Faithful Endurance in Temptation
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1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Introduction
Introduction
We come this morning to a truly amazing and important passage of Scripture that speaks to the endurance of our Saviour Jesus under temptation. And this account of our Saviours endurance under temptation should be a great encouragement to us, and also a wonderful opportunity for us as Christians to learn about submission to our Father and His will for us.
The great significance in this account of the temptation of Jesus lies in the fact that where the first Adam failed to stand up to the temptation that was brought before him, the Second Adam, that is Christ, will endure the temptaitons and stand firm.
Luke has just outlined for his reader that Christ was the Son of God, the one with whom God was well pleased. That was said by God as Jesus was baptised in the Jordan River by John. Luke had then given the genealogy of Jesus to provide support for the fact that Jesus was not only descended from man, but was the Son of God Himself.
38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
The temptation of Jesus, as we will see in a moment, happens as Satan now confronts Jesus with this fact of His sonship, and His obedience to the Father, but will attempt to lead Christ to act in a manner contrary to that Sonship. He will attempt to make Christ into a rebellious, self-sufficient Son, rather than into a Son submitting to the will and ways of His Father.
Let us then turn our attention to this passage.
Notice firstly with me...
1. The Spirit Leads (vv.1-2)
1. The Spirit Leads (vv.1-2)
The first thing that is recorded for us as Christ’s baptism is complete, and his genealogy established by Luke, is that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
It was at His Baptism that the Holy Spirit descended upon him in a visible demonstration of God’s presence with him for all who were there. And now, filled with power from the Holy Spirit, the man Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit in the desert.
There is a most certain link here to the Israelites and their own wandering in the wilderness for forty years. You will recall that God led them out of the land of Egypt, and He led them and tested them in the wilderness.
2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
Well in this moment, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.
Note that the Spirit did not merely lead him into the wilderness, but led him in the wilderness. For the entirety of His time in the desert, the Spirit was leading Him. And as the Israelites were tested in the wilderness for forty years, so Jesus would be in the wilderness for forty days.
In verse 2 we read...
2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
It is worth noting here that there are some differences in translation in verse 2. The NIV speaks about Christ being tempted for forty days, as if the temptation that he endured was for a full forty days long. In that case, only the last three instances of temptation are recorded for us, although Christ had endured much other temptation.
However, there is some doubt on this.
2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.
In this event, the forty day wilderness period may have been more fully a time of communion and fellowship with God, as Jesus prepared to enter into his ministry.
There is however nothing to detract from the seriousness and impact of the tempation that Jesus would endure in those temptations recorded for us.
The fact is that by the end of these forty days of temptation in the wilderness period, where Jesus had eaten no food whatsoever, he was exceedingly hungry.
By this time, Christ would have felt physically weakened - in fact, he would have been completely drained of energy, and his body would have been craving some food for nourishment. The full humanity of Jesus was clearly felt by Him at this point.
And it is at this point that Satan comes to Jesus with a view to tempting Him.
This leads us to consider our second main point, and that is that...
2. The Son Endures (vv.3-12)
2. The Son Endures (vv.3-12)
As we consider these various temptations that Jesus faced, we will find that where Adam had failed, Jesus will now stand firm, in circumstances far more foreboding than those experienced by Adam himself.
Let us consider then these temptations together...
The first is...
2.1. Stones into Bread (vv.3-4)
2.1. Stones into Bread (vv.3-4)
In verse 3 we read...
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
The first thing that we see here is that phrase… "If you are the son of God..."
Satan directs his attack at the very heart of who Jesus is in terms of his identity as the Son of God.
There is some ambiguity regarding the word "if..."
There are two possible senses of this word.
First Sense - "if you truly are..."
In this case, Satan would be seeking to cause doubt in the mind of Jesus concerning him being the son of God. Or he is attempting to say to Jesus that he doesn’t truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
He's saying that God spoke from heaven - told him that he was His son... well now, if that is true, then prove it.
In that case, what Satan is doing is that he's tempting Jesus to prove His sonship through a use of His power that should be evident in the Son of God.
This is not the case here however...
Firstly, we must not think that Satan would be unaware of who Jesus was. Jesus was the pre-existent Son of God.
Satan had long been at the game of going through the earth, deceiving people, even appearing before the presence of God. Think about the account of Job.
The demons in the heavenly realms were not unaware of who Jesus was.
29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”
There is another sense that we should see this attack by Satan. What he is saying to Jesus is, “Since you are the Son of God...”
The word “if” in the original language here as this meaning. It is written in a way such that no doubt is implied. And so what Satan is saying is, given the fact that you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread.
This leads us to consider the way in which Satan is seeking to tempt Jesus. He says to Jesus, since you are the Son of God, “tell this stone to become bread..."
