Jesus Went - to the desert BS
There are fascinating parallels between the three temptations of Christ, the three temptations in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:6), and the three kinds of temptation 1 John 2:16 lists to summarize “everything in the world.”
Jesus’ temptations
Adam & Eve’s temptations
1 John 2:16
turn stones into bread
tree was good for food
lust of the flesh
see all kingdoms
pleasing to the eye
lust of the eyes
save life spectacularly
desirable for gaining wisdom
pride of life
Whether or not any of these parallels was intentional, together they point out that Jesus did experience representative temptations of all kinds; therefore, the writer of Hebrews could declare that Christ was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15 NIV).42
Luke has just reminded us of Jesus’ membership in the family of Adam. If there had been any doubt about his being really human, Luke underlines his sharing of our flesh and blood in this vivid scene of temptation. If Jesus is the descendant of Adam, he must now face not only what Adam faced but the powers that had been unleashed through human rebellion and sin. Long years of habitual rebellion against the creator God had brought about a situation in which the world, the flesh and the devil had become used to twisting human beings into whatever shape they wanted.
In particular, after his baptism, Jesus faced the double question: what does it mean to be God’s son in this special, unique way? And what sort of messiahship was he to pursue? There had, after all, been many royal movements in his time, not only the well-known house of Herod but also other lesser-known figures whom we meet in the historian Josephus. Characters like Simon (not one of the Simons we know in the Bible) and Athronges gathered followers and were hailed as kings, only to be cut down by Roman or Herodian troops. There were would-be prophets who promised their followers signs from heaven, great miracles to show God’s saving power. They too didn’t last long. What was Jesus to do?
The three temptations can be read as possible answers to this question. The story does not envisage Jesus engaged in conversation with a visible figure to whom he could talk as one to another; the devil’s voice appears as a string of natural ideas in his own head. They are plausible, attractive, and make, as we would say, a lot of sense. God can’t want his beloved son to be famished with hunger, can he? If God wants Jesus to become sovereign over the world (that, after all, is what Gabriel had told Mary), then why not go for it in one easy stride? If Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, why not prove it by spectacular displays of power?
If there are in this story echoes of Adam and Eve in the garden, with the serpent whispering plausible lies about God, his purposes and his commands, there are also echoes of Israel in the wilderness. Israel came out of Egypt through the Red Sea, with God declaring that Israel was his son, his firstborn. There then followed the 40-year wandering in the wilderness, where Israel grumbled for bread, flirted disastrously with idolatry, and put God continually to the test. Now Jesus, coming through the waters of baptism as God’s unique son, the one through whom Israel’s destiny was to be fulfilled, faces the question: how is he to be Israel’s representative, her rightful king? How can he deliver Israel, and thereby the world, from the grip of the enemy? How can he bring about the real liberation, not just from Rome and other political foes, but from the arch-enemy, the devil himself?
The answer is that he must begin by defeating him at the most personal and intimate level. Christian leaders today sometimes make the mistake of thinking that as long as they are pursuing the right aims in their public life, what they do in private doesn’t matter so much. That is a typical lie whispered by the same voice that Jesus heard in the desert. If God is working by his Spirit through a person, that person’s own life will be increasingly formed by that Spirit, through testing at every level. If Jesus could not win the victory there, there was little point carrying on.
Jesus responds to the devil, not by attempting to argue (arguing with temptation is often a way of playing with the idea until it becomes too attractive to resist), but by quoting scripture. The passages he draws on come from the story of Israel in the wilderness: he is going to succeed where Israel failed. Physical needs and wants are important, but loyalty to God is more important still. Jesus is indeed to become the world’s true lord, but the path to that status, and the mode of it when it arrives, is humble service, not a devilish seeking after status and power. Trust in God doesn’t mean acting stupidly to force God into doing a spectacular rescue. The power that Jesus already has, which he will shortly display in healings in particular, is to be used for restoring others to life and strength, not for cheap stunts. His status as God’s son commits him, not to showy prestige, but to the strange path of humility, service and finally death. The enemy will return to test this resolve again. For the moment, an initial victory is won, and Jesus can begin his public career knowing that though struggles lie ahead the foe has been beaten on the first field that really matters.
