Temptation!

The Passage[1]

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

" Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan.  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.   And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In [their] hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

A Little Background

Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is a powerful weapon for the believer.  When we began our study, we read in the “crown jewel” of Scripture that Jesus is “the life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).  The more I read the Gospels, the more I am convicted how often I squander a precious gift from God.  The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s perfect gift to mankind.  He is supreme—preeminent; all our needs are met in Him.   But this simple sheep is so often blinded to the simplest of truths.  Stay with me as we explore this priceless treasure.

We find a key that helps us unlock this treasure in 1 Corinthians 15.  In the beginning God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a garden.  He told them they could eat of every fruit in the garden except of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.   We know that Eve fell to Satan’s lie, ate the fruit, and gave it to her husband who also ate[2]—the “first Adam” according to 1 Corinthians 15:45.  But God Himself came to earth in human flesh to be a different or “the last Adam”.   God the Son—Jesus Christ—did what no other human could do.  In His perfect fusion of Godhood and humanity, He lived a perfect sinless life, then took the wrath of God on Himself on the cross so that we could be reconciled or brought back into relationship with God.

Here at the very beginning of His earthly ministry, the God-man, Jesus Christ, meets the onslaught of Satan through temptation just as our first parents did.  But Jesus is preeminent—supreme. The book of Hebrews tells us how Jesus is more excellent than any high priest [one who stands before God on our behalf] who came before Him.  “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [points] tempted as [we are, yet] without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:15, 16)  Let’s discover the treasure!

Some Explanation

The first Adam, in the garden, and the last Adam, Jesus, both encountered temptation directly from Satan.  It is interesting that Luke 4 says that the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.  Jesus’ encounter with Satan appears to be intentional by God.  In the same way that Jesus identified with us in baptism—although He had no need of repentance—through the wilderness experience, He identified with us in temptation.  It is interesting to see the parallels to Adam’s temptation in the chart below:

Jesus’ Temptation
Nature of temptation	Satan’s Bait to the First Adam Genesis 3	Satan’s Bait to the Last Adam Matthew 4
Food Satisfy the flesh	Hasn’t God said, “You may eat of every tree?”	“Turn these stones into bread.”
Defiance of God Putting God to the test	“You shall not surely die.”	“Throw yourself off the temple; the angels will lift you up.”
Godhood/Power	“You shall be as God knowing good and evil.”	“Worship me and I will give you the kingdoms of the world.”

Satan tempted Adam through his flesh (desire for the fruit) to ignore God’s command (His Word) and become “god” himself.  Jesus was God in flesh.  Satan’s temptation of Jesus was to cast off His humanity, use His divine nature and receive power and glory through Satan immediately. 

Observations and Insights

In all three temptations, Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh, countered Satan by the Word of God.  Do you think there is a weapon here that we can use, too? 

Two other Scriptures come to mind about dealing with Satan’s temptations. 

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  James 4:7   

Resist him [Satan], steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  1Peter 5:9

James 4:7- begins with the word therefore. Here’s a little ditty that helps me in my Bible study: “If you find a ‘therefore’, find out what it’s there for’”—so let’s read the context beginning in verse 6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:  “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”   And if you check out the context of 1 Peter 5:9, you’ll find exactly the same thing.  (Go ahead and check it out now—just scroll your cursor over the blue letters of 1 Peter 5:5-9.)

The emphasis here is humility—to humble oneself.  I notice what Jesus did NOT do.  He didn’t call upon His status as the Son of God, “Look here, Satan, I AM the Son of God—don’t mess with me!”  He didn’t drum up His own power or self-importance using any process or formulaic prayer to denounce Satan’s scheme.  Instead, in His humanity—that aspect that was in the throes of temptation—He simply spoke God’s Word. 

Does memorizing God’s Word and throwing it around like an amulet deliver us from temptation?  Of course not!  But Jesus did something throughout His ministry that IS the source of our deliverance.  He submitted to the Father and abided in Him.  Trusting in the Word, by faith—abiding in Him—takes humility.  It takes the willingness to admit we are weak and unable to withstand temptation in our own strength.  Abiding in Him also requires spending time in the Word and in prayer and obeying Him.

Brother and sister sheep, I confess that I have never had to contend with the temptation of any the “biggie” sins such as alcoholism or drug addiction.  But all of us must deal with the selfish lusts of our flesh in which every sin is rooted.  But if you struggle with a problem area, I recommend a ministry:  www.settingcaptivesfree.com  This ministry was begun by a man who had multiple addictive behaviors.  He became saved and found freedom from his bondages through understanding and faith in God’s Word.  He shares excellent Bible studies and Biblical principles.  These are free.  You are also invited to team up

Click to listen.

with others who have walked through the same problem you are facing, but that is optional.

I am studying the Gospels because I realize that all I need is in the Lord Jesus Christ, for God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  (2 Cor. 5:21)  What amazing love!  

Next: John 1:19-34

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[1] Note:  Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced together like a puzzle putting the four Gospels together into one narrative.  I am copying the order from A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels, George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001.  However, I am using the New King James rather than the HCSB.  This order is from the research of Wright and is open to discussion.  Of course, you can also read the passages side by side separately if you prefer.

[2] Even though Eve was tempted, ate, and gave to her husband, God places the responsibility for that sin squarely on Adam’s shoulders.  God called to Adam in the garden and held him responsible for the incident.  In 1 Cor. 15 we see this incident described “in Adam” not Eve.