Tempted By Satan

 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. Mark 1:12-13 

     
     Seemingly without a moment to dry himself after his baptism, the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. The language is startling not just for its brevity but because it seems to suggest that Jesus was forced to do something against his will. Matthew and Luke tell us that our Lord “was led” into the wilderness while Mark bluntly states that he was driven. The point is not that our Lord was forced against his will to make this sojourn, but that it was urgent he make it. Upon returning from the wilderness he would begin his ministry in earnest but before that time it was essential that he square off against Satan in what had to be the most intense period of temptation ever leveled against anyone. While Mark simply states that Jesus was being tempted by Satan, Matthew and Luke make it clear that Satan joined Jesus in the wilderness to personally oversee the assault (Matthew 4:1-13; Luke 4:1-13).

     Hear Hebrews 2:14-18. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

     Some ask if it was really possible for Jesus to have sinned? Well, if he was truly made like his brothers in every respect, than yes. Some believe that Jesus must have had something to combat temptation that you and I don’t have today. There is no question that he possessed things we do not. His knowledge, power, wisdom, and Divinity are just a few examples. Yet if I understand the Scriptures correctly than these temptations were a test of our Lord’s humanity, not his deity. The temptation to turn the stone to bread and our Lord’s response to it (Matthew 4:3-4) really doesn’t mean much if Jesus were not truly experiencing the same sort of hunger you and I would experience after fasting for forty days (see Matthew 4:2). I have no idea how deity and humanity existed within Jesus and urge you to be leery of any man who claims to understand it. However, I don’t have to understand it to believe it and I believe it with all my heart.

     Think about how you feel when temptation strikes. Think about the battle you fight as you call appropriate passages to mind and draw upon certain principles to help you overcome. Jesus knows all about that because he did it himself. In fact, he did it perfectly and for that reason he became our merciful and faithful high priest to make propitiation for our sins. I can take comfort in my temptations knowing that my brethren around the world experience the same things (1 Peter 5:9). I find even more comfort knowing that my Lord and Savior experienced them as well (Hebrews 4:15-16).

     But of all the lessons we can learn from this let us make sure we learn this one: we don’t have to sin! Temptation can be overcome! Jesus did it by knowing God’s Word, loving it, and committing himself to obeying the will of his Father. In so doing he left behind the template for overcoming every temptation Satan can throw our way. Jesus took Satan’s very best shots over and over again. After the temptations in the wilderness Satan left Jesus to lick his wounds but he was not going to stay away forever. Luke informs us that when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13) How many opportune times came over the course of our Lord’s ministry we can only guess at. But this one thing we know for certain: Jesus never sinned. Not once. Satan’s greatest failure came at the hands of the one he unloaded everything he had against. He could not make Jesus sin. He cannot make us sin, either! Praise be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for showing us how to overcome Satan! Let us take his example and use it against the adversary for he will certainly use everything he has against us.