Matthew 4:1-11 - The Temptation of Jesus

Jesus Submits

The spirit led Jesus into the Wilderness - Subjecting himself to temptation was an act of obedience to the Father

Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights

The tempter approached Jesus in a state of physical weakness and desperation, but great spiritual strength

Jesus’s Response to temptation illustrates how important reliance on God is.

When we combat temptation, do we focus on circumstances, willpower, physical strength, or spiritual wellbeing and reliance on God?

The Three Temptations

First, Satan tempts Jesus to use his power to provide himself with food.

Jesus is attacked where he is most vulnerable

Jesus relies on the Word of God to combat temptation

Second, Satan tempts him to test the Father

Satan attempts to turn his defense into an weakness by using scripture

Jesus once again defends himself utilizing Scripture in its correct context

Finally, Satan tempts Jesus with something he has lost -

As Philippians 2 tells us, Jesus emptied himself and gave up his position at the right hand of the Father. Jesus had authority over all the Earth but wilfully gave it up.

Satan tempts Jesus by offering Him authority over all the kingdoms of the world. This temptation is strange for several reasons:

Satan does not have true authority over anything, except where God permits.

Satan seems to understand the nature of who Jesus is, and presumably that Jesus knows he cannot fulfill this promise.

What does this mean for us?

Satan knows our weaknesses

He attacked Jesus where he was physically weak - This may be literal hunger like Jesus felt, loneliness, desire for money/wealth, or any other number of things

Satan knows scripture well and will try to misuse it to lead us away.

Satan knows that obedience to the Lord has a cost, and will try to convince us this cost is not worth it.

We have the means to defend ourselves from Satan’s temptations

Jesus prepared spiritually for 40 days and nights, fasting before being confronted with temptations

If Jesus prepared this way, how much more should we seek the Lord and guard our hearts?

Jesus memorized scripture, knew it’s context and applications

We have access to the word of God and should be utilizing it to arm ourselves against temptation.

Jesus was drained and recieved ministering by the angels after the temptation

We need the Holy Spirit and fellow Christians who we can confide in, that can both keep us accountable and be great encouragers to us when we face difficulties and temptations

Closing Thoughts -

Prescriptive vs Descriptive -

As we navigate through passages in scripture, it is often important to ask ourselves the questions: If this a direct prescription for us as Christians, or merely a description of something that happened, and how does that affect our interpretation and application.

I think as Christians it is clear that excluding the divine influence of the Holy Spirit we will not always resist the temptations of the devil successfully - therefor, it should further be concluded that this is not an exact prescription for us to win against temptation.

Taking this as a description, what principles and truths can be derived from this passage and how does it pertain to us?

How is this going to change our lives today, tomorrow, and in the weeks to come?

This should offer us encouragement and direction as we attack the temptation and sin in our lives

We have a Might Counselor who understands our sins and temptations on a very intimate level