We are unlikely to be tempted in exactly the same way as Jesus was, but every Christian will be tested at the points which matter most in her or his life and vocation. It is a central part of Christian vocation to learn to recognize the voices that whisper attractive lies, to distinguish them from the voice of God, and to use the simple but direct weapons provided in scripture to rebut the lies with truth.
The Christian discipline of fighting temptation is not about self-hatred, or rejecting parts of our God-given humanity. It is about celebrating God’s gift of full humanity and, like someone learning a musical instrument, discovering how to tune it and play it to its best possibility. At the heart of our resistance to temptation is love and loyalty to the God who has already called us his beloved children in Christ, and who holds out before us the calling to follow him in the path which leads to the true glory. In that glory lies the true happiness, the true fulfilment, which neither world, nor flesh, nor devil can begin to imitate.
BEFORE BEGINNING HIS ministry, Jesus faces off with Satan after being led by the Spirit into the desert. Luke makes such leading clear by noting both that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and that he was “led by the Spirit in the desert.” What occurs here, therefore, takes place under God’s direction. Also important to the event’s background is the fact that it takes place after forty days of fasting. Forty is a significant number in the Bible (Gen 7:4; Lev. 12:1–4; Num. 14:33; Deut. 25:3; Ezek. 4:6; on fasting, see Ex. 34:28; Deut 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8). Such fasting probably involved minimum drink only. The remark is significant, since Jesus’ testing takes place in an environment opposite to the one Adam faced.
The comparison to Adam is suggested by “the son of Adam, the son of God” conclusion to the preceding genealogy (3:38). The cosmic confrontation of Jesus with Satan recalls that earlier encounter, which had such dire consequences for humanity. Another major biblical event surfacing in this passage is the Exodus, for Jesus uses the book of Deuteronomy to reply to each satanic temptation.
Jesus’ successful encounter with the devil reveals how thoroughly dedicated he is to God’s will and call. Jesus will take only the road God asks him to follow. He will not take any shortcuts. He knows that a successful walk with God only goes where the Father leads.
The event is built around three distinct temptations. Two of them specifically make Jesus’ Sonship the issue (vv. 3, 9). They argue in vivid terms, using a conditional clause in which the word “if” (ei) presents the condition as if it were so, though Satan has more sinister motives. Satan tempts Jesus to act in a way that supports his Sonship. Of course, his goal behind these temptations is the exact opposite: luring Jesus to act independently of the Father and thus creating a rebellious Sonship. In each case, Jesus uses Scripture to counter Satan’s attempt.
The first temptation questions God’s provision and care. Satan’s premise is that Jesus’ Sonship must mean that God does not want him to starve in the desert, so the mighty Son should simply turn stone into bread and meet his basic needs under his own power. But Jesus understands that the request is not a challenge to be strong, but to be independent. Such independence is weakness and leads to failure. Jesus’ reply comes from Deuteronomy 8:3b, arguing that life is run by more than food. In fact, in the priority of things, life is not defined by bread at all. Instead, life is defined by doing God’s will and depending on his leading. In the Deuteronomy citation, the next line refers to living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. To follow God is to live.
The second temptation is an invitation to worship Satan and abandon loyalty to the Father, a direct challenge to the first commandment (Ex. 20:3). Satan allows Jesus to see all the kingdoms in the world and promises him authority over all of them if he will only worship him. The proposal is of an alliance between the Son and Satan. The temptation is not only to join Satan, but for Jesus to excuse himself from all that lies ahead in his ministry. He can leave behind the rejection and suffering for quick access to power.
