The Temptation of Jesus

LUKE 4:1, 2—It was at the River Jordan that Jesus entered into a covenant to do his Father’s will, that good pleasure of his Father which had been expressed in the “volume of the book.” (Psa. 40:7,8) God manifested his acceptance of Jesus’ consecration by anointing him with his Holy Spirit, and filling him with that Spirit.

Under the influence of the Holy Spirit the Master felt impelled to retire for a while into the wilderness, away from the people, that he might commune with his Father and thus be instructed and fortified for the tasks ahead. But even in the wilderness there was an intruder who apparently attempted to disrupt that holy communion, for Luke tells us that he was tempted of the devil for these forty days, but the nature of these temptations is not explained. Our lesson today is concerned especially with the three great temptations which Satan presented to Jesus following his forty-day fast.

LUKE 4:3, 4—The first temptation to which the Master was subjected when he had fasted for forty days was the suggestion that he use the divine power which had been entrusted to him to turn stones into bread in order to satisfy his hunger. To be hungry was not a sin, and to satisfy that hunger in a natural way would not have been contrary to the Master’s covenant of sacrifice. But it would have been wrong to use for his own advantage powers which had been granted to him for the service of others. And this is just what was involved in the temptation to turn stones into bread. The will of God as outlined for the Master in the Old Testament called for the sacrifice of his life, and while he was not to commit suicide in order to fulfill his covenant, neither was he to employ a miracle in order to sidestep the privilege of sacrifice.

For Jesus there was something more important than preserving his human life with natural food, and that was to be obedient to every word which God had uttered for his instruction. (Deut. 8:3) He knew this, and was able to meet Satan’s temptation with a “thus saith the Lord,” “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out from the mouth of God.”—Matthew 4:4

LUKE 4:5-8—Satan’s offer of all the kingdoms of this world was a very subtle one. Jesus knew that it was the Father’s will for him one day to possess these kingdoms, and rule over them. His Father had promised it. (Psalm 2:8,9) Perhaps Satan knew this also, and thought to outwit Jehovah by making a deal with Jesus whereby he would still be a sort of overlord in human affairs. Jesus did not dispute that Satan was then the ruler of the world. As a matter of fact, later he referred to him as the “prince of this world”; but he was not willing to accept the kingdoms from Satan, and especially not on the terms suggested.—John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11

The terms were that Jesus fall down and worship the devil, which would have been a recognition of superiority, and of his right to the authority he was exercising. It would have been a much easier way for Jesus to become King than the one outlined for him in the divine plan, but Jesus did not accept it. Jesus doubtless realized that the idea was wrong from every angle, but in answering Satan he chose the most fundamental reason of them all—“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”—Deut. 6:13

LUKE 4:9-13—“And he brought him to Jerusalem.” It is not necessary to suppose that Jesus and the devil traveled together to Jerusalem in a literal sense. The thought is, rather, that Jesus was reminded of Jerusalem, and of the temple in Jerusalem, and given a mental picture of the possibility of casting himself from its pinnacle while an amazed crowd looked on expecting him to be dashed to pieces. In this temptation Satan quoted a scripture in an effort to convince the Master that the suggested course was quite proper.

Jesus’ reply was, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Deut. 6:16) The “temptation” of God would, in this case, seem to be that of expecting him to do something that was unnecessary. In the procedure suggested there were two possible advantages which one less attuned to the will of God might have hoped to gain. First, it would give him a popular start in his ministry by convincing the people that he really had divine backing. Second, it would reassure him of his sonship standing with God, for Satan prefaced the temptation with an “if”—“If thou be the Son of God.”

Jesus was well prepared to meet both these wrong viewpoints. He knew that his ministry was not designed by God to be a popular one, that ultimately he would be rejected and put to death. Nor was there any question in his mind about his sonship, for only forty days before this he had heard the testimony of his Father, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”—Matt. 3:17

Luke tells us that Satan left Jesus “for a season.” Yes, it was only a temporary respite from satanic temptation which Jesus experienced. At the close of his ministry particularly, the devil, working through his human dupes, was back with a similar idea, “If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” It was God’s will that his Son should die for the sins of the world. Jesus knew this, and remained on the cross.

QUESTIONS

Why was it wrong for Jesus to provide food by turning stones into bread?

Did Satan have a right to offer the kingdoms of the world to Jesus? Why would it have been wrong for the Master to have accepted them?

Why would it have been wrong for Jesus to cast himself down from the temple, as suggested by the devil?

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