In this regard, Satan is calling upon Jesus to make use of his power as the Son, but to do so for personal reasons.
Now, keep in mind that Jesus is exceedingly hungry at this point.
He's been enduring a harsh wilderness. No shade; no trees to shelter him; no food to eat in order to sustain him; facing the harsh reality of the wilderness.
And in this desperate condition, Jesus is tempted by Satan at this very potential point of weakness and vulnerability.
Satan says to Him, since you are the Son of God, arrange some food for yourself. And note, he’s not suggesting that Jesus should become self-indulgent. He did not say that Jesus Should turn the stones into a three-course meal; or turn the stones into some decadent dish.
He simply said to Him - look, you're a man; you're even the Son of God. Surely you deserve to be fed and not to go around hungry?
We’re talking about your basic needs here as a person. A man needs to eat in order to live. Just turn this stone here into bread. How reasonable and rational this would seem to the average mind.
Now, before we go on, notice some parallels from the OT...
1st Parallel - Gen. 3
Garden of Eden... Satan appears to Adam and Eve.
In their context, it was a lush garden, filled with good things.
But in their context, Satan comes to them and causes doubt.
"Surely God wouldn't deprive you of this good food... this fruit that is good for you to become like Him...?" Surely he wouldn't do this?
That would be unfair, wouldn't it?
Jesus was not in the Garden of Eden... but rather, in the wilderness. He had no food to eat. And Satan here tempts him with regards to this food that should surely be But the temptation still surrounds food...
Surely God wouldn't withhold from you that which is necessary for life? Surely that's not a good God? A good Father?
As Satan sought to instill doubt into the minds of Adam and Eve concerning the goodness of God and the prohibitions that He had put in place, so Satan was seeking to instill doubts in the mind of Christ concerning the goodness of God to him in terms of provisions of basic needs.
2nd Parallel - Exodus / Deut.
The Israelites were wandering in the wilderness
They too, as Jesus, were hungry and tired.
They longed for food and water - the most basic of necessities.
But their response was repeatedly grumbling, complaining, moaning against their leaders; complaining against God.
And what did God do? He provided manna and quail for them.
Not only did God provide sweet manna, but he provided meat.
But where the Israelites wandered 40 years, grumbling and complaining about the food that was graciously provided to them, Christ wandered 40 days... not once grumbling or questioning the goodness of God.
This leads us to consider the response of Jesus...
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”
Firstly, we must see that Jesus responds with the phrase, "It is written..."
Now, when Jesus says this, he is not merely referring to some written words penned by a wise philosopher. When we find this phrase in Scripture, we must recognise that it refers to the very words of God as recorded in Holy Scripture.
Jesus responds by appealing to that which has proceeded from the mouth of God. He goes immediately to what God has spoken and commanded. This is a matter of knowing and understanding what God has required as revealed in the Scriptures.
Satan was seeking to undermine God's goodness due to His failure to provide for His very own Son. Satan seeks to bring Christ to a point where he would use his power as the Son of God in order to achieve selfish gains, apart from trust in the Father’s provisions.
Let us recognise that every sin of man stems from a failure to believe and trust in that which God has spoken.
Christ’s response is that God has said, "Man does not live on bread alone..."
Jesus directs his opponent to the Old Testament Scriptures, and specifically to an incident concerning the Israelites and their wandering in the wilderness.
1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Jesus is saying that God led the Israelites through trial and difficulty, through extreme hardships, even causing them to hunger in order for them to learn through this.
Jesus is saying to Satan that it is God the Father that leads into these situations, and not only is it inappropriate to grumble and complain, as the ISraelites did, but it is inappropriate to use wrong means in order to gain something good.
Consider this… Jesus was more than able to make bread. And in fact, there would come a time when he would use His power to make bread. He would feed the 4000. He would feed the 5000. This shows us that it wasn’t wrong per se, under each and every circustance, to use his power as the Son of God to make bread.
But in this case, Jesus will not do this, since the Father has not so willed. God had not led Jesus into the wilderness to become hungry, and then to use his power to feed himself so as to end the struggle. Jesus was being called upon to wait upon the Father to provide His needs, according to His own good timing.
If Jesus had used His power to end the bunger, what kind of Saviour would he be? We certainly wouldn't be able to relate to Him as the one tempted in every way, and yet without sin... We would then say, but He could just end his struggle when it got too difficult.
But Christ endured the temptation. Although He had the power and ability to turn the rock into bread, He would not do it because it was not the Father's will to do so. He would submit to the will of the Father.
The second temptation that Christ endures relates to...
2.2. A Crown without a Cross (vv.5-8)
2.2. A Crown without a Cross (vv.5-8)
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
In this instance of temptation, the devil leads Jesus up to a high place, and in an instance shows him all these kingdoms and nations of people that are living in the world.