Though Satan possesses great authority (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2), he really cannot grant this wish. The proposal is a delusion and a lie, as are all of Satan’s attempts to get us off track. Jesus’ reply makes it clear he knows which way is true. Going Satan’s way is not the way to gain power, but to lose it. There is no quick and easy road to messianic glory or to spiritual survival in a hostile world. Jesus opts to receive from the Father what is the Father’s to give. Therefore, Jesus replies with Deuteronomy 6:13. Only one Being is worthy of worship—the Lord God. This text comes from a portion of a passage that follows the Shema (Deut. 6:4–9), which a Jew recited daily. That verse notes one other important reality, that with worship comes service. True service means remaining allied to God.
The third temptation, like the second, involves a vision-like experience. Jesus is taken to the temple in Jerusalem—probably on the Royal Porch on the temple’s southeast corner, which looms over a cliff and the Kidron Valley some 450 feet below. Josephus mentions that just looking over the edge made people dizzy (Antiquities 15.11.5 §§ 411–12). To cast oneself down from such a height and survive would take divine intervention. The location of the temple probably underscores the idea of God’s presence to help. There is no indication that this temptation occurred as a public act. Rather, it seems to have been a type of creative enactment of a “potential” situation.
Satan adds to his enticement by quoting Scripture himself, citing Psalm 91:11–12, a text that promises God’s protection for his own. The premise is, “If God protects his own and you are his Son, then you can jump and not worry; you can run over the edge and not be crushed.” He suggests such wonder-working protection will enhance Jesus’ unique dependence on God as he flings himself into his caring arms. Furthermore, surely God will not let his own suffer pain.
As spiritual as this sounds, Jesus recognizes the remark as a presumptuous test of God’s care. God has not asked Jesus to engage in such a test, and the action artificially creates a need for God to act. Since it puts God in a “show me” position, the action is really a private test of God and a sign of a lack of faith. These kinds of tests God’s children are not to pursue. So Jesus replies with Deuteronomy 6:16, a text that rebuked Israel for testing God in places like Massah (Ex. 17:1–7). Jesus will not test God or characterize his ministry with a flashy display engaged in for selfish purposes. Jesus’ messianic ministry will not be a traveling road show of the miraculous.
Having failed three times, Satan departs for a while. His departure is not a long one, since confrontation with demons resurfaces in 4:31–44. Through it all, Jesus emerges as a loyal Son. He has shown the qualities that make him a worthy and exemplary Son.
THE TEXT REVEALS both how Satan tempts and how Jesus resists. As noted above, in each case Satan uses a selfish tactic in justifying the action he wants Jesus to take: “Surely you should feed yourself, Jesus”; “Surely the Father wants you to have authority, so just give me your allegiance”; “Surely God will protect his Son, so why not try him out?” Such independence from God is the essence of spiritual defection and desertion. It recalls the original temptations in Genesis 3:1, 5: “Did God really say …?” and, “God knows that when you eat of it … you will be like God.”
While Jesus’ temptations are unique, the satanic challenges to loyalty are not. Satan may not replicate the same temptations with us, especially since we are not the unique Son of God, but he does use the same key issue, namely, a challenge to faithfulness. He tries to subvert our walk with God by offering shortcuts to spirituality—which are really dead ends. In response, we must rely on God and, in some cases, walk the hard road with him. Anything we do independent of the Lord expresses a lack of connection to him. Just as Jesus shows loyalty as the Son, we must show loyalty as God’s children.
Jesus’ knowledge of God’s Word is a bridge. Here is a means by which we come to understand God’s will and direction. Loyalty to him involves loyalty to the Word, and such loyalty is paramount. God uses tests in our lives to show us where we stand before him. Jesus’ temptations shows he stands solidly with God. Our temptations should be resisted in such a way that we reveal a similar character.
A final key issue emerges in how Jesus handles these temptations. He does not think or rationalize his way out of God’s will. He could easily have said that God would not want his own Son to starve, to suffer rejection, or to die. Furthermore, the kingdom was going to belong to him anyway, so what did it matter how it came into his hands? But Jesus avoids this kind of end-justifies-the-means thinking as he responds to these undermining proposals of Satan. We must be careful that the shortcuts that often become possible in life do not in fact reflect rationalization to avoid God’s will.
