A $70,000 Wager, A Steam Engine, and 7 Lessons from Satan's Temptations

What would you bet $70,000 on?

On January 21, 1804, in Wales, Samuel Homfray bet 500 Guineas that a new invention called the steam engine locomotive could carry 20,000 pounds of iron, nearly ten miles. Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) invented a high-pressure steam engine he called the Puffing Devil and successfully tested it, carrying six people in 1803. Richard was an inventor and passionate about his train. The year before, one of the engines he invented blew up and killed four men.

On a Tuesday in February, when the temperature can be as low as 39 degrees, the boiler was heated. The locomotive started to generate steam. Richard loaded five wagons with iron and seventy people to embark on the world's first railway journey. The trip to the little river village Abercynon of Wales would take some time. Who would win the bet? After some four hours, going a little faster than two miles per hour, Samuel Homfray won with no explosions or problems (at least on the way there). Samuel was 70,000 dollars richer, and the world had seen its first successful steam locomotive journey.

Today, railroad tracks fill the world, and we are looking for faster transport of goods and people. Yet, for some, trains are a lovely leisurely journey through mountains, valleys, and fields, seeing another side of the country. For others, trains offer economical and safe transport.

What drives a person? What drove Richard Trevithick to invent a new engine? A desire for a name, money, control, fun? What drove Samuel Homfray to bet on the locomotive versus against it? Money or adrenaline? What drove the seventy passengers that day to ride along, to be the first, novelty, or an invitation?

In the Bible, Jesus was driven too. In Luke 4 it says, "...Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days." 

I find it shocking that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. I would not bet that Jesus would go there. It doesn't make sense. Why not go to the beach or stay on top of a mountain? Why the desert? Then, the Holy Spirit led him to a place where he was not comforted by angels but confronted by the devil. Why? And then, and then, if that is not all. He ate nothing. Did the Holy Spirit lead him to fast? Why? Why would a person subject himself to such temptation? When I am hungry, I get tempted to sinful anger. When I am lonely, I get tempted. Why put yourself in such a situation? Why?

The devil tempted Jesus. Jesus passed each test. Reading the story, it seemed too easy. However, how would we do under the same pressure?

Why is this passage here? Why did Luke include this? There are many reasons.

1. It shows that Jesus is greater than the Devil. Who would you bet on in a toe-to-toe battle between good and evil to win? We live in a world where evil exists. The Devil is real. Our enlightenment minds don't like to think of the Devil (the late Justice Scalia's interview is evidence of what New York Magazine demonstrates.) We make shows about the Devil that are quaint entertainment like Lucifer. We neglect to realize that the Devil's goal is to destroy and derail (John 10:10). In Luke 4, God shows us the power that Jesus had to overcome what we could not even imagine a desert existence for 40 days without food. Then, the devil comes in at our weakest points and tries to overthrow our inhibitions with subtle temptations.
2. It shows us the communion between the Son of God and the Holy Spirit of God.
3. It shows us the Son's humility to be led.
4. It is a precursor to the Son's ministry. 
5. It authenticates Jesus' power. 
6. It connects Jesus' humanity to his divinity. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
7. Where the first Adam was tempted by the Devil in a garden surrounded by provisions and failed, the last Adam was tempted in a barren wasteland, dying of hunger, repeatedly tempted, and won (Romans 6). 

I love how the story ends: Jesus wins, the Devil leaves, and Jesus returns in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14).

We all would bet on Jesus to win. It seems insane for the creator and sustainer of the universe to give in to any of the Devil's temptations. However, replace Jesus with yourself, how would you fare? How would I be led in such a way? I know I need a savior and would need all the help I could get in such a situation. That is the point. Jesus did not come on the scene to just follow him as an example (He is an example), but he came for us to find hope in him. He can overcome the very weakness we feel when we skip a meal or fall prey to a passing temptation, through that Spirit that is now at work in us. The truth of the matter is we have given into temptation many times. Haven't we? Jesus came, lived, died, and rose to forgive us of our sins and empower us by his Spirit to have victory in Jesus. He did and does what we have not done nor could do apart from him.

We are on a short journey in a life filled with temptations. God's Spirit fills, empowers, leads, and guides. I would take this as an encouragement. That "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). He who helped Jesus can help us. It still is hard to swallow that God may lead us into a dessert. Yet, He is the creator of the universe, all wise, and sovereign. He is good, and He is God. Our job is to trust and obey and seek His help along the way. We should pray he leads us not into temptation. Simultaneously, in the temptation, we can remind ourselves of the truth of scripture that God is in us, with us, and empowering us to say no.

Whom are you trusting? Who is leading you? Whom are you following? What is driving you? What motivates you? What are you investing your life in? How do you handle temptation? What is your view of the spiritual world? Where are you going in life? I read this story in Luke 4 and insert myself and ask these questions.

If you will bet $70,000, bet on Jesus to win. If you are going to be led, be led by the Spirit. If you are going to be tested and tried, rely on God. Jesus clung to God the Father's promises, and truth in scripture was guided by the Spirit and came to give his life as a ransom for many. A ransom for those who would lose the battles but win the war through his grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Sourced-
http://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/inflation/1804?amount=550
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trevithick
https://museum.wales/articles/2008-12-15/Richard-Trevithicks-steam-locomotive/