Of The Battle

The Son of God Passes The Tests

2.22.26 [Matthew 4:1-11] River of Life (1st Sunday in Lent)

Hot, dusty, and dirty during the day. Cold, lonely, and isolated at night. Hungry for forty days and forty nights. These are not ideal conditions for anyone. The Judean wilderness is barren enough to lay bare any man’s real character. Yet, this is where we find the Son of God in Matthew 4. And we’re not the only ones. 

Matthew tells us that the Tempter came to Jesus and battered him with a least three temptations. From our vantage point, each of these temptations seems strange to us. Foreign for folks like us. You and I have never faced temptations like these. 

But their strangeness isn’t the only thing that they have in common. Each temptation hinges on a little word. If. With this conditional the wicked foe pokes and prods at the Prince of Peace. 

If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. 

If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the highest point of the Temple. 

If you bow down and worship me, I will give you all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  

In this wilderness scene, the devil is pressing hard in the details. If you are the Son of God, show me. If you are the Son of God, let those gathered at the Temple see God’s mighty hand in action. If you are here to save the world, bend your knee, and it will all be yours. 

But there are other patterns we observe in these words. Each temptation is refused flatly. There is no contemplation. There is not a bit of bargaining. There is not a particle of negotiating. There is no deal to be struck. The Son of God seeks no common ground with Satan. 

Instead, after each temptation, his response is grounded in the words of the OT, specifically from the book of Deuteronomy. They are short retorts. Clear declarations to the devil who loves to trouble the hearts and minds of God’s people and to muddy the waters of God’s Word. He pulls out all the stops to drag people into the muck & mire of sin. 

Jesus passes these tests with flying colors. We see him wield the Word of God Heb. 4:12 like a double-edged sword. We see the Son of God serve as our high priest, Heb. 4:15 who was tempted, just as we are, yet was without sin. But if that is all we are to get out of this account, then Mark’s Gospel would be sufficient. Mk. 1:13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. Yet, here, the Holy Spirit gives us the play-by-play. It’s in Luke’s Gospel as well. Why is that? 

Our first instinct might be that Matthew is giving us the perfect blueprint for how to resist temptation. But examine that thought for a minute with me. 

Go back to your days in school. Do you remember that really smart kid in your class? The one who got straight A’s. The one the teacher never caught not paying attention. The one who was the class valedictorian.

Were they the blueprint for your academic success? Did you study their habits, imitate them, and get the same grades they did? If they studied for an hour for the big final and aced it, does that mean that’s all that you would have needed to study to get the same grade? 

No, right? For one, they probably had innate gifts you didn’t have. Certain subjects were just easy for them. They had a photographic memory for math and history facts. Some people are just built different. 

Imitating their input wouldn’t necessarily match their output. And if that’s true in an academic sphere, don’t you think it’s might also be true in the spiritual realm? Not only that, but no matter what your grades were, you were closer to the valedictorian’s academic gifts than you are to the righteousness and faithfulness of the holy Son of God. 

Matthew doesn’t give the play-by-play so that we can triumph over the Tempter like Jesus. But there are important things we can learn from this.

The valedictorian took notes, instead of falling asleep in class. They prepared for tests and writing papers. They didn’t procrastinate. There’s things you could learn from those habits. There’s much here for us, too. We can learn what we’re up against and what we can rely on. 

Let’s look at what we’re up against. Look at where the devil strikes. This isn’t about bread or big falls or bending the knee in the wrong direction. 

The first temptation is about comfort. Satisfaction. Contentment. The tempter is telling Jesus, if you’re the Son of God, you shouldn’t have to struggle like this. Does that temptation sound familiar now?  

This is the temptation we face when a sinful shortcut will bring us ease or security. When lying on a form will make everything go smoothly. When taking more than what we’ve earned will take a load off our shoulders. This is the temptation that the sinful nature repackages as I deserve….I shouldn’t have to deal wtih…or No one’s gonna notice if…

The second temptation is about attention. Success. Respect. Glory. The devil makes a point of taking Jesus to the holy city to the highest point of the temple. He will take him to a mountain later, so this isn’t just about heights. This is about the audience. The tempter is telling Jesus, if you’re the Son of God, everyone should see that you’re special to God.

