The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness, as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, occurred right after His baptism by John the Baptist.
Led by the Spirit, Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray for forty days and nights. During this time, Satan approached him with three distinct temptations.
The Temptation of Jesus in the Bible
Gospel of Matthew:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “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.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do 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 splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:1-11
Gospel of Luke:
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."
And Jesus answered him, "It is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13
The 3 Temptations of Jesus
The three temptations of Jesus, as described in the books of Matthew and Luke, are often interpreted as literal events in the life of Christ and symbolic challenges that represent broader spiritual and moral themes. Here's a general understanding of the three temptations:
First, Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread to relieve his hunger, emphasizing the physical aspect of his humanity. Jesus responded by asserting the importance of spiritual nourishment over physical desires.
In the second temptation, Satan urged Jesus to jump from the pinnacle of the temple, testing God's protection by relying on miraculous intervention. Jesus rejected this, emphasizing the need to trust in God without putting Him to the test.
Finally, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. Jesus rebuffed the offer, emphasizing the exclusive worship of God and rejecting the pursuit of worldly power. Throughout these temptations, Jesus relied on scripture and resolute commitment to His divine mission, setting an example of resistance against the temptation of physical appetites, sensationalism, and earthly power.
Turn Stones into Bread:
And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." (Mattew 4:3)
Symbolism: This temptation is often seen as challenging Jesus' physical needs and desires. The devil suggests that Jesus should use his divine power to satisfy his hunger by turning stones into bread.
Broader Theme: It symbolizes the temptation to prioritize material and physical needs over spiritual and moral considerations. Jesus resists the temptation, emphasizing the importance of spiritual nourishment and trust in God.
Jump from the Pinnacle of the Temple:
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.'" (Matthew 4:5-6)
Symbolism: The devil proposes that Jesus should jump from the pinnacle of the temple, and angels will rescue him, demonstrating his divine protection. This temptation challenges Jesus to test God's protection and intervention on his behalf.
Broader Theme: It represents the temptation to seek God's favor through sensationalism or putting God to the test rather than relying on faith and obedience. Jesus rejects this, emphasizing the importance of trusting in God without demanding miraculous proof.
Bow Down and Worship Satan for Earthly Power:
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.'" (Matthew 4:9-10)
Symbolism: The devil offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he bows down and worships him. This temptation challenges Jesus' commitment to his divine mission and whether he would compromise his allegiance to God for earthly power.
Broader Theme: It symbolizes the temptation to pursue worldly power, authority, and success at the expense of spiritual values. Jesus rejects this temptation, reaffirming his loyalty to God alone and emphasizing the worship of God over worldly pursuits.
Overall, these three temptations are often interpreted as representing the broader human struggles with the desires of the flesh, the desire for signs and proofs, and the allure of worldly power and success.
Bible Commentary on Matthew 4
Concerning Christ's temptation, observe that directly after he was declared to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, he was tempted; great privileges and special tokens of Divine favor will not secure anyone from being tempted. But if the Holy Spirit witnesses our being adopted as children of God, that will answer all the suggestions of the evil spirit.
Christ was directed to the combat. If we presume upon our own strength and tempt the devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are tempted, when drawn aside of their own lust, and enticed (James 1:14), but our Lord Jesus had no corrupt nature. Therefore, he was tempted only by the devil. In the temptation of Christ, it appears that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and very daring, but he can be resisted. It is a comfort to us that Christ suffered, being tempted; for thus it appears that our temptations, if not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions only.
Satan aimed, in all his temptations, to bring Christ to sin against God:
1. He tempted him to despair of his Father's goodness and to distrust his Father's care concerning him. It is one of the wiles of Satan to take advantage of our outward condition, and those who are brought into straits need to double their guard. Christ answered all the temptations of Satan with "It is written;" to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the Scriptures. We must take this method whenever we are tempted to sin. Let us learn not to take any wrong courses for our supply when our wants are ever so pressing: in some way or other, the Lord will provide.
2. Satan tempted Christ to presume upon his Father's power and protection in a point of safety. Nor are any extremes more dangerous than despair and presumption, especially in the affairs of our souls. Satan has no objection to holy places as the scene of his assaults. Let us not, in any place, be off our watch. The holy city is the place where he does, with the greatest advantage, tempt men to pride and presumption. All high places are slippery places; advancements in the world make a man a mark for Satan to shoot his fiery darts at. Is Satan so well versed in Scripture as to be able to quote it readily? He is so. A man can have his head full of Scripture notions and his mouth full of Scripture expressions while his heart is full of bitter enmity toward God and all goodness. Satan misquoted the words. If we go out of our way, out of the way of our duty, we forfeit the promise and put ourselves out of God's protection. This passage (Deuteronomy 8:3) is made against the tempter. Therefore, he left out part. This promise is firm and stands good. But shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? No.
