Jesus’ Temptation in the Desert
Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13;
Luke 4:1-13
Satan’s question to Jesus, “If
You are the Son of God” like every other temptation is simply a variation of
his first question to Eve, “Did God really say?”[1]
Of course Jesus is the Son! God had just said so at Jesus’ baptism. Satan’s
main aim, then as now, is “to break the bond of obedient trust that lies at the
heart of (our) relationship with the Father”.[2]
In order to truly understand what
was happening here in the temptation narrative we have to grasp the truth with
regard to Jesus’ Humanity. Dann Spader explained this well when he wrote: “By
adding humanity, (Jesus) chose temporarily to restrict the full expression of
His deity. Never less than God, He chose to live His life never more than man.”[3]
Why is this so important? Because when Jesus resisted and rebuked Satan, He did
not do so as God, even though He never ceased to be fully God at any point in
time. No, Jesus defeated every temptation because throughout the ordeal He remained
an obedient and trusting Son completely surrendered to the will of His Father.
He was thrust out into the wilderness equipped with the power of the Holy
Spirit and with the Word of God hidden in His heart. In keeping with His
character, Jesus no doubt spent the forty days and forty nights in constant
contact with the Father in prayer. That is how He managed to stand and remain
faithful during His time of trial. And all who are in Jesus have access to
those same three resources!
There are a few interesting
similarities between Jesus’ 40 days and nights in the wilderness and Israel’s 40
years’ wilderness wanderings. Not only do both events take place after a
crossing through water[4],
not only do both events occur by the leading of God, not only do both events
take place in a desert area, not only are both periods of testing (Deuteronomy
8:2), but the very words Jesus used to silence the tempter are all found in the
book of Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:16; 6:13). The lesson seems clear: whereas Israel
repeatedly failed to be obedient to God, Jesus, as the True Israel, did not.[5]
It seems logical that the first
temptation involved food, as Jesus had not eaten anything throughout this
period. However, it is not simply a meal Satan challenged Jesus to produce if
He was God’s Son…it was very specifically bread. According to Gallaty, the
“sages and teachers of Israel believed that the people would be able to
identify the Messiah through His miraculous provision of bread. They looked at
the example of Joseph, a messianic figure, and how he provided bread for Israel
during a time of famine. Moses, the redeemer of Israel, also helped to sustain
the people by calling upon God to provide bread in the wilderness.”[6]
Later Jesus did, indeed, provide bread, but at the right time according to His
Father’s will and that time He did not create bread from stones, but, as it
were, from nothing.
The second temptation (Luke
inverts this order in his account) appears to be linked to the first in that it
once again challenges the Father’s ability or willingness to provide for His people, in Jesus’ case protection, in Israel’s water (cf. Exodus 17:1-7; Deuteronomy 6:16).[7] Note that Satan is well versed in the Scriptures and he is able to quote verses out of context in a way that is contradictory to the rest of God’s revelation. There is a definite line between irresponsible recklessness (so-called, fate) and faith.
But it is the third temptation (2nd
in Luke) where Satan overplays his hand, as it were. It was a temptation to
abandon the plan of the Father that would ultimately lead to the cross and to
embrace a short cut to global dominion, namely to bow down and worship the
“ruler of this world” (cf. John 14:30). Here Jesus stood firm as far as His
mission was concerned. This temptation repeated itself years later when Simon
Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from following through on His intention to go to
Jerusalem to be crucified (cf. Matthew 16:21-23). At this point Jesus taught
His disciples the true cost of discipleship: God and His will always must come
first. We also see echoes of this temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane
(Matthew 26:36-46) as well as on the cross (Matthew 27:39-43) where Jesus once
again was presented with the option of avoiding death on the cross.
In many ways, Jesus’ initial
victory over Satan in these temptations laid the foundations for His future
victories. From this point on, Jesus would plunder Satan’s household, which He
could do because He had already bound “the strong man” in the wilderness (cf.
Matthew 12:29).[8]
But perhaps the greatest lesson
for us to learn as followers of Jesus is His consistent and contextual use of
God’s Word to triumph over the tempter. Jesus knew the Word and used it in an
appropriate manner. Scripture will not contradict itself and we can learn much
of how not to use God’s Word by looking at how Satan twisted it in a way that
on the surface looked right, but when examined failed to gain the support of
the whole of Scripture. In this Jesus is a model for us to imitate. Remember,
Jesus faced the tempter as a human being who was expected to submit to and obey
God and His Word.
Finally, these temptation
passages remind us that Jesus is our sympathetic High Priest, tempted in every
way we are, yet without sin (cf. Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15-16; 5:7-10). He adopted
a fully human position in resisting Satan, relying on God’s Word, God’s Spirit,
and God’s Presence, even when seemingly absent.
We too can be free from Satan’s
tyranny if we, like Jesus humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, submitting
to His rule and guidance, and knowing and obeying His Word above any and every
sensory pleasure.
[1] Biblical
scholars through the ages have commented on the parallels between Jesus’
temptation and that of our first parents. Although Jesus faced three
temptations and Adam and Eve only one, the same basic principles are addressed:
sensory gratification, trust in God and His Word, and the desire for greater
things. Paul also refers to Jesus as the 2nd Adam.
[2] Interpreting the Gospel Narratives: Scenes, People, and Theology,
Timothy Wiarda, B&H
Academic, Nashville, TN, 2010, 217.
[3] 4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-Makers, Dann
Spader, Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL, 2014, 24.
[6] The Forgotten Jesus, Robby Gallaty, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2017, 93.
Gallaty cites a Jewish Commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes in defense of his
claim: “As the first redeemer was, so shall the latter Redeemer be…Just as the
first redeemer caused the manna to come down, as it is written [in Exodus
16:4], ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you,’ so too will the latter
redeemer cause manna to come down, as it is stated [in Psalm 72:16], ‘May there
be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains.’”
[7] Note that
the test, according to Moses was simply this: “Is the Lord here with us or
not?” Many believers succumb to this same temptation when going through a trial
period by demanding that God give them an indication that He is present through
a sign of some sorts.
[8] There are no recorded demonic
manifestations in the OT. However, after the temptation narrative there are
demonic manifestation left, right, and center. This is because the binding of
satan and the end of his reign of the “god of this world’ had begun. The
climactic triumph over the dark forces took place at the cross (cf. Colossians
2:14-15) and we, as the Church, continue the work of plundering hell (Matthew
16:18)...but the binding appears to have begun in the wilderness.
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