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Introduction

The events following our Lord's baptism surprise us. We expect to read that He immediately entered His ministry of teaching, but this was not the case.  Instead, He entered a privacy and solitude more complete than that which He had known in Nazareth .  His home became the wilderness, and His companions became the wild beasts (Mark 1:12-13). Into this privacy came a fierce battle, a spiritual conflict, a collision of heaven and earth, as Jesus was tempted by Satan.

Jesus’ temptations are best referred to as “testings,” because temptation includes a vicious desire from within that responds to the devil's invitation (James 1:10‑12).  Although Jesus did not exhibit such a desire, His temptations give us a sharp picture of His humanity. The Holy Spirit placed three accounts of the temptations in the Bible (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:2-13; Mark 1:12-13).  Mark’s account is so brief that it is more of an allusion to the temptations than an account of them, but it was Mark who added that Jesus was among the wild beasts.  Jesus was tempted many times during His life, but Satan must have made a very special effort to induce Jesus to sin at this point in His life.  Perhaps the temptations involved all forty days of His fasting, with the strongest tests coming at the end of this period.

This temptation experience occurred right after His baptism.  Mark 1:12 says: “And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.”  The initiative to go into the wilderness was divine, not diabolical: “After the approval of heaven at Jordan came the assault of hell; after the dove, the devil.”  Likewise, the new Christian must be ready to face temptations right after his baptism into Christ.  The Christian will face trials that the atheist will not experience.

Luke 4:13 says that following this series of temptations the devil “departed from Him until an opportune time.”  This implies that Jesus had a brief rest from the tempter following these temptations.  It further implies that the devil came back to tempt Him at other times.

Why was Jesus tempted?

It was the divine plan that Jesus should come into the world and be tempted as a man.  The Scriptures give two basic reasons as to why Jesus was tempted.

First, He was tempted so that He could fully sympathize with our struggles (Hebrews 2:15-18; 4:15).  Does this mean that Jesus knew every kind of temptation experienced by men and women of all ages?  Obviously, He did not, but in principle He faced every trial we face.  Temptation assailed Him in its full force along every avenue through which it can reach human nature.  We have not felt the full force of temptation.  When we were first tempted, we gave into it.  Since Jesus had never given in to temptation, He felt its full force.  Suppose you were a runner who had never lost a race.  While running a close race, you would feel the full force of the test.  One who loses all the time does not worry much about losing again.  However, one who has never lost regards losing as unthinkable.

The surrounding circumstances and incidentals of the temptations may differ, but temptations are essentially the same for all men and all women of all ages.  Temptation can come to man along only three avenues: appetite (lust of the flesh); avarice (lust of the eyes); and ambition (the pride of life).  All other temptations are merely variants of these three.  That means that Jesus was tempted in every part of His humanity, as we are.

Also, He was tempted so that He would qualify as a perfect Savior (Hebrews 2:10; 5:8, 9).  He was tempted for His own sake, as a test of His character (Hebrews 5:7-9).  He was tempted for our sakes, that He might become a sympathizing High Priest (Hebrews 4:15-16) and our example.

The temptations of Christ assume tremendous truths.

First, they presuppose the reality of sin and the devil.  Satan is not just a force.  He is a spirit who seeks your soul.  The Hebrew word for “Satan,” used by Mark, is translated “devil” in Matthew and Luke.  It means “slanderer or false accuser.”

Second, they imply that Jesus was fully human.  Why did the devil test Him, if He could not sin?  His temptations imply that He could have sinned.  Third, they reveal that the temptation to sin is not sin.  We cannot avoid temptation.  Martin Luther said, “I cannot keep the birds from flying over my head, but I can keep them from building nests in my hair.”

Winning by a Miracle versus Winning as a Man

Jesus was first tested in the area of physical appetite.  “Appetite” is a desire to enjoy something.  John called it “the lust of the flesh” (1 John 2:16), “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:2-4).

What were the circumstances of the first temptation?

Jesus was physically weak when Satan confronted Him with the first temptation. He had fasted forty days and nights.  Satan often strikes in our weak moments. What harm would there be in turning stones into bread?  Satan was asking Jesus to fulfill a natural need in an unnatural way.  He was asking Jesus to satisfy a legitimate hunger by illegitimate means.  Jesus was in need of food.  Satan suggested a way of getting food quickly.

We might say, “What harm was there in that suggestion”?  Had Jesus satisfied His hunger in that fashion, He would have been guilty of satisfying a natural need in a miraculous manner.  This was not the purpose of miraculous power (John 20:31).  Paul did not use miraculous power to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7).  Epaphroditus did not heal himself by miraculous power (Philippians 2:25-27).  Trophimus did not use the miraculous to overcome the natural (2 Timothy 4:20).  Jesus could not resort to His divine nature to overcome a human temptation and continue to be human.  Jesus condescended and became man, truly and fully man (Philippians 2:5‑7).  He faced temptation on the same level that all men do.  Upon the cross, He could only suffer for sin. He could not remove the pain by a miracle and still be a man. Had He worked a miracle to overcome His hunger pangs, He would have been a discouragement to all of His followers, who must handle their human problems without the aid of miracles.

It is not hard to think of multitudes that have given birth to heartache and despair by attempting to satisfy legitimate needs in illegitimate ways.

