The Temptations of Jesus

"And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' But he answered, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God"'"(Matt. 4:3-4, ESV).

It intrigues me that Satan would begin the tempting of Jesus by calling into question his identity as the Son of God. The tiny word "if" has powerful implications in this passage. Satan is in essences asking if it is possible that Jesus got it all wrong. Satan subtly implies, "Are you sure you got it right?". It should not suprise us that Satan would take this tactic, seeing how it is his favorite. Didn't he ask Eve a similar question? His interrogation of Eve in the garden was meant to generate a doubt in her mind as to whether or not they had really understood the Lord and a doubt concerning the Lord's trustworthiness.

Just as Eve was tested to eat outside of the Lord's provisions (i.e., the forbidden fruit), so to Jesus was tempted to eat outside of the Lord's provision, because the Father had not provided food for him to end his (40 day) fast. Satan is relying on Jesus' human appetites to drive him to sin against the Father. Yet, Jesus' God was not his belly, but his eternal Father. Jesus' response is powerful and informative, "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4, ESV). If man's life is not sustained by the Word of God, then he will die no matter how much bread he eats. The spiritual needs of man far outweigh the physical needs of man, because "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27, ESV).

Jesus was firmly convinced that the Father would provide for his needs. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness; ,thus, into the fast. The Father, in his timing, would send the necessary resources for the Son to break his fast and to be strengthen. As the eternal Son of God, Jesus was there when the Lord provided Elijah with food by the ravens. Jesus knew that he was beloved of the Father, and could rest in that love. The Father would, at precisely the right time, meet his physical needs. Thus the promises sustained him. He could not be drawn into doubt, nor tricked into usurping the Father's place.

Many have seen in these tempations John's threefold explaination of worldliness (see 1 John 2:16). The King James Version calls them: the lust of the flesh (stones to bread), the lust of the eyes (the kingdoms of the world in all their splendor), and the pride of life (throw yourself off the temple and the angels will catch you). What is definitely clear is that Jesus cannot be lured away from singleminded devotion to the Father. Nor can Jesus deny himself. Another important reality in all of these temptations is that Jesus never questions the Word, yet relys upon it with full confidence as his sole authority. That reliance is a sure testimony to the full trustworthiness of the Word, and a clear call to entrust our lives to it. Humble obedience to the Word of God is how we overcome the world and worldliness.

I would like to mention one other important fact of this account: Satan often twists Scriptures in order to lead people to misapply them. In Matthew 4:6, Satan quotes two Scriptures that are twisted out of their context in order to bait Jesus. But, Jesus didn't take the bait. I want to focus on a major implication from this particular temptation; it is crucial that we rightly understand the Scriptures in their context. In order to rightly apply the Scriptures, we must first rightly interpret them. Throughout the event of his temptations Jesus demonstrates the the trustworthiness of Scripture.

Concerning the Word

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us" (Heb. 6:17-18).

The author of Hebrews expresses an important truth in this passage, it is impossible for God to lie. This truth teaches us that, at the fundamental level of his nature, God is above deception. He is incapable of misleading. The truth that God cannot lie informs us as we read other Scriptures. When Paul states, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), he is stating that the words of Scripture are trustworthy and true; because, they have been spoken by God.

The God of Scripture reveals himself to be holy, righteous, and perfect (see 1 Pet. 1:13-21). This depiction of God leads us to the logical conclusion that Scriptures are without error. Any perceived error in Scripture ultimately rests in a mistrust of God. When we doubt the Scriptures it really means we are doubting God. Our confidence in Scripture rests in our belief that it was the Holy Spirit who spoke through the prophets and other writers (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Since it was God who spoke, it is God who preserves.

For this reason, Jesus instructs us to build our lives upon his word (see Matt 7:24-27). What did Jesus teach about the Scripture? In Luke 24:44, Jesus makes reference to the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms which is a reference to the divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures which (although divided differently) correlates to our Old Testament. These Scriptures according to Jesus all point to him. As we study the Old and New Testaments we see the prophets, the apostles, and even Jesus pointed to a divinely inspired, accurate, and authoritative Word. We are called to trust this Word from beginning to end.