Wayne S. Walker

The inspired gospel accounts tell about how Jesus Christ, who was prophesied in the Old Testament, became flesh by being born of a virgin, and then began His earthly ministry. One aspect of His humanity was that, like us, He underwent temptation by the devil. "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him" (Mark 1:12-13). We know that Jesus did not yield to any temptation and thus did not sin, but the fact remains that He did experience temptation. Let us see what we can learn from the fact that Jesus was tempted.

I. What is temptation?

The basic meaning of word translated "tempt" in our text is "to try, make trial of, test." Compare two versions of Genesis 22:1. The old familiar King James Version reads, "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am." But the New King James Version reads, "Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!'"

However, the word is often used with the meaning "to solicit to sin." The apostle Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians had been enticed or allured into some kind of wrong. "For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain" (1 Thessalonians 3:5).

Thus, when we yield to such temptations, we become guilty of sin. "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (James 1:13-15). God did not solicit Abraham to sin but was merely testing his faith. But just as Jesus was tempted by the devil, we are tempted to do evil when drawn away by our desires or lusts.

II. Who tempted Jesus?

Consider Matthew's account of Christ's temptation in Matthew 4:1-11. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'  But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."'" Here "the tempter" is identified as "the devil."

"Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you," and, "In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."'  Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God."'" Again, it is "the devil" who is named as tempting Jesus.

"Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'  Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." Once more, the tempter is called "the devil," and Jesus further addresses him as "Satan."

Thus, the being who tempted Jesus, and who tempts us, is known as Satan or the devil. This can be established by several other statements in Scripture. "Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11). "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). Referring to the devil or Satan as "that serpent of old" looks back to the time in the garden of Eden when Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Eve.

Therefore, we must be on guard against the devil so that we can resist him. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (1 Peter 5:8-9). Satan, as dangerous as a prowling line, is our enemy who tempts us to sin.

III. How was Jesus tempted?

The Bible tells us that He was tempted in the very same ways that we are tempted. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:14-15). Notice that He "but was in all points tempted as we are."

What are the ways in which we're tempted? Please remember what James says, that we are tempted when drawn away by our own desire or "lust" and enticed.  "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).

Notice how these ways applied to Jesus's temptation as recorded in Luke 4:1-13. "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'  But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."'" This is obviously an enticement to the lust of the flesh.

"Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.'  And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."'" Since Jesus could see all the kingdoms that the devil showed Him, this was alluring to the lust of the eyes.

"Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you," and, "In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone."'  And Jesus answered and said to him, 'It has been said, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God."'  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." The acclaim of jumping off the pinnacle of the temple and having angels come down to save Him would appeal to the pride of life. So Jesus was tempted in the same ways that we are tempted.

IV. Why was Jesus tempted?

As to why Jesus was tempted, I shall suggest three reasons. The first reason was to make us aware of our own temptations and of God's help to escape them. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). We are going to be tempted, but we do not have to give in. God is faithful to make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it, and the temptation of Jesus helps us to find that way of escape.

A second reason why Jesus was tempted was to become a merciful High Priest. "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:17-18). When we are experiencing temptation, it is a source of great comfort and strength to recall that our High Priest was tempted just as we are, yet committed no sin.

A third reason why Jesus was tempted was to serve as our example of how to overcome temptation. "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  'Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:21-23). In Psalm 119:11, David wrote, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Jesus is our example of how to use the word to resist temptation.

Conclusion

"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). While studying and thinking on this subject, I was amazed at how many of our hymns mention the idea of temptation. For example, Annie S. Hawks (1835-1918) wrote:

I need Thee every hour,

Stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

And the ultimate song about resisting temptation was written by Horatio R. Palmer (1834-1907):

Yield not to temptation,

For yielding is sin;

Each victory will help you

Some other to win;

Fight manfully onward,

Dark passions subdue,

Look ever to Jesus,

He'll carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you,

Comfort, strengthen and keep you;

He is willing to aid you,

He will carry you through.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13). He also told the apostles, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Paul warns us against yielding to temptation "as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness" (2 Corinthians 11:3). But we do not have to give in because James says, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

Yet, the fact is that we all do yield to temptation and sin from time to time and thus need forgiveness. Fortunately, God is merciful and offers us salvation through the death of Christ if we meet His conditions. "Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment" (2 Peter 2:9).