The Temptation of Jesus

MEMORY VERSE: “Then said Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” —Matthew 4:10

MATTHEW 4:1-11

WHEN Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came upon him and the “heavens” were opened unto him. This suggests the revealing to the Master’s mind the great spiritual truths concerning himself that had been set forth in the Old Testament. It is reasonable to conclude that it was the sudden filling of his mind with these truths which impelled him to seek a secluded spot where he could meditate on them and grasp their full import, particularly as they applied to his own ministry upon which he was then embarking.

It would seem that Jesus became so engrossed in his meditations that he had not eaten, and naturally after forty days without food he would be very hungry. It was then Satan suggested that he use the power with which he had so recently been endowed to turn stones into bread for the purpose of satisfying his hunger. But one of the things which Jesus had learned through his meditations was that he was to lay down his life in sacrifice, so he knew that it would be wrong to use the special power which had been entrusted to him for his own sustenance.

Jesus knew that he could use his newly acquired power to heal the sick and raise the dead: this would be extending blessings to others. But for himself, his ministry was to be one of sacrifice which eventually would lead to death. His real interest so far as life was concerned was the future life in the kingdom, and he was to be prepared for this by laying down his earthly life, not by preserving it, so he replied to Satan, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”—vs. 4

Failing in this temptation, Satan, suggestively, not literally, then took Jesus into Jerusalem, and “setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou shalt dash thy foot against a stone.”—vss. 5,6

At the time Jesus was baptized he received the assurance that he was the Son of God. He heard his Father speak, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (ch. 3:17) This was all the assurance of sonship he needed. Indeed, Jesus realized that to do what Satan suggested simply to prove that he was the Son of God, or even to prove it to the people, would be presumptuous. So he replied to Satan, “It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (vs. 7) It is noteworthy that in all these temptations Jesus relied upon the instructions of God’s Word to point out to him the proper course.

The third and last of this series of temptations is a very significant one. Satan took Jesus, in his mind, “to an exceeding high mountain” and gave him a view of all the kingdoms of the world, and then said to the Master, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”—vss. 8,9

This was a subtle temptation. Jesus knew that he had come to be the King of earth. He knew that the time would come when all the kingdoms of the world would become subject to him. (Ps. 2:6-9; Rev. 11:15) But Jesus also knew that before this aspect of the divine plan would be carried out it was necessary for him to suffer and to die as the world’s Redeemer from sin and death. This suggestion by Satan to Jesus, therefore, was a temptation to accomplish the divine purpose of his rulership without the necessity of suffering and dying.

But Jesus did not propose to accept rulership over the kingdoms of this world on Satan’s terms, so he replied, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Not for a moment did Jesus yield to the idea of bowing down to Satan in order to attain authority and power.

However, many of Jesus’ followers have yielded to these temptations, which Satan has likewise presented to them. Many have yielded to the temptation to use their spiritual advantages to further their own selfish ends. Others have endeavored, through spectacular works, to convince their fellows that they are the favorites of heaven. And still others, and a larger number, have yielded to the temptation to receive from the Devil the kingdoms of this world. One example of this has been the rulership of professed Christians in the church-state systems of government.

QUESTIONS

How did Jesus spend his time during his forty days’ stay in the wilderness?

Why was it wrong for him to turn stones into bread?

Why did Jesus refuse to jump from the pinnacle of the temple?

Explain the implications of the temptation to worship Satan in return for power in the earth.

| Home Page | Table of Contents |