6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
Let's start at the end of this verse...
"...given to me... give to anyone..."
Satan makes a claim here that these kingdoms have been given to him, and he can give them to anyone that he likes.
We must ask ourselves if this is even an accurate word from Satan.
There is most certainly a sense in which Satan was the ruler of the world.
19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
So there is at least some measure that the people of the world are under the power of the evil one.
But recall that everything is ultimately under the power of God.
God rules and reigns supreme over all.
In all likelihood, Satan was going just tad beyond what was true in terms of the power that he had. But there was a limited sense in which Satan was the ruler of the world. But he says that he will give this to Jesus.
"I will give you all their authority and splendor...."
Satan is here offering the authority and slendour of the created world to Jesus. He’s saying that the kingdoms of the world will come under the rulership, even the kingship of Jesus.
The subtlety of this must not be missed. In effect, he is offering Jesus kingship, a crown, without the need to for enduring the cross. He doesn't need to go through the intense pain and suffering in order to get the gift of the people of the world...
Now, keep in mind that the kingdoms of the world were promised to the Son by God.
1 The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
6 But there is a place where someone has testified:
“What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
8 and put everything under his feet.”
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
There is a sense in which Christ was called to endure the life He was called to, and then to have everything put under His feet, and he would be Lord of all.
Eventually, every knee would bow to Him, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father...
But this would not be before the suffering and the pain of the cross.
Satan says to Jesus that there is a different path that you can take.
The big problem, of course, is that there would be no forgiveness of sins if Jesus did not surrender his own life. There would be no reconciliation between man and God. While Jesus will receive something of a reward, perhaps... (if Satan is to be believed / trusted) the world will not receive reconciliation with God.
Consider also at this point, that what Christ was going to endure in the world was by no means going to be easy. It would be exceedingly difficult for Him.
41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Christ would reach a point of anguish...
He would reach a place where he would even ask the Father - if it be possible... take this cup from me..
Well here, right before Christ embarks on his ministry, is Satan, offering a reward, offering the authority and power over all these kingdoms, with no cross needed.
But what was Satan's requirement?
7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Satan wanted worship...
Not only that, Satan wanted the very Son of God - the second person of the Triune godhead - to worship Him. He wanted Christ to acknowledge that he was worthy of worship and honour and praise.
Satan is seeking nothing less than the highest place of the created order. He wants to be praised by God Himself.
And in order to get this, he appeals to Jesus, and to the long and painful road of suffering that he knows lies ahead, and seeks to make his path so much ligher.
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
Again, Jesus turns his focus to the word of God, to the revealed will of God. Again, He will listen to and submit Himself to the revealed will of God, even if that means suffering. He will not allow the allurement of an easier life to take Him out of the Father’s will.
Christ is here demonstrating great selflessness.
So often in our own lives, we long for a path of no suffering; no pain; no hurt. We think if only we could get to glory without the struggles of this life. What we as sinful individuals wouldn’t do to have the pains of this world quickly done away with, so that we may have the ease and comfort of glory. And how we can tend to grumble and complain at every hardship and trial in our lives…
Christ would not go the route of circumventing the will and ways of God laid down for Him.
Instead, he responds with the command of God...
"Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only..."
The quote here is from the book of Deuteronomy again.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.
20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.
In this instance, the road of obedience to God, the road of worshiping God and serving Him only, was going to be a difficult and hard road. It would be the road of the cross. It would be the road of suffering.
But this was the road that God had prepared for Christ, and He refused to go against the word of God.
The third temptation that is outlined for us relates to...
2.3. Fame without Humility (vv.9-12)
2.3. Fame without Humility (vv.9-12)
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.
In this final effort at tempting Jesus, Satan leads him to the central place of worship of the Jewish people. He takes him to Jersusalem, and even to the temple. But he takes him high up to the pinnacle. If this was the roof of the royal portico, it stood some 150 meters above the Kidron valley - a dizzying height.
But this was a place that would be bustling with people. It was a place of regular activity.
And satan's temptation was that Jesus should throw himself down in front of all these people.
And as he does this, says Satan, what will happen...?
10 For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
The angels will catch you, says Satan!! Imagine the applause of the people? Imagine how you will win their hearts, and win their affections, as all the people see that you are Jesus, the one protected by God.
He will not allow you to die.
You'll be hailed a hero and a deliverer for the people of God.
Again, the hearts of the people will be with you, and they will follow you.
There's no need to live a life of seclusion and difficulty.
There's not need to endure rejection from the people.
Show them how great you are, and how the father takes care of you!!!
But notice, in this context, just how beguiling Satan is...
He uses the very word of God in order to tempt Christ.
