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Jesus and Temptation - Luke 4
Jesus and Temptation - Luke 4
Jesus is the Son of God. Such was stated before his birth (Luke 1:35).The Father himself stated it again when He was baptized (Luke 3:22). Satan now basis the temptations upon this saying “since you are the son of God’*…. For over 2000 years now people have used this episode in the life of Jesus to learn how to deal with Satan and temptation. While we are NOT Jesus, we CAN use the same tools and methods to deal with our own temptations.
Temptations are just that, they are temptations and not ‘decrees’. The devil made me do it may have sounded funny when Flip Wilson said it, but it wasn’t true. Satan tempts but does not force. We must however see that if he will tempt Jesus surely we will also be tempted.
Satan can be resisted and thus temptations can be resisted. Jesus did it. Peter wrote that believers are to “resist the devil, firm in your faith” (1Pet. 5:7). Such resistance is enabled by our strong trust in God and His word. Such was evident in the temptation of Jesus.
To withstand temptation requires knowledge. It requires the knowledge of the Word of God so that we, like Jesus, can know what God says about the various activities of life. Many fail at the very beginning not realizing that their desires are opposed to God’s desires for us. A thorough knowledge of God’s word is the foundation of resisting temptation. We need to be able to say: “It is written… “.
Along with the knowledge of God and His word there must be a complete trust and allegiance. Knowing what God says, we must trust Him enough to then walk by His instructions. At the heart of the temptations of both Eve and Jesus was this issue of trusting God. Does He care? Does He really instruct us for our good? Does he keep His promises? Yes, yes, and yes. Through temptations Satan seeks to deceive us and turn us away from our trust in God.
Along with our knowledge and our trust, we then produce the ‘doing’. Jesus knew, Jesus trusted, and Jesus rejected the temptation. So must we. Hence Peter’s directive: “resist the devil”. Or as the recent popular phrase said: just say no. Saying no to the temptation also must have the saying YES to godliness. Repentance empties one’s life of desire for evil and produces both the desire for and the fruits of godliness.
When Jesus had withstood these temptations, Satan “left Him until an opportune time” (vs. 13). No, this did NOT end the temptation for Jesus. The disconcerting truth is that Satan does NOT quit. Withstanding today does not prevent renewed temptations tomorrow. Yes, resisting the devil will cause him to flee from you - but there will be another battle to fight.
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm (Eph. 6:13).
Hugh DeLong
* The translations usually say 'if you are the son of God', but this is a type of conditional clause that assumes that the statement is true rather than questioning the truth of it.
