“1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ 4 But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ 10 Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him'”
Matthew 4:1-11.
From the waters of the Jordan the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan. Jesus faces not only harsh conditions, utter loneliness, and hunger; He also endures the assaults of the devil, the tempter. The first temptation is very subtle, the second is less so, and the third is so blatant. Satan wishes to divert Jesus from the path of human suffering and obedience of His mission. The first temptation tries to command Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread.” The devil wants Jesus to address His own hunger by tempting Jesus to be gluttonous.
But this temptation is really about challenging who Jesus is and His powers of the Son of God. What was declared in public by the Father (3:17: “This is my beloved Son”) is now tested in private by the tempter. Here the devil challenges Jesus to use his divine might for strictly personal benefit. Jesus responds with the words of Deut 8:3: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Jesus teaches us that physical needs are not our greatest needs.
The second temptation brings Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem where the devil perches Him high on the parapet of the temple and utters the words: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” Here the divine Sonship of Jesus is central to the test. This time, however, the challenge is addressed with a passage from Scripture, Ps. 91:11–12, in which God promises to protect and support the righteous person with his angels. Immediately one notices how the tempter adjusts himself to the one being tempted. Jesus turns again to the Bible to press his second attack.
But why bring Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem? Because this is where the God of Israel had chosen to make His presence dwell among his people. If there is any place where a Jew could expect the Lord to heed his prayers for deliverance, it is at the temple. This second temptation is essentially a challenge to the trustworthiness of God. Instead of trusting in the Lord’s care, which is the real message of Ps 91, the devil urges him to certify the truth of Scripture by making a daredevil’s leap from the sanctuary. But the Son of God will not turn His own experience of testing into a testing of the Father.
The third temptation brings Jesus to the summit of a very high mountain. The purpose is to give Jesus a panoramic vision of all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence. This time the devil’s mask comes off when the devil says: “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” In essence, Jesus is being offered a shortcut to achieving His goals and wishes as Messiah. Kingly power and international glory can be his without any humiliation or torment or death on the cross. Satan asks Jesus to repudiate the Father altogether by surrendering himself to the lordship of Satan, the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31). Jesus responds, “Get away, Satan!” and drives the devil off with the words of Deut 6:13: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”
Dear friends, consider in prayer today that Jesus can empower us to remain faithful in times of testing. Having endured the wilderness ordeal, He is no stranger to the pressures of human temptation. The letter to the Hebrews asserts this truth when it says: “Because He himself was tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being tested” (Heb 2:18). These words invite us to turn to Jesus for grace and inner strength in times of need (see also Heb 4:16). And we should remember that Jesus was anointed with the Spirit (3:16) before facing his wilderness trial (4:1). Dear friends, we can all share in the victory of Jesus, the Messiah, with the help of the same Holy Spirit we received in baptism (28:19; Acts 2:38; Rom 6:4). Take this to prayer today and ask for forgiveness when you have not depended on the Holy Spirit in time of temptation. Ask the Lord for a renewal of His Spirit in your life.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” Romans 8:14.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” John 14:26.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”
Galatians 5:16.
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