This is the same tactic he trots out when we’re sick or suffering and  praying the same thing over and over again without any changes or answers. You feel this temptation when you want God to do something big or splashy for your country, your community, or your church. It’s not that flourishing or expanding are evil. But we are trying to press God and speed up his timeline or tweak his will, rather than trusting in him fully. 

The final temptation is about control and compromise. The tempter was telling Jesus, If you’re the Son of God, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your life to save sinners & advance your kingdom. Here’s a shortcut. 

How many times have we fallen into this temptation? We manipulate people and circumstances and fudge on the details so that we can get what we want. The desired ends justify the devious means. You want a spouse and a family and a career? Chastity, marriage, and natural means of procreation won’t cut it in this modern age, the tempter says. Take the shortcut. You want to do your own thing and not have anyone bother you? Just pretend you can’t hear them or that you didn’t understand what they were saying or that they weren’t really talking to you and your situation. Take the shortcut.

These temptations are not as foreign as we might first think. We see these same tricks from the Tempter day after day. But that’s not all we can learn. We can also learn what to rely on. 

Notice that Jesus never draws from his own intellect, instincts, or willpower. He doesn’t say: I’ve gone forty days and forty nights without eating, I can make it the rest of the day. He doesn’t say: I think throwing myself down from the highest point of the Temple is a really bad idea. He doesn’t say: I don’t really think you’ll keep your word and give me those kingdoms if I bow down to you. 

All those things may be true, but he relies totally on a greater Truth. The Word of God. And that is where we should turn in our hour of testing. 

The Word of Truth tells us that Jesus was Mt. 4:1 led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by God and tempted by the devil. 

None of this was accidental or even incidental. This was intentional. This was purposeful. This is why he came. Jesus came to confront the Tempter. Jesus had none of the material advantages that Adam and Eve had. They were well-fed, linked with someone suitable and like-minded, and living in paradise. Jesus was hungry, alone, and in the wilderness. And he didn’t budge an inch. He resisted temptation. 

He rebuffed the devil’s lies with the truths of God’s Word. He denied himself basic comforts. He refused to seek attention. He submitted to his Father’s will instead of seizing control.  He rebuked the Evil One and the devil left him. 

But this was not the last time he faced these temptations. On the cross, these tests reappeared in new forms and under greater stress. Jesus denied himself any kind of comfort or escape. He could have called down legions of angels. He could have knocked the Roman soldiers who were beating and mocking him over with a word. When they offered him Mt. 27:34 wine, mixed with gall, after he tasted it, he refused to drink it. He refused anything that would dull the pain of the wrath sin deserved. 

Jesus also refused to throw himself down from the cross as a sign to those who were challenging whether or not he really was the Son of God. As he died, he proclaimed that sinners would be with him in his kingdom of paradise. He also submitted his will to the Father’s in suffering and dying on the cross. Then, instead of bowing to the devil, he bowed his head and said Lk. 24:36 Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. 

These tests in the wilderness were preparing Jesus for the tests on Calvary. And the good news for us is that Jesus passed all the tests and by God’s great grace and rich mercy, he included us in the group project. 

That’s the beauty of the Gospel. You and I contribute nothing but sin and neediness to this great project called salvation. The Triune God does it all. The Father, like the uber-organized valedictorian, lays out the whole plan. Jesus, like the A student, does all the work. The Holy Spirit gifts us all the faith, cleansing our hearts and renewing our minds to trust in God alone. 

You have an A already. The final exam has been taken. Don’t forget that. 

But what Jesus has shown you comes in handy during the pop quizzes of life. Even under less-than-ideal circumstances. Even when you’re hot or hungry. Even when you’re feeling cold or lonely or isolated. Because that’s when temptation strikes, isn’t it? When you are confronted by temptation, don’t make excuses. Don’t fixate on all the charming comforts sin seems to offer. Don’t negotiate. Don’t capitulate. Don’t rely solely on your intellect, instincts, or willpower. Those things are tainted by your sinful nature. 

Instead, keep the Word of God close to your heart. This is why we read and learn and inwardly digest the Bread of Life. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep the truth of God’s Word close at hand. Wield the sword of the Spirit and find security in the shield of faith. And remember. For you fights the Valiant One. He holds the field forever. Amen.