Satan’s Kairos

“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

I would like to meditate on this verse and receive the lessons God gives through it.

(1)    When I meditated on this passage, I first became curious about how other Bible versions translate the phrase “he left him until an opportune time” (Lk. 4:13).  Here are some examples: “He left Jesus for a while, until a suitable time came” (The Living Bible, Korean version).   “He left Jesus, looking for another opportunity” (Korean Common Translation).  “He left Jesus until a certain time” (New Translation).  “He left Jesus until the right time came” (New Korean Bible).  “He left Jesus for a short while, waiting for a better opportunity” (Easy Bible).  “He withdrew from Him, waiting for another opportunity” (Catholic Bible).  “He left Him until an opportune time” (NASB).

(a)    I then looked up the Greek text for “for a time” in verse 13: “ὁ διάβολος ἀπέστη ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἄχρι καιροῦ” (“The devil departed from Him until an opportune time”).

(i)                 What exactly does this “opportune time” (Greek: kairos) refer to?  The scholar Hockma introduces two views: (1) Conzelmann says that this “for a time” refers to the period up to Luke 22:3 — “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.”  In other words, he believes Satan disappears after tempting Jesus in the wilderness and reappears only at the time of the Passion through Judas. (2) Brown, however, argues that Satan was active throughout Jesus’ entire life.  Hochma finds Brown’s view more convincing, since Jesus’ public ministry was filled with opposition and persecution—particularly from Jewish religious leaders—which were ultimately incited by Satan.

·         So I looked up where the words “devil” or “Satan” appear in Luke after chapter 4: In Luke 10:18, Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”  In Luke 11:18, He says, “If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?” 

-          Then, as Conzelmann noted, in Luke 22:3, “Satan entered Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve.”  And in Luke 22:31, Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.”  After this, the words “devil” and “Satan” no longer appear in the Gospel of Luke.  Thus, I think Conzelmann’s claim—that the “for a time” in Luke 4:13 refers to the period until Luke 22:3—is reasonable.  Though Jesus mentions Satan in Luke 10 and 11, those references do not mean Satan was directly tempting Him.  In Luke 22:3, Satan doesn’t tempt Jesus directly but works through Judas, one of His disciples, leading to Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.

-          However, I do not think Brown’s view—that Satan was active throughout Jesus’ life—is wrong. It also makes sense that Satan continuously opposed Jesus through His enemies, as Hochma observed.

n  In short, I believe both Conzelmann’s and Brown’s interpretations are valid.  Still, neither fully satisfies my question: what exactly does “for a time” mean in Luke 4:13?  If we follow Brown and Hockma, perhaps “for a time” could even refer to when Jesus said in Luke 4:24, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.”  Maybe Satan tempted the people of Nazareth not to receive Jesus.  So, the period of “for a time” (v.13) might stretch from Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness to His rejection in Nazareth—when the devil was inactive in a direct sense but still watching.  Conzelmann’s view, however, that Satan visibly acts again only in Luke 22:3 (entering Judas), also holds weight.

(b)    What intrigued me most was that the Greek word translated “for a time” is καιροῦ (kairos)—the same root as the familiar term “Kairos.”

(i)                 The word Kairos in Christian thought differs from Chronos (χρόνος), which refers to ordinary chronological time.  Kairos means “God’s appointed time,” a decisive, significant moment when God intervenes in human history to accomplish His will.  It is the moment when divine purpose is fulfilled—a meaningful and critical opportunity (Internet sources).

·         When I think of God’s Kairos, I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”  King Solomon teaches that everything has its appointed time and purpose—because God works in each person’s life to accomplish His divine plan (Wiersbe).

-          Ultimately, this means that God makes all things beautiful in His time.  Whether in birth or death, weeping or laughter, discipline or restoration, silence or speech, love or hate (vv. 2–8), God sovereignly works through all seasons of life to make us more like Jesus.

·         Another passage that comes to mind about God’s Kairos is 1 Thessalonians 5:1–2: “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

-          The “times and dates” here refer to the Day of the Lord—the return of Christ.  It will come suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, bringing destruction upon those who live in spiritual darkness.  For unbelievers, that day will be one of judgment; but for believers, it will be a day of salvation.  God chose the Thessalonian believers to receive salvation through Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him forever.

(ii)               As I meditated on the word “for a time” (kairos) in Luke 4:13, I began to wonder—perhaps for the first time in my life—if there might also be “Satan’s Kairos.”  Just as God fulfills His purposes in His divine Kairos, could it be that Satan also has his own “opportune time”—his Kairos—when he seeks to carry out his evil plans, tempting and deceiving us?

·         For example, in Genesis 4:7, God says to Cain, “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” 

-          God said this because He had accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s (vv. 4–5).  Cain became very angry, and his face fell. God then warned him that sin was lying in wait—“crouching at the door”—desiring to control him.  But Cain failed to master it and instead killed his brother Abel (v. 8).

n  Thus, Cain became prey to the devil, “your enemy the devil [who] prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

·         Today, Satan still crouches at our doors.  Like a tiger waiting to pounce, he lurks at the door of our hearts, tempting us through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, trying to lead us into disobedience against God’s Word.

-          We must resist these temptations through God’s Word. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”  Christ stands outside the door of our hearts and knocks. Let us open that door and fellowship with Him, so that by His Word we may overcome sin, the devil, and Satan himself.

n  “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Pet. 5:8–9).