One of my favorite passages in Scripture is found in Luke 4:1–13. It’s full of practical insight, offering rich lessons from the temptation of Jesus.
One of those lessons comes at the end of the passage:
“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” — Luke 4:13
What does it mean that the devil left Jesus “until an opportune time”?
It means the enemy was waiting for a better moment—another season of weakness, pressure, or vulnerability. He doesn’t give up. He waits and watches for when the conditions are right.
Why this moment? Why tempt Jesus now?
Jesus was physically weakened after forty days without food. He was alone in the wilderness. And He was at the beginning of His public ministry—a path that would lead to rejection, suffering, and death.
It was the perfect moment to strike.
And Satan’s temptations matched the moment:
Each temptation was tailored to the situation. Each one subtle, strategic, and timely.
In other words, it was an opportune time.
We face the same kind of targeted temptation. Not all the time, but in opportune times—those moments when we are more vulnerable than we realize.
Seasons of physical exhaustion, illness, grief, stress, success, transition—these can become open doors for the enemy’s schemes.
We need to be honest about those times. We need to pay attention to our patterns of vulnerability. And most of all, we need to be spiritually alert—knowing that Satan often waits for the moment we’re least prepared.
What’s remarkable about this passage is not just the warning—it’s the victory.
Throughout history, Satan has worked to sidetrack God’s purposes by exploiting human weakness.
In the garden, he tempted Adam and Eve—and they fell. Sin entered the world through their disobedience. In the wilderness, he tempted Israel—and they failed. What could’ve been a short journey became forty years of wandering.
Again and again, human weakness was exposed. Again and again, the story seemed to stall.
But when Satan came to Jesus—tired, hungry, alone—he failed. Jesus did not give in. He did not fall. He stood firm.
This time, Satan could not stop what God was doing.
Jesus’ victory in the wilderness was a decisive break in the pattern. It marked the beginning of a ministry that would lead all the way to the cross, and through the cross, to the redemption of all who trust in Him.
His obedience wasn’t just a model for us—it was the foundation of our salvation. Where we failed, Jesus succeeded. And because He stood, we can stand in Him.
We will have moments of weakness. We will stumble. There will be days when temptation feels overwhelming—and some days when we give in.
But we are not without hope.
We have a Savior who faced temptation in its most opportune hour and stood firm. And because He stood, we can stand in Him.
So be watchful. Know your weaknesses. Stay alert. And when the opportune time comes, lean hard on the strength of Jesus—who knows what it is to be tempted and who stands ready to help.
