The Temptation of Jesus Christ

Hebrews 4:14–16 (NKJV)

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

the scripture states that Jesus Christ is our High Priest who can sympathise with our weakness.

In order for us to fully grasp what it means that Christ sympathises with our weakness, we must fully understand whar it means that Christ in all points was tempted as we are, yet without sin.

It is revealed it is because of this that we are able to find mercy and grace to help in time of need.

This is a word given to comfort God’s people as they go through different temptation of life.

What does it mean “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”?

We must First define temptation from the scriprtures.

Biblical defination of Temptation

Tempt comes from the Greek word (peirazo) which literaly means test or try. It has both positive and negative connotations. the same greek word is translated as sometimes test and sometimes tempt NKJV.

There are two category of temptation in the scripture.

External Temptation

Temptation that comes from without

This temptation is common to all in the sense that all go some form of external temptation including God.

Internal temptation

is temptation that is unique only to mankind or humanity.

This is temptation that comes from within man, that is from the flesh

Note: Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh.

External Temptation

God

God was tempted in the scriptures, but it was only an external temptation.

Deut 6:16 “16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.”

Genesis 22:1 “1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.””

Same hebrew wrod (nasah) is translated as both tempt and test.

So God is tempted externally and also tempt externally his people for a purpose.

Internal Temptatation

James 1:12–15 (NKJV)

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Abraham is blessed because he endured God’s temptation.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

James here speaks of internal temptation, that arise as a result of sin.

The devil is the temptor in Genesis 3 (external temptation)

Sin is the temptor in Genesis 4 (Internal Temptation)

Romans 7:5–6 NKJV

5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 7:17–18 NKJV

17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

Wehen we live accordingto the spirit internal temptation are out of the equation.

Internal temptation does not come to us through the will of God.

Internal temptation is as a result of the sinful passion of the flesh have not yet been crucified with Christ.

Galatians 5:24 “24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

1 Peter 4:1-2 “1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

Which category of temptation did Jesus go through?

Hebrews 4:14–16 (NKJV)

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Christ temptation was one whcih was without sin, that is not the internal tempation but the external.

only external temptation is a temoptation that does not come from sin.

Jesus Christ though he was man, yet he did not have the corupted flesh of man, his flesh was from Heaven.

The source of his flesh was his own eternal Word, therefore it was a flesh that give life, it was not tainted by sinful nature.

Jesus Christ was tempted as a man

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV)

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

1 Corinthians 10:9 “9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;”

When Jesus was tempted in the Old Testament, he was tempted as God.

Jesus came in the Flesh, as Emanuel, he was tempted as a man.

A complaint brought againts God in the OT

Job 9:30–35 NKJV

30 If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, 31 Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me. 32 “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. 33 Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. 34 Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. 35 Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me.

Job 10:4–5 NKJV

4 Do You have eyes of flesh? Or do You see as man sees? 5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of a mighty man,

God became Emanuel to put this complaint against him to rest.

Philippians 2:6-8 “6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Now as a man he was tempted in all points. He suffered in all points.

Job wanted God to sympathise with him, but “it was not so with him” because He knew God was not like man.

However, Jesus can sympathize with us now because he was tempted external in all point as we are tempted.

Isaiah 53:1–8 (NKJV)

1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

He was born in poverty, in a lowly place.

3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”

Jesus christ has gone through it all.

So when we go through rejection, opression, sorrow, grief, humiliation, injustice, he is able to sympathise with us and to help us.

Since he was victorious through it all we can be victorious through him.

The Result

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

John 16:33 “33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””

James 5:13 (NKJV)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

It is through prayer in our temptations or suffering we find grace and mercy to help in time of need.