March 2024

The Temptations of Christ

Matthew 4:1-11

Mark 1:12-13

Luke 4:1-13

Immediately after his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus was impelled by the holy Spirit to go up to the wilderness (Luke 4:1).  Why?  Matthew says in 4:1 “to be tempted by the devil.”  But Jesus also must have desired some “alone time” to contemplate his future path.  He had just consecrated the rest of his life to do his Father’s will, and he needed to contemplate the best approach to this mission.  He already knew the Old Testament scriptures; now, after his baptism, he had the illuminating influence of the holy Spirit to open his understanding of them to a much greater degree than he had ever before experienced.  His mind must have been totally engrossed in meditating on the prophecies relating to his time on earth and his role in bringing together God’s plans for the kingdom.  He was to be the king under whose government “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).  He became so preoccupied by all of this that he did not even take the time to eat!

Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by the devil. We don’t know the details of the nature of the temptations during the forty days.  We can speculate that Satan may have insinuated thoughts into Jesus’ mind about ways to achieve his aims that may not have been in conformity to the divine will. But we are given vivid descriptions about the last three temptations that occurred at the end of this period. 

Some people deny the idea that Jesus could have ever been truly tempted. But we know from Hebrews 4:15 that he did, indeed, experience temptation: “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” The confusion may come in the difference between the words “temptation” and “sin.” Jesus was tempted, but he did not give in to sin.  Being tempted is not a sin; yielding to the temptation is what constitutes a sin. Thoughts, good and bad, do present themselves to our minds, but before we decide on one course or the other we need to evaluate all the options open to us. A temptation is an option that violates the principles of righteousness. Consideration of that option is not inappropriate because first we need to identify it as right or wrong, using our experience and scriptural understanding of correct behavior. Jesus, with his perfect mind and close relationship to the Father, would have been able to instantly reject options he deemed disloyal to God; but that doesn’t mean they didn’t occur to him.

What was Satan’s motive in all this, and why would God have allowed it?  Satan already has power over the world (1 John 5:19), but it would have been a great coup to gain power over Jesus and thus subvert and control God’s plan for mankind.  We know that “…God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13), but obviously God permitted Satan to pursue the tempting of Jesus.  This may have been allowed to test his loyalty, but also to enable Jesus to solidify and clarify his response to temptation with the purpose of strengthening him for the coming trials he would face. The account has also been a model for the last two thousand years of how the Church should withstand temptation — definitively and quickly, rather than dithering in a state of indecision.

First Temptation

So what were the actual temptations? How did Satan think he might influence Jesus to try to upend the Father’s plan?

His first tactic was to appeal to the flesh. By the time the forty days had ended, Jesus must have been weak and exhausted.  Most people in that condition would have been vulnerable to the suggestion of food, and Satan knew this. So he thought he would suggest to Jesus that all he had to do was turn the surrounding stones to bread, and his hunger could be satisfied — if he were really the son of God, that is. After all, a dead or starving Messiah was no good. Jesus was about to undergo a very important work and he would need his strength to accomplish it. He had just received special power through the holy Spirit, and he could use that power to nourish himself after a prolonged fast.  Where would be the harm?  In fact, he could not only provide for himself — surely not a sin — but he could, at the same time, prove himself to be the son of God by doing this miraculous thing.  He might even, if he expanded this action, alleviate the suffering and poverty he saw all around him by feeding the world, and thereby ensure the world’s belief in him as the son of God. What a great shortcut this would be!

How did Jesus answer this temptation? Immediately! He did not argue or debate with Satan; he did not consider taking up Satan on his suggestion.  Instead, he quoted Deuteronomy 8:3: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” This first temptation was an attempt by Satan to get Jesus to use his spiritual powers for personal profit. Jesus never used his spiritual abilities or his special relationship to God to advance selfish interests or temporal wants. Interestingly, he did later use his capability to generate food when he fed the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21), but that was in service to help others rather than to supply his own needs. And  he did it without fanfare.

He also did not consider this easier course to achieve his ultimate aim of being accepted by Israel as the Messiah.  He knew his Father’s plan, and he knew his part in it was one of sacrifice. He also understood the timing. It was not yet the time for Israel as a nation to recognize him. 

Since we are not able to create bread out of stones, what lessons can we as Christians learn from this first temptation?  If we are attempting to use our relationship to God to obtain earthly advantages or earthly honors, we are essentially trying to turn stones to bread.  We can also learn from the immediacy of Jesus’ response. If we stay in a state of indecision when being tempted rather than shutting down the temptation at the start, we are more likely to rationalize our way into trouble.  A good tactic we might employ is to imagine ourselves in these situations before they happen -- when we have time to consider our best response. This makes it less likely that we let the flesh take control of our actions.

