Luke 4:1-13; Romans 10:8-13; Deuteronomy 26:1-11.
The title of the scripture we read from the gospel is the temptations of Jesus, and many Christians are surprised when they read that the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted. And there are even more surprising elements in the story. Jesus is in conversation with Satan. That it is also hard to imagine. There is no problem when we read about Jesus being in conversation with God His Father, as we read the Gospels, time after time. We find Jesus alone praying, asking God for directions or help. The gospel narrate how Jesus was in constant conversation with God. But in the Scripture today, we find Jesus in a very different sort of conversation. He is in conversation with the enemy.
The first question that comes to mind is, why the Spirit led Jesus to be tempted by the devil? I believe the answer to this question is not as complicated as sometimes scholars want to make it sound. The Spirit led Jesus not only to the wilderness; the Holy Spirit led Jesus his whole life. Everything Jesus did; everywhere Jesus went, he was led by the Spirit. The Spirit led him when he went to the Jordan to be baptized by John; the Spirit led him when he went to the lake of Galilee to call his first disciples; the Spirit led him when he went to Jerusalem to die for us. The wilderness was not the exception. The wilderness was only another part in Jesus’ ministry where the Spirit led him.
The temptations Jesus went through are the result of the fight, the resistance Satan put trying to stop the one who came to destroy him. You see, ever since Jesus was born the Satan tried to stop him. Matthew tells us that the Satan using Herod tried to kill Jesus when he was just a baby, and to achieve this he killed many innocents in Bethlehem and its vicinity. When Jesus begun his ministry in the synagogue of Nazareth and he declared that Isaiah’s prophesy was fulfilled that day, Satan tried to kill him using the elders of the synagogue. Trying to stop Jesus by killing him did not work; God protected him every single time. Now Satan is trying another strategy: Temptations.
Let’s remember that Jesus is at the beginning of his ministry and according to Luke 4:17 “from that time on Jesus begun to preach, repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus is planting the seed of the kingdom of heaven and Jesus is the seed of God’s new people, the new Israel, his church.
Now, this was not the only time Jesus was tempted by Satan. Luke 4:13 says, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus was –as we are, – tempted every single day of his life. But Hebrews 4:15 says, “but we have one who has been tempted in every way, -just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Let us have something very clear, -because sometimes we forget-, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he was 100% human. As human he was tempted every way, -just as we are—yet he did not sin. He did not sin because the Spirit led him and this is important, when the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness, I do not think Luke is implying that the Spirit took him and put him into temptation. What I think he means is, as part of Jesus’ human life, he was going to be tempted every day in every aspect, not only in the wilderness. However, the Spirit was ahead of him leading the way, preparing not only his path, but also preparing Jesus to resist temptation. I do believe this because James 1:13 says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”
Temptation is something we all are related to because we have experienced it firsthand. Temptation in itself is not sin. Temptation is -I believe- proof that we are in the right path, that we are fighting the good fight. Those who do not follow Jesus do not even know when they are being tempted, but we do, and we fight. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” And he continues in verse 12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
I found a story that describes the purpose of trials, tests, or temptations. It says that as the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, a very complicated bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal load. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked the builder, “Are you trying to break this bridge?” “No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove that the bridge won’t break.”
Temptation can be overtaken when the Spirit lead us. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” How can we resist temptation? The same way Jesus did. First by remembering that the way the Father was with Jesus, the same way Jesus is with us, and he shares his victory with us. John 16:33, says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is our paradigm and if he could overcome temptations, with his help we can also.
Second, let God lead every aspect of your life, from the simplest to the most complicated. Remember let us come to God before falling into temptation no after we have fallen, many of us come to God asking for help after we fall in temptation, and when we are dealing with the consequences. No even God can undo what we have already done. Remember, Jesus’ victory over death on the cross, begun with Jesus’ victory over temptations in the wilderness.
Third, learn his written word; remember what Paul says about God’s Armor. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” As Jesus did, let us use the word of God as our only defense weapon.
If you are going thru temptation, remember James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” And Matthew 24:13 says, “But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”