The Life of All Lives - Our Saviour Jesus - 6
The Temptation of Christ
In this sixth study in the life of Christ, we turn our attention to the temptation.
At his baptism, which immediately preceded the temptation, the emphasis was on his deity. The Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and the Father declared “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
However, at the temptation the emphasis is on his true humanity. Jesus was only capable of being tempted because he was truly human. John is the only evangelist who makes no reference to the temptation, probably because his purpose is to present Jesus as the eternal Son of God, and God cannot be tempted.
The first thing we should say about what we popularly call ‘the temptation’ is that it may be better to refer to ‘the temptations’ because three are recorded. Perhaps that seems slightly pedantic, because anyone vaguely familiar with the gospels knows that, but it is worth noting.
A more important preliminary point is that the temptations recorded here were not the only ones that Jesus experienced. The writer to the Hebrews says in chapter 4:15, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin.” The verdict of the Father that was pronounced at his baptism reflected, at least in part, his satisfaction that in his years of seclusion Jesus had met and conquered every temptation common to man.
Let us also keep in mind that just as the first Adam faced temptation, so here does the last Adam, and the contrast is striking. The first Adam faced the tempter in ideal surroundings. He was in a garden filled with every good thing that he could ever need. The last Adam faced the tempter in a wilderness. Yet while our first parents fell despite the ideal circumstances, the last Adam stood firm amid the desolation of the desert.
The next point we should bear in mind is that what is temptation for one person may not be for another. I can pass the chocolate counter without giving it a glance; you may find it magnetically attractive. And what is true of the healthy pleasure of eating is also true in the unhealthy matter of temptation to sin.
The significance of this is that the temptations Jesus faced were real temptations, and they were real not least because they deliberately attacked him as a human who was also fully divine. They were purpose built temptations, carefully honed by Satan to be most capable of securing the desired result.
It is wise to remember that Satan attacks us in exactly the same way. He is not indiscriminate with respect to whom he tempts, and with what. Yet we should not allow this to reduce us to spiritual nervous wrecks, nor do we have any excuse for fatalistically yielding on the spurious ground that we are no match for the adversary.
It is true that left to ourselves, we are no match; but we are not left to ourselves. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 10:13, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” What is more, as Paul said in Ephesians chapter 6, we are able to ‘put on the whole armour of God’ so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.
The Christian life is a battlefield that is completely beyond the experience of unbelievers. The new birth opens our eyes to see things that we were once completely blind to, and it throws us into struggles that we never knew before. It is a warfare that is the peculiar lot of the Christian, and it is not an easy one. That is the bad news; the good news is that it is immeasurably better to be embroiled in that warfare equipped by God for the battle, than it is to be helplessly bound by Satan and unaware of it.
The first temptation was nothing if not subtle. Jesus was hungry, and there is nothing wrong with eating bread when you are hungry. There are no bakeries in deserts, so why should he not use his divine power to turn a stone into bread and satisfy his hunger?
Jesus instantly recognised that this temptation struck at the very purpose for which he was there: that is, to demonstrate that ‘man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
Men have long been enslaved to the notion that material satisfaction brings fulfilment and happiness, and that it is therefore legitimate to do whatever is necessary to bring about that end, even if the means are questionable. So it is that despite the fact that gambling is unhealthy, it is legitimised in state-run lotteries. Consciences are stifled by providing small financial benefits for charitable causes, in the interests of letting millions of people spend money they can ill afford in order to chase the grand delusion.
In the second temptation, Jesus was incited to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple, urged on by a selective quotation from Psalm 91, lifted out of its context. Did you know that Satan is able to quote – and misquote – Scripture? Jesus responded instantly with a quotation of his own from what seems to have been his favourite book – Deuteronomy. I wonder how many Christians are as familiar with that book as Jesus was?
He answered: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” We are not to deliberately put ourselves in danger and then expect God to spectacularly deliver us.
In the final temptation, Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour if only he would bow down and worship him. It was a quick route to cheap glory, and men and women sell themselves down that route every day.
The path Jesus chose was obedience to God. Again quoting from Deuteronomy, he said, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” The crown he received was made from thorns, and the throne men gave him was a cross. But in the end he came into a kingdom more glorious and durable than Satan could offer him, which he will share with those who submit to his rule. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”’