Second Temptation

In the Matthew account, Satan’s second attempt centered on trying to convince Jesus to use unauthorized, improper methods to accomplish his goals. This appeal was another shortcut, and Satan couched it in scriptural terms.  He told Jesus to cast himself off the pinnacle of the Temple, using Psalm 91:11-12 as an assurance of safety:  “He will give His angels charge concerning you; and on their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus had only to jump off this highest point of Herod’s Temple. God would miraculously save him and make instantly clear to all that Jesus was indeed the son of God.     

“If you are the son of God,” prove it! Jesus was claiming to live by God’s word. Satan's argument was that Jesus should take God at His word, proving by his actions that he had enough faith in God to trust Him with his life. After all, it was right there in scripture. The Jews, who knew this prophecy, would immediately accept his status as the son of God and would embrace his cause. There would be nothing Jesus could say or do that would more definitively demonstrate that God’s power and favor were with him.  It would also fulfill this prophecy, and as an added bonus, it would relieve Jesus of having to deal with his naysaying enemies.

Jesus saw through this temptation at once. He knew he was the son of God. He did not have to prove to himself or to Satan God’s care for him.  On the contrary, Jesus had absolute belief in his Father’s integrity. There was no need to test God, as he pointed out to Satan when he quoted Deuteronomy 6:16: “You shall not force a test on the LORD your God.”  Jesus knew this temptation was paradoxical. If he had felt the need to prove God’s integrity, that need would prove that he did not have faith in it.  In falling for this temptation, Jesus would have substituted his faith in his Father’s care for a challenge to His integrity, and a challenge to the method God chose to carry out His plan.

What are the lessons for us in this temptation? Sometimes in our moments of doubt we can question whether we really are the sons of God, but we should not be testing our Father by asking for proof.  We are to walk by faith.  This includes not putting ourselves in situations involving unnecessary risk or demanding demonstrations of God’s favor.  We should not expect God to save us from the consequences of our bad decisions. It would be an attempt to walk by sight and not by faith.

Another aspect of this encounter between Jesus and Satan was that Satan used an isolated verse (Psalm 91:11) to misrepresent God’s will.  This psalm in its whole is about how God will keep those who trust in him and abide under him.  Jesus did not rely on Satan’s interpretation. He knew his Father, his Father’s character, and his Father’s plan; and he used this understanding of the harmony of the scriptures to avoid the temptation. This is an excellent example for us to emulate.

Third Temptation

The first two temptations hadn’t worked. What could Satan try now?  It seems that he might have been getting a tad frustrated, because in the third temptation he dispensed with finesse. He baldly tried to change Jesus’ loyalty from God to himself.  If Jesus would just cooperate and agree to worship Satan, he could have authority over all the kingdoms of the world now — he could bring in all the needed reforms -- without having to go through the suffering and death Jesus knew was ahead of him.  All he had to do was recognize Satan.  Satan is the prince of this world (John 12:31) and had the power to give Jesus the kingdoms. But, as with the other temptations, Jesus was not enticed to fall for this offer.  He gleaned from this temptation that Satan was still his old egocentric self and immediately told him to go away with the admonition that “You shall worship the LORD your God and serve Him only.” (Deuteronomy 6:13)  He didn’t discuss it; even the thought of worshipping Satan was disloyalty to God. 

What are the lessons here? We might be led to think that we could accomplish more for God through compromise -- that we might be able to be more influential in the world if we got into politics, or fudged the Truth a little, or compromised in another way.  But if we understand the plan and timing of God, we need to keep in mind that God’s way is always the best way for the ultimate good of all.

Although Satan absented himself from Jesus at the end of the wilderness experience, he did not completely withdraw.  He continued to tempt Jesus throughout his ministry.  In Matthew 16:21-23, Satan used Peter to tempt Jesus, and Jesus again tells Satan to go away -- to get behind him. Jesus knew he had a difficult road ahead of him, and Satan’s temptations were all in the form of offering him another way to do things besides God’s way -- easier options that would not require such sacrifice.  Even at the end of Jesus’ life, Satan was still at it.  When Jesus was brought before Pilate, Pilate asked him why he said nothing in his own defense.  Just a word or two might have meant Jesus’ release -- no trial, no crucifixion. That must have been a powerful temptation, but Jesus was not interested in shortcuts.  He dedicated his life to doing his Father’s will under all circumstances.  What an example we have!

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