3. Satan tempted Christ to idolatry with the offer of the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. The glory of the world is the most charming temptation to the unthinking and unwary; by that, men are most easily imposed upon. Christ was tempted to worship Satan. He rejected the proposal with abhorrence. "Get thee hence, Satan!" Some temptations are openly wicked, and they are not merely to be opposed but rejected at once. It is good to be quick and firm in resisting temptation. If we resist the devil, he will flee from us. But the soul that deliberates is almost overcome. We find but few who can decidedly reject such baits as Satan offers, yet what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Christ was succored after the temptation, for his encouragement to go on in his undertaking, and for our encouragement to trust in him; for as he knew, by experience, what it was to suffer, being tempted, so he knew what it was to be succored, being tempted; therefore we may expect, not only that he will feel for his tempted people, but that he will come to them with seasonable relief. ~ Excerpt from Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary
Was it Satan Who Tempted Jesus?
As to the agent of the temptation, Matthew says, "To be tempted of the devil"; Mark, “Tempted of Satan"; Luke, "Tempted of the devil." The emphasis here is upon the fact that in the wilderness experience, Jesus came face to face with the prince of the power of the air, with the god of this world, with Lucifer, son of the morning, who had fallen from his high estate of the first rank of heaven, and now leader of the hosts of darkness.
There have been many attempts to account for the temptation in other ways. It has been suggested that some man or company of men visited Him in the wilderness and voiced the suggestions of evil; some even holding that the tempter was a member of His own family, who followed Him into the wilderness and, with motives not unmixed with concern for Him, yet became the voice of evil. As all this is pure imagination and has not the slightest warrant in Scripture, it must be dismissed immediately as false.
The more serious error is that the temptation arose from the natural operations of the mind of Christ. This is as unwarranted as the other. As evil was presented to the first man, Adam, from without, so also was it to the second, Christ. But no time needs to be taken with these futile attempts to discount the actual accuracy of the scripture narrative. One of the chief values of this account of the temptation lies in the fact that Jesus here dragged Satan into the light and revealed the fact of his existence and the method of his operations.
Satan Twisted Truth to Tempt Christ
Christ responded to Satan with the truth and “was the first to quote scripture in His encounter with Satan,” always beginning, “It is written.” Today, Satan twists Scripture to confuse and fool us, which is why we must know the Bible.
We utilize the Word of God, “sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and thereby invoke the power of Christ for our defense. “Satan takes his cue from our Lord’s words.” Once he understands Jesus’ defense, He “seeks to twist our Lord’s trust in the Father.” Satan tries some “subtle twisting of God’s word,” and perhaps “the adversary felt certain he could overthrow our Lord even on biblical grounds!”
Of course, Christ has the advantage. He knows the Word; He is the Word, but memorizing the Bible is not enough: we must come to grips with what God means to say and who He is. Not only the word but the speaker matters. Even non-Christians use Bible verses out of context, adopting them as devices to mold truth to their purposes and desires.
The Son “hangs on every word of God. [...] Every word. Not a few words. Not the words particularly easy to accept.” What a shallow and short-lived victory that would have been to be manipulated by Satan into taking Scripture out of context. Those who are “hostile to God” do not “submit to God’s law” (Romans 8:7).
Jesus did not turn the stone into bread because God had said: “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). He did not jump from the top of the temple because God’s people “do not put the Lord [their] God to the test.” (Deuteronomy 6:16).
Christ did not bow down to Satan in exchange for power because Satan had no power to bestow: “Fear the LORD your God, serve him only” (Deuteronomy 6:13). Jesus did not need new words; the Father had spoken sufficiently in the law He gave to Israel when they were in the wilderness. Deuteronomy literally means “Words” in Hebrew.
The Straight Path When We Are Tempted
Matthew 4:1-11 reminds Christians to expect and endure evil without giving in, but also shows us how to resist by using the very words of God. Even Christ quoted Scripture as His defense rather than coming up with some new wisdom. In his farewell to the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).
Christ is the Word by which believers receive the inheritance of God, the grace which is our salvation and our stronghold. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” In this encounter with Satan, Christ essentially protects Himself with — Himself, the truth of who He is: the unchangeable I AM.
Excerpts from Author Candice Lucey
Photo Credit: Pexels/Jeswin Thomas
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