A Journey to Easter - Day 34
- Debbra Stephens
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
(Matthew 4:1 ESV)
The first battle with temptation was fought—and lost—in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-7). The war against God’s image-bearers has waged ever since. God cursed satan. And, through Genesis 3:15, He has warned all humanity to expect ongoing enmity. That battle reached its fullest extent against the Seed of the woman during the days of His earthly ministry.
The Spirit led Jesus out to test Him. Satan, however, took full advantage of the opportunity with additional temptations. Where Israel failed the test in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2), Jesus succeeded. And where Adam failed temptation, Jesus triumphed. Had He not, we’d be lost.
Satan unleashed all the demons of darkness in a full-scale war against Jesus, trying with all their might to thwart God’s plans and disqualify Jesus as Savior. That which didn’t overcome Him, only made Him stronger. Temptation doesn’t make us weak—only surrender to it does.
Jesus endured 40 days in the wilderness immediately following His baptism, but before He launched His ministry. Matthew and Luke only mention three of those temptations. They were similar in principle as those in Eden. After all, it was a strategy proven to work. They involved three key areas: physical needs, power, and pride.
When satan tempted Jesus to misappropriate His power over creation and position as Son for selfish gratification, by turning stones into bread, he was trying to get Jesus to fulfill a physical need the wrong way. With his, “If you are the Son of God,” (Luke 4:4), he was essentially saying to Jesus, “Prove it!”
Satan further tempted Jesus to give His worship away in exchange for glory (glory he didn’t possess to offer) (Luke 4:5-7). He also tempted Jesus to disbelieve God’s Word and to test God (Luke 4:9).
All the while satan quoted Scripture, using it as a weapon. So can we! It’s sword upon sword. (Only we mustn’t twist it like he did.)
Jesus, as the Son of God, was not exempt from temptation. Which means we shouldn’t expect otherwise. But because He was tempted, the Hebrew’s writer wants us to understand that He is now therefore able to help those being tempted (Hebrews 2:18).
The temptations in the desert were not satan’s final attempt. They faced off more than once. He would not be satisfied until he rid the earth of Jesus. Though Jesus refused the temptation to avoid the cross, it did lead to His death. Something satan and his cohorts must have deemed a victory. But it was Jesus’ ultimate triumph over the powers of darkness. Their relentless assault continues, however.
Both testing and temptation will come—especially when we’re most vulnerable, like Jesus was. We must remain alert. Heed Jesus’ words to His disciples in the garden, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). The priceless prayer He gave us should continually be on our lips, “Father, deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).
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