He was never accused of was being too busy. He grew tired physically from the demands placed upon Him, but He was never uptight or stressed out. Rather, He moved with a tranquility and a serenity that are sadly lacking in our society. Solitude and Silence A Topical Study of Luk_4:42 If a man wants to be used by God, he cannot spend all of his time with people. A. W. Tozer Jesus was One who, better than any other, knew the importance of solitude. That is why we see Him repeatedly going off into a desert place, alone. Following are four results of time spent in such solitude… Realization of Self When you’re in a quiet place away from other people, suddenly you can’t blame your schedule, your peers, or your family for your frustration or failure. That’s why people avoid being alone. That is why they keep the TV on, the radio loud, people around. They don’t want to come face-to-face with themselves. Compassion for Others After receiving revelation of myself, I am no longer as hard on you. The reason people come down on others, judge others, find fault with others is because they have spent little time alone in the presence of the Lordfor if they did, like Isaiah, who spent the first five chapters of the book that bears his name saying, “Woe unto you”; “Woe unto you”; “Woe unto you”;after seeing the Lord high and lifted up, like Isaiah they would say, “Woe is me. I am a man of unclean lips,” (Isa_6:5). That is why sometimes one of the best things we can do for people is to absent ourselves from them. When we’re constantly with people, we have a tendency to find fault. But when we spend a season in solitude, after truly seeing ourselves, we emerge with greater compassion for others. Transformation of Society Society is not transformed by people picketing, marching, or even voting. I suggest that when you study historyparticularly European historyyou cannot help but notice that monarchs, potentates, and powers were moved by monksmen who chose lives of solitude. Withdrawing from society, they changed the face of Europe politically. Regarding society as a shipwreck from which each individual must swim for his life, the desert fathers knew they were helpless to do any good for others as long as they themselves floundered about in the wreckage. These were men who believed that to allow oneself to drift along passively accepting the tenets and values of society was to court disaster. But once they got a foothold on solid ground, they discovered they had not only the power, but also the obligation to pull their entire culture to safety as well. Consequently, as decades passed, philosophers and thinkers, rulers and politicians journeyed to the desert in order to hear from them and be instructed by them. Thus, Europe was transformed by men who realized the best way to stand on solid ground was to spend moments, years, and decades seeking God and living a solitary life. Preparation for Ministry When did the Word of God come to John? When he was in the wilderness. When was Moses called to lead the people of Israel? After spending forty years in the desert. When did Jesus begin His public ministry? After spending forty days in solitude. There is something about solitude that is absolutely essential in the lives of spiritual men and women, for because the Lord has chosen to speak in a still, small voice that is all too often drowned out in everyday activity, it is in solitude that His voice is heard most clearly. That’s all well and good, you may be thinking, but withdrawing to the desert is simply not practical for me. That being the case for most of us, there is a way in which every one of us can practice a life of daily solitude. That way is silence. Silence can be the private desert you carry with you wherever you go. But it’s not easy. Besides speaking an average of forty to sixty thousand words a day, the average person will receive approximately fifteen messages every day from Madison Avenue, saying, “Buy me; taste me; drive me.” Whether generated by Coca-Cola or Cadillac, a constant barrage of noise is hurled at us over billboard, radio, and television. As a result, the value of words is diminished in our society. But this problem is not ours alone. Concerning much talk, an early church Father wrote the following: “When the door of a steam bath is left open, the heat escapes. Likewise, even though everything it says may indeed be good, the soul’s cognizance of God is dissipated through the door of speech. Without the Holy Spirit to keep its understanding free of fantasy, the intellect pours out a welter of confused thoughts. Ideas of value always shun verbosity. Being foreign to confusion and fantasy, timely silence is precious, for it is nothing less than the mother of the wisest of our thoughts.” “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,” said John, “that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (see 1Jn_1:1-3). John shared freely, but he did not share that which he had not touched. Could it be that the reason our sharing is sometimes not received or effective is due to the fact that we are speaking that which we ourselves have not touched, heard, or seen? Could it be that the reason we have not touched, heard, or seen is because we have not been in solitude? And could it be that we have not been in solitude because we have not desired to pay the price of silence? “Learn to be quiet,” said Paul (see 1Th_4:11). “Let every man be quick to hear and slow to speak,” James echoes (see Jas_1:19). In Luke’s Gospel, as I see the blossoming of John’s ministry, andto an infinitely greater degreethe ministry of Jesus, I realize that both ministries were birthed in times of silence. May the Lord call us into a greater understanding of solitude and silence that we might speak all the more effectively and live in true intimacy with the Father.