Matthew 4 - Temptation of Jesus!
Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then 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.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, 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.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. Why? Because in it we see the humanness of Jesus. The passage helps me to identify with him. There is an interesting transition from Matthew 3, where Jesus is baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove, to Matthew 4:1 where, "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."
As you observe this, you might asking, "Why would the Spirit lead Jesus into temptation?" The answer to this question is key to understanding the meaning of this passage and what we can learn from it. A similar question is, "Why does God allow us to suffer or undergo trials?"
So, what can we learn from how Jesus dealt with temptation? First of all, the word for "tempted" in the Greek is the same word for "tested". They are two sides of the same coin. This is also helpful for us, as we see how going through temptation can actually strengthen our faith.
Secondly notice it is the devil who tempts Jesus. The tempter had "carte blanche" to make an all out assault on Jesus when he was at his weakest. This reminds us that Satan will test us in areas where we are most vulnerable. Or, where he thinks he can render us ineffective for God's use.
The first temptation the devil threw at Jesus was to turn the stones in the wilderness into bread. This obviously appealed to Jesus' physical desire as after 40 days we can only imagine how hungry he was. Then, he tempted Jesus to use his supernatural abilities before it was time. Satan told him to jump off the temple, because after all the angels would surely rescue him. Finally, the devil tempted Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world. But, this came with a very steep price. Jesus would need to bow down and worship the devil. Seems kind of silly of the devil to think Jesus would even consider doing this. Sometimes he's really dumb.
Third, notice with first two temptations the devil adds, "If you are the Son of God". Satan was appealing to Jesus' pride. Prove yourself Jesus. If you are really the Messiah, then show the people you are the real deal. Oftentimes the evil one will appeal to our pride and ask us to do something to fit in, prove ourselves, or make a name for ourselves. We are all prone to "people pleasing", so this can be a tricky one.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, we see Jesus' strategy for overcoming the wiles of the enemy. With each temptation he recognizes the devil's lie, and uses the bible to expose his lies. With each temptation he says, "It is written". Jesus knows the inherent power in God's Word. He grew up learning the Hebrew scriptures. He knew we don't live on physical bread alone, but on every word that comes from the Father!
One thing is for sure, if you are thinking of growing in your knowledge and application of God's Word this year, you will definitely be a target for the enemy. Satan hates it when we read, understand, and apply God's Word. And we know Jesus IS the Word. Martin Luther said, "The bible is the cradle that shows us the Christ-child". Jesus is the center of the bible. We look at every passage through the lens of Christ. He is in the Old Testament. He is in the Gospels. He is in the letters of the apostles. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The first and the last!
I am excited for us to read God's Word together this year. Ephesians 6:10-15 reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of this spiritual darkness. As we battle our enemy, according to the Ephesian's passage, the only "offensive weapon" we have is the "Sword of the Spirit", which is the Word of God!
Where are you most vulnerable to spiritual attack? Where might the devil twist the Word of God to get you to compromise your relationship with Christ? If you are a lover of food like me (I guess they call that a "foodie" today) how can you develop a deeper hunger for God's Word! Finally, we are all human and we will fall from time to time. We are not Jesus. We are not sinless. But rather than beating yourself up for days, confess your sin to the Lord, get back up, and get back in the game. "Greater is He that is in You than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4
Here are some brief notes about the rest of Chapter 4:
Jesus Begins to Preach
Note Jesus' message is the same as John the Baptist, "Repent for the kingdom of God has drawn near." The reason for repentance, or turning from what we know is wrong, it to make us more ready to participate in God's kingdom coming to earth as it is in heaven, as we pray in the Lord's Prayer. Martin Luther said in the Small Catechism, "God's kingdom will surely come, the only question is will it come through us?"
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
From the beginning Jesus knew his mission was not only to preach and teach about the kingdom, but also to equip his disciples to do the same things he would be doing.
Jesus Heals the Sick
Matthew 4:23 begins a transition where Jesus begins his public ministry. We see people with all sorts of sicknesses being healed by Jesus. Even the demon possessed, those who were spiritually sick were delivered. We will see later that Jesus will give his disciples (and us) this same power to heal.
God bless you as you read, understand, and apply God's Word!!!
Pastor Mike
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