THE FIRST APPLICATION emerging from this event is about temptation itself. Tests in life are not bad; in fact, they can be divinely sent (James 1:2–4). The main issue is my response to a test. Do I respond in a way that looks to God to guide me through it? Do I trust him, or do I put him to the test? How do I respond to personal struggles in my life? Do I get angry? Do I seek to reassert my control (even when I know I cannot control events!)? Or do I rest in faith, look for God’s hand, and ask him what I should learn from what I am going through? Though I personally wish I could say that I always do the latter, I know I do not, but that should certainly be my goal. If I am to grow spiritually, I can expect trial. If I am to grow spiritually, I need to look to God in the midst of it.
Such trust can extend to provision. Though Satan tested Jesus about the most basic of needs, bread, we sometimes desire to “feed ourselves” with things we feel are basic to life. But those “basic things” frequently involve a larger home, more gadgets, the finest appliances, the most expensive clothes, and a host of other material possessions to say that we have arrived. Yet life is not defined materially; rather, it is defined relationally and spiritually in terms of knowing God and serving him in the context of his will. Sometimes giving resources to the accomplishment of ministry may mean giving up personal material pleasures.
The pursuit of material goals can become a driving force in our lives. But where does God’s Word and leading stand? Will Satan succeed in testing us to take bread that God is not asking us to eat, while we ignore the most basic meal of all, his will? Sometimes God provides marvelously in the midst of a sacrifice made for his will. Seeking to have less materially may mean having much more.
Another way we show lack of trust is to grab for power that is not ours or to take power in a way it is not intended to be received. Satan tempts us to slip into idolatry as directly as he did here with Jesus, using subtle substitutes. Perhaps we worship our work, our status, our possessions, our family, or other unsuitable items that stand in the way of knowing God. Maybe he asks us to take the easy path of “growth” without suffering or facing rejection in our stand for Jesus or for divine values. Sometimes opting for comfort means selling our soul to the prince of this world. Of course, God desires to give us rich blessing, even to share in the benefits of his authority, but to worship Satan and to take his path to get there is to lose whatever access to blessing we may possess.
The implications of such a power grab extend into how we exercise authority in the home, how we conduct our businesses, and how we relate to others. The best authority is one exercised not under threat but because of earned respect. The most genuine authority is not that which is seized, but that which is received from the God who honors faithfulness.
A final way we tend to show a lack of trust in God is to try to force him to act on our behalf. In the test we often set up, we want to see if he is for us or against us. This type of spiritual wagering does not involve leaping from tall buildings, but in walking into events where we say in effect, “If you care for me God, then this situation will turn out this way.” In effect, we test the “emergency broadcast system” of God’s presence and presume on how he should react. This kind of testing is an attempt to control God, not follow his leading. We are setting ourselves up for disappointment, since it may be in our best interest for events to go in a different direction than we desire.
Another way we can sense a problem here is by blaming God whenever suffering occurs, at least indirectly. We may feel that he has abandoned us, when, in fact, he may be getting our attention, revealing a better way to us, or asking us to meet him in the midst of the adversity. I am reminded of how Elisabeth Elliot must have felt when she lost her husband, Jim, to murder and martyrdom by Latin American Indians in the mid-1950s. Yet she turned her disappointing experience into an opportunity to listen to God in the midst of uncertainty, only to find a fresh ministry of depth in her testimony about how God cared for her in the midst of such disappointment. She did not abandon God or test him, but accepted the uncharted journey he called her to take. Of course, that journey was uncharted only for her, not for the God who walked with her down that road. As Jesus turned down Satan and consciously chose to follow God down the hard road of his ministry, so too we must be prepared to walk into events under his leading, even where the outcome is not clear.
