Catch Me If You Can

by Chris Mereschuk | published on Feb 23, 2026

Discussion Questions 

  1. Read Luke 4:1-21. Then read the devotional below, “Catch Me If You Can.” 
  1. What do you make of the story of the devil tempting Jesus? What have you been taught about the meaning of this temptation?  
  1. Have you had an experience of God protecting you from a disastrous fall? Have you had an experience, like Jesus, when God did not spare you from difficulty and pain?  
  1. How are you seeking God’s intervention in the world these days?  

Devotional 

The devil brought [Jesus] into Jerusalem and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here; for it’s written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you’ and ‘they will take you up in their hands…’” Jesus answered, “It’s been said, ‘Don’t test the Lord your God.’” – Luke 4:9-12 (CEB) 

About 40 days from now in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus will beg God to spare him from death. God will be silent. Suffering on the cross the next day, Jesus will cry out in anguished abandonment. No angels will be commanded. 

What if Jesus knew from the start that’s how it would go, and that’s why he didn’t leap? Didn’t test God not because of obedient faith, but because of deep doubt that God would send angels to catch him? It’s painful—almost blasphemous, heretical—to think about. But maybe slightly relatable?  

The devil quotes Psalm 91: assurance of God’s protection of the faithful. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6: warning of God’s wrath against lawbreakers. Both are truths. Yet, in times of temptation, trial, suffering, despair sometimes we want proof that God will intervene. Save us. Catch us. That God is willing. That God is able. Is it wrong to want the answer to that test? 

Lent places us on the temple roof. Balanced on the pinnacle, teetering on the precipice between the death-dealing world and the life-giving Kin-dom. In seasons of instability and unknown, surefooted faith battles with the call of the void. Perhaps there’s a difference between a leap and a slip. Either way, I need God to catch me. 

Prayer
I don’t want to leap, God. I just want to know you can catch me.

Chris MereschukAbout the Author
Chris Mereschuk (He/Him) is the Director for Legacy and Church Redevelopment for the Southern New England Conference, UCC.