Victory Over Temptation

MEMORY VERSE: “Jesus answered and said unto him, … it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” —Luke 4:8

LUKE 3:21, 22

JOHN’S baptism was a baptism of repentance for the remission of sin, but Jesus was not a sinner. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. (Heb. 7:26) This is why John said to Jesus, “I have need to be baptized of thee.” (Matt. 3:14) Jesus’ baptism, or burial in the water, was a symbol of the burial of his will in the will of his Heavenly Father. As he said, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”—Ps. 40:8

With Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit came upon him. The fact that on this occasion the outward manifestation of the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove does not mean that the Holy Spirit is a personality resembling a dove. This was merely an outward sign, the full significance of which we may not understand. The important thing is that God, by his power, which is the Holy Spirit, spoke to Jesus, saying, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” Here was Jesus’ assurance of sonship with the Heavenly Father.

LUKE 4:1-12

From the time of his baptism Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” (RSV) This statement disproves the personality of the Holy Spirit. It simply means that the Master had surrendered his own will, and was allowing his Heavenly Father to guide him in the doing of his will. The first leading of the Spirit was into the “wilderness,” where Jesus fasted for forty days.

Following this period of fasting the Devil appeared to Jesus and tempted him by suggesting that he turn a stone into bread in order that he might satisfy his hunger. Jesus’ response to this temptation was a quotation from the Old Testament, “Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”—Deut. 8:3

Thus Jesus emphasizes that life—that is, eternal life—depends upon obedience to the Word of God. For this reason he would not use the power of God, which was invested in him at the time of his baptism, for the purpose of satisfying his temporary natural craving for food. It must be assumed that while Jesus had experienced a long fast, he knew that it had not endangered his life.

The next temptation was very unique. The Devil gave Jesus a mental picture of all the kingdoms of this world, and promised to turn them over to Jesus if he would worship him instead of God. Again Jesus answered by quoting from the Old Testament: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Since Jesus was now filled with the Holy Spirit, we may assume he knew that the time would come in the outworking of the divine plan when Satan would have his usurped power over the nations taken away, and that he, as earth’s rightful King would become the real ruler. (Rev. 11:15) Jesus knew, also, that the way to the inheritance of this rulership was the way of the cross; that before he could rule the human race he must die for it.

The final temptation on this occasion was the Devil’s suggestion that Jesus cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, depending on his Heavenly Father, through the holy angels, to protect him from harm. The Devil said, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence.”

At the close of his ministry Jesus was tested in connection with his sonship. The high priest before whom he was tried said to him, “I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus’ reply was, “Thou hast said.”—Matt. 26:63,64

Jesus knew that his time to complete his sacrifice was at hand, and he was willing to affirm the fact that he was the Son of God, knowing that in the minds of his religious persecutors it would make him worthy of death. The Devil tempted Jesus to do wrong, but here was a test of his willingness to do right by affirming the truth.

QUESTIONS

What was the purpose of Jesus’ baptism in water?

What were the three temptations presented to Jesus by the Devil?

How did he meet these temptations?

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