The target of this temptation is the human body.  Everett F. Harrison said:

In coming days Jesus was to make stringent demands upon his followers in terms of discipleship. Fundamental among those demands would be the insistence upon self‑denial. The right to make such a      requirement and the vigor of its statement come right out of the temptation experience. Jesus established a pattern that must be reproduced in those who seek to come after him.  If our Lord had yielded to this temptation by providing himself with bread through means at his command, discipleship would have been out of the question for those who must earn their daily bread by the sweat of their brow.  Jesus could not say, “Learn of me,” apart from giving a worthy demonstration of selflessness, one that would have meaning to his followers.

How did Jesus overcome this temptation?

Jesus fought the devil with the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).  Our Lord quoted to the devil Deuteronomy 8:3.  This verse shows that “bread,” is not the only consideration.  If bread were the only concern, it would have been perfectly legitimate for Jesus to turn the stones into bread.  Bread was not Jesus' only consideration.  He was here to do the will of God.  Doing His will involved living as a man and facing the devil.

Winning by Trusting God versus Winning by Tempting God

The second area in which Jesus was tempted was ambition.  John called it “the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). 

Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to     Him, “If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give His angels charge concerning You’; and ‘On their hands 'they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:5-7).

What were the circumstances of the second temptation?

The setting was the pinnacle of the temple in the city of Jerusalem.  The word pinnacle probably means “wing.”  This was probably the southern wing, which overlooked the Kidron Valley two hundred feet below.  Satan was asking Jesus to leap into this abyss, to cast Himself down from the temple and claim His Father's promise.  The devil argued that God would provide Jesus with a celestial parachute for protection, and he quoted Psalm 91:11 to back up his request. This temptation held two important attractions for Jesus: the desire to prove His Father's promise and the desire to gain immediate popularity among the people.  Jesus was being asked to create a spectacle that would overpower the nation and win its allegiance at one stroke.  This was mental and spiritual temptation.

What harm would there be in jumping from the temple?

“Had Jesus cast himself down, he would have demanded of the Father a needless miracle to prove his Sonship, and would thereby have put the love of God to an unnecessary trial.  All who jeopardize themselves without any command of God or call of duty make trial of his love” (McGarvey).

Satan quoted Scripture, but he did not make the proper use of it.  He was making God's Word say something that God did not say.  The devil has a head full of Scripture but a heart full of sin.   The devil hates the Bible, but he can use it to accomplish his purposes.  It is easy to quote Scripture; it is more difficult to find out what the Scriptures say and follow their teachings.

How did Jesus overcome this temptation?

Jesus pointed to another Scripture, Deuteronomy 6:16.  Jesus explained Scripture by Scripture.  To get a complete understanding of the Scriptures, we must take all that the Bible says.  Jesus saw the Old Testament as a unit: a passage in Psalms is qualified by a passage in Deuteronomy.  It would be impossible to find a higher endorsement of the Old Testament than our Lord's clear use of it.  The passage from which Jesus quoted is about Israel 's tempting God.  The people were putting the Lord to the test by doubting His presence and provision.  Although Israel is said to have tempted God ten times during the forty years of wandering, the one incident that is reported in detail is the one referred to here by Moses and quoted by Jesus.

Jesus refused to tempt His Father. The passage quoted by the devil did not teach that God would protect His Son regardless of how reckless and careless He might be. Jesus made the proper application of the Scripture quoted by Satan by pointing out its qualification.

Winning by a Compromise versus Winning by a Cross

The third area of Jesus’ temptation was avarice, the desire to obtain possessions.  John called it “the lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16).  “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.’  Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan!  For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only” (Matthew 4:8-10).

What were the circumstances of this temptation?

Jesus was taken to a high mountain. From this high point He was shown (“in a moment of time,” according to Luke) all the kingdoms of the world.  Satan said that all of these kingdoms would be given to Jesus if He would only fall down and worship him. The devil did not own all the kingdoms of the world, but they were under his control.  It is not said that Jesus saw the kingdoms of the world.  It is said that He was shown the kingdoms. The devil could have simply pointed out the directions of the kingdoms and described them; it could have been visionary.  This temptation is similar to the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Jesus saw the kingdoms of the world as Eve saw the desirability of the fruit.

What harm would there be?

Satan was asking Jesus to do evil so that good might come.  Satan was saying, “You have come to conquer the world.  I will help you, if you will only worship me.  Think how quickly you could conquer the world if you did not have me to fight.”  Jesus was invited to achieve His spiritual goals by compromise.  J. 0swald Sanders said: “Jesus had indeed come to obtain all the world of glory and power, but He was to receive it His Father's way in His Father's time. And His Father's way included death on a cross … the devil focused his last temptation on the possibility of an evasion of the cross by a compromise with him.”

How did Jesus overcome this temptation?

Jesus reminded the devil that God is the object of our worship (Matthew 4:10).  He again cited the Old Testament Scriptures, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13.  Satan’s way to conquer the world was much different from God’s.  Before Jesus could have joined forces with the devil, He would have had to compromise all of the spiritual principles upon which His kingdom was to be founded.  Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom, not a carnal one.  He could have gained control of the kingdoms of the world quickly through the method suggested by Satan, but such control would have been gained at the expense of truth and righteousness.  He chose to win the world by being loyal to His Father’s will and by going the way of the cross.

In Jesus’ victory over temptation we see the humanity of Jesus clearly and unmistakably.  He truly became man.