THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.” – Matthew 4:1.

Imagine if you were a Hollywood film director and asked to make a movie about the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth. You would want a big splash, something epic. You would want an 8K video of Jesus walking on a gold carpet, surrounded by angels and waving to millions of people just to get a glimpse of Him to a backdrop of dramatic music. That may be one way to do things, but it is not God’s way. Two main events marked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. First, He was baptized in the Jordan River. And second,  He was tempted in the desert by Satan. All four gospels have an account of these two events.

As soon as Jesus came up out of the baptism waters of the Jordan River, God presented Him as His beloved Son. You could assume that would be the springboard for Jesus to start healing the sick, walking on water, using parables to communicate a spiritual truth, religious principle, or moral lesson, or preaching memorable sermons. Instead, Jesus goes into the desert for 40 days of fasting and then is tempted by the devil face-to-face.

While less than 200 words in the Bible, the story of Jesus’ temptation is, however, one of the most encouraging passages in all of Scripture because He shows us that even though temptation comes to us, it doesn’t have to defeat any of us. Rather than being a distant God who is above the fray and doesn’t relate much to humanity, Jesus is “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Hebrews 4:15-16  tells us: “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”   

We will experience temptation in our lives. God’s word offers an unfathomable gift to the tempted. “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation” (1 Peter 5:9-10).   

The temptation of Jesus shows us that, no matter how intensely we’re tempted to sin, we can overcome that temptation. Rather than relying on our limited willpower to do so, we can do so by relying on God, who will faithfully help us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures us that “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Discussion Questions:

1. How would you define “temptation” in your own words? What is the difference between temptation and sin?
2. What are some things that you could do or strategies you could use to resist temptation?