Daily Bread 2010
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
A comedian a couple of generations ago named Flip Wilson had a motto that is often quoted today, “The devil made me do it!” Though he uses it for comedy, there are many who are prone to blaming the devil for their failures. The problem with that line of thinking is that the devil can’t make you do anything. One of the greatest features we have as humans is our “free will”.
But yet the devil does have the power to tempt us. Jesus found this out early in his ministry, as the first place the Spirit leads him is into the desert to be “tempted/tested” by Satan. The first strategy Satan uses is to take his bodily need, hunger, and use it against him. He tries to get Jesus to use his power to meet his own need for food. Seems reasonable enough, but yet Jesus knew that his sustenance came not just from earthly food but every word that came from God’s mouth.
Then Satan even tries to use the very Word of God against Jesus by distorting and quoting scripture in the second temptation. But Jesus sees what he is up to and uses another passage to foil his plot. Finally, the devil goes for the jugular and tries to get Jesus to worship him. A futile attempt and Jesus is not buying into it.
What is most illuminating about this passage is that in all the temptations, Jesus relies on the truth of the bible to dismantle the devil’s strategy. Ironically he does this even when the devil tries to quote the scriptures falsely. As you immerse yourself in God’s Word this year, not only will it give you a sustenance the world can’t offer, it will also help you discern when the evil one is trying to get you to buy into one of his lies. The most effective tool in overcoming any temptation is to be filled with the truth. As you focus on the truth, the lie will become clear, and also the absurdity of following down the tempter’s path of defeat, discouragement and destruction.
Prayer: God help us to know Your Word so well, that when we are tempted to veer from the path that leads to life, you will correct our course. Fill our hearts and minds with the truth so that the lies of our enemy will be exposed for what they really are. Send Your Spirit to help us to discern Your Word and apply it in our lives. Amen.
The Temptation of Jesus
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
A comedian a couple of generations ago named Flip Wilson had a motto that is often quoted today, “The devil made me do it!” Though he uses it for comedy, there are many who are prone to blaming the devil for their failures. The problem with that line of thinking is that the devil can’t make you do anything. One of the greatest features we have as humans is our “free will”.
But yet the devil does have the power to tempt us. Jesus found this out early in his ministry, as the first place the Spirit leads him is into the desert to be “tempted/tested” by Satan. The first strategy Satan uses is to take his bodily need, hunger, and use it against him. He tries to get Jesus to use his power to meet his own need for food. Seems reasonable enough, but yet Jesus knew that his sustenance came not just from earthly food but every word that came from God’s mouth.
Then Satan even tries to use the very Word of God against Jesus by distorting and quoting scripture in the second temptation. But Jesus sees what he is up to and uses another passage to foil his plot. Finally, the devil goes for the jugular and tries to get Jesus to worship him. A futile attempt and Jesus is not buying into it.
What is most illuminating about this passage is that in all the temptations, Jesus relies on the truth of the bible to dismantle the devil’s strategy. Ironically he does this even when the devil tries to quote the scriptures falsely. As you immerse yourself in God’s Word this year, not only will it give you a sustenance the world can’t offer, it will also help you discern when the evil one is trying to get you to buy into one of his lies. The most effective tool in overcoming any temptation is to be filled with the truth. As you focus on the truth, the lie will become clear, and also the absurdity of following down the tempter’s path of defeat, discouragement and destruction.
Prayer: God help us to know Your Word so well, that when we are tempted to veer from the path that leads to life, you will correct our course. Fill our hearts and minds with the truth so that the lies of our enemy will be exposed for what they really are. Send Your Spirit to help us to discern Your Word and apply it in our lives. Amen.
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