The Temptation of Christ

Scripture: Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13;

The temptation for Christ has been the subject of many debates among Christians. First and foremost is the peccability or impeccability of Christ. In other words, could he sin or not. Another of these debates is that this is a model for overcoming temptation to Christians. Yet another discussion arises about the nature of the temptation that Satan provides and his range of authority. These are all very excellent philosophical viewpoints, but they are all isolated and lack a global viewpoint...that is, they sort of ignore the whole context of the passage.

I am not even going to get into the argument of whether or not Christ could have sinned as that is irrelevant. He didn't. That should be good enough for all of us.

What I will consider is why we find a discussion of Jesus' temptation in 3 of the 4 gospels (Matt 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, & Luke 4:1-13) and the main points of that discussion. After all, let's look straight at the Word and see what God speaks to us about.

In all three accounts of this part of Jesus' life Jesus was first led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for the sole purpose of facing this temptation...alone. That is an interesting point to me, since most pastors that I know will tell you that the best way to face temptation is with help from another. In fact, I find that many people promote accountability as the most effective method for dealing with temptation. Some of the passages that are used to support these thoughts are Eccl. 4:9-12 and Gal. 6:1-2. So why does God lead Jesus into the wilderness to face temptation alone? My suggestion is simple...God can enable us to overcome temptation using His Spirit and the Word as support alone. It really supports the concept of God and me is the majority.

Next look at the specific nature of temptations and the specific Word of God that was used to refute them. We will consider the list of worldly aspects as presented in 1 John 2:16: Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, Pride of Life. First, Satan presents Jesus with the temptation to use his power to cure the hunger that has grown from his awesome fast (lust of the flesh). Jesus responded by quoting Moses (Deut 8:3). What is important to note is that Jesus does not refute the fact that eating would bring him satisfaction. Otherwise, he would have said, " I have no need of Bread, but of the Word of God only." This is important to understand I think, because sometimes temptation will come in an area that will gratify and satisfy the flesh...for a time. Jesus shows us, though, that there is something more satisfying. Read John 4 and you will find that Jesus promotes the more satisfying sustenance to a Samaritan woman. Jesus basically said, "yeah I'm hungry, but I'd rather eat what God tells me to."

Following that, Satan challenges Jesus's birthright (if you are the Son of God...). He was just saying to Jesus, come on...prove yourself (Pride of Life). Jesus sidesteps that temptation with a quote from from Moses (Deut 6:16). Jesus simply responds to this with a...God has nothing to prove. This is important for us to remember when this temptation flares in our lives...If you were a good Christian, you would... We have nothing to prove to anyone, that is God's job. Our biggest responsibilities are to live as he commands us to (Matt 22:37-40).

Finally, Satan tempts Jesus with a lucrative offer, King of the World. He is really telling Jesus a lie...worship me and I will let you have more authority than me in the world. Now this one seems like a no-brainer to us, but think more importantly what Satan was aiming at. He knew that Jesus was God in the flesh and had submitted himself to following God's will totally. Jesus set aside his right to express his higher upness to the world to become part of the world. Satan was telling Jesus, he could play it by his own rules if he wanted to. Jesus responds to this one most interestingly with a quote from Dueteronomy 6:13. He challenges the action being asked of him, not the tempting result. Really, I think Jesus was saying to Satan, "Worshipping God is worth more than anything this world has to offer."

At the end, angels ministered to Jesus. Perhaps this is an indication to us that when we have to face temptation on our own, God will send angels to attend to us. Think about these things and let me know if you have any thoughts or questions.

God Bless you all.