Five-minute read.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Matthew 4:1-11
Led by the Spirit, Jesus entered the wilderness and faced the devil’s temptations, the same we face in our lives. “To tempt” can also mean “to test,” which reveals or develops character. In Jesus’ situation, the temptations of the enemy revealed the Son’s character and His connection to God. The devil already knew Christ’s Sonship to the heavenly Father, tempting the power of His position. For every temptation, Jesus responded with scripture, defeating Satan’s ploys. Responding like the Savior to the enemies’ attacks will develop our character and help us become more like Jesus.
Temptation one dealt with the lust of the flesh. Because of Jesus’ 40-day fast, He experienced hunger. Appealing to his need for food, Satan tries to entice Christ to use His divine powers to turn stones into bread. Responding with scripture, Jesus refuses to go against God’s will. Fleshly temptations come in various ways: food, drink, shelter, and comfort. Sin doesn’t come from desiring those things, but from putting them above God’s will for our lives. In other words, prioritizing the desires of the flesh becomes a sin when we let those wants rule over us. Hunger can become gluttony if we don’t keep it in check.
The second temptation dealt with the lust of the eyes, wanting what we see and desiring to possess it. Again, Jesus responds with scripture. In our consumer world, marketing ploys constantly bombard us with the newest, latest thing we can’t live without. Online shopping does a fantastic job of using the lust of the eyes to make us crave things we don’t need; with a few clicks, we have them delivered to our doorstep. Identifying the temptation and using scripture to battle the desires will help us find victory as Jesus did. Awareness of the devil’s tricks helps us guard against his attacks.
The last temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness pertained to the pride of life, our desire to control the world. “Island of self,” a friend recently called it; we must get off the island to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around us. Jesus gives us the answer: we must worship God and serve only Him. Our biggest battle lies in who we will serve: Jesus or self. Every day, we face this battle. Sometimes I win it, other times I don’t, but God always gives me another chance to try again. Keeping my eyes on the Son helps me find victory.
Jesus knows the temptations we face because He faced them. Leaning into His teachings will help us find victory over our selfish desires. We can get off the island of self by walking on water with Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for showing us how to defeat the temptations of this world. Please help us remember scripture and use it like Jesus did when faced with the devil’s ploys. Give us the tools we need to live victoriously in You.
IJNIP. Amen