He takes the precious, Holy, pure word of the living God, and twists that Word in order to tempt the Son into doing that which God had never commanded or required.
Consider Psalm 91, the text that Satan uses to tempt Jesus. The entire message of that Psalm is the protective hand of God over those whose trust is in Him.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the Lord, who is my refuge—
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Yes, there is a protection for God’s people as they place their trust in Him. Yes, God is kind and merciful to keep His children. And how often does he do this - probably far more often than we even realise!!
But the beautiful truth and reality of God’s protective hand over our lives is no reason to actively seek dangerous situations. In the case of Jesus, where Satan would have him throw himself off the temple, so that people would see how God would rescue him, this would be putting God to the test.
Jesus immediately saw this…
12 Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The quote is from Deuteronomy 6:16...
16 Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah.
Just because God had spoken in His word about protecting and keeping His people, those whose trust was in Him, was no reason to wilfully engage in acts that would require God to protect them.
My mind goes to the way in which we sometimes test the patience of God by indulging in sinful conduct, all the while presuming upon the grace of God. We cannot put Scripture against Scripture.
With the Son Enduring these hideous temptations, notice finally with me...
3. The Serpent Retreats (v.13)
3. The Serpent Retreats (v.13)
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Satan finds that He is unable at this time to tempt Christ, the Second Adam, to go against the revealed will of God.
Christ has been able to resist every temptation, even in the face of the most adverse of circumstances.
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
This is precisely what Jesus did in these moments of temptation from the devil. He submitted himself to the Fathers will. He humbly accepted every adverse and challenging circumstance. He humbly accepted the road of suffering that was marked out for him. His food was to do the will of His Father. And so in doing that, he resisted the devil. And Satan departed.
Friends, how much we should learn from the way Christ responded, and the words of James directed to Christians. Resistance, submission to the will of the Father, is absolutely essential in our daily walk in this world.
Satan retreats when there is strong resistance and obedience to the will of God.
But that does not mean that Satan will leave us alone permanently. It did not mean this for Christ. Rather, Luke tells us that Satan left Jesus “until and opoportune time...”
Satan would not permanently leave Jesus without any further efforts at destroying His mission to save the lives of sinful people. He would make every effort.
Scripture is not precisely clear on what “opportune time” is referred to here. It is very often linked specifically to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was under immense stress just prior to his arrest and crucifixion. In all likelihood, this is the time that is most pertinent.
But two facts must stand out in this regard.
The First is that Christ endured every temptation, no matter when it was, and no matter how severe it was.
The second is that we too will face continued and renewed temptations day by day. Satan and his accomplices - the spiritual forces of darkness - will not relent. They will persist at every opportunity they have to bring us down, to lead us to sin. And while we rest in the perfect work of Christ, we must be arming ourselves for this battle!!
Application and Conclusion
Application and Conclusion
In closing, just some brief points of application…
A.1. Rest in Christ’s Perfect Obedience
A.1. Rest in Christ’s Perfect Obedience
Firstly, we must rest in Christ and His perfect work on our behalf.
Christ has proven through His perfect obedience that He was indeed the true Son of God, and that He would not turn away from the will of His Father under any circumstance.
He lived perfectly in obedience. This was at great cost to personal ease and comfort. It was at great cost to His own personal wellbeing.
But it is through this perfect obedience that He became the perfect sacrifice for us.
Because Christ endured and obeyed without wavering, we may receive the forgiveness of our sin.
Do you see that? Have you understood that? Do you realise that your right standing with God cannot rely on your own obedience to God, because you do not live in obedience to God as you ought.
We are called to trust in Christ entirely, because He is the perfect Saviour.
Having said that, the second point of application is...
A.2. Immitate Christ’s Perfect Obedience
A.2. Immitate Christ’s Perfect Obedience
At least, seek to immitate Christ’s perfect obedience.
At its core, Christ was obedient to the revealed will of God.
This was true even when it made His life exceedingly difficult and uncomfortable. His primary purpose was to live in obedience to the Father.
And so should our hearts desire be. We should long to live in obedience, strive to live in obedience, to the revealed will of God, even when that is uncomfortable for us.
When the world tempts us to sin in order to satisfy our own cravings, how should we respond? What is our goal in our response? It is to submit to the will of God.
When we don’t get what we want in life, or when what we would like in life is not coming to us as easily as we hoped, we are not to grumble and complain. We are not to resort to ungodly means to get what we want. Rather, we are to submit ourselves to the will of God and to His timing.
As a final encouragement, let us stand firm, knowing that Christ has stood firm. Our hope and trust is in His obedience. But our desire is to immitate that obedience.
May we stand firm. May we resist the temptations that the devil presents to us. May we seek to be obedient to the Father.
Amen.