Temptation (The Serpent looked different and it wasn’t an apple, but you get the idea. )
Introduction
We live in a society where temptation abounds. We hear regular reports of spiritual leaders who have succumbed to temptation injuring their flocks and destroying their ministries. The results of falling prey to temptation are severe. In the Old Testament, there are numerous illustrations of those who failed to withstand temptation and who subjected themselves and others to judgment for their actions. Below are four examples.
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent which most commentators agree was Satan himself. God had instructed Adam and Eve that they were free to taste from any tree of the Garden of Eden other than the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That temptation is recounted in Genesis 3:1-13 which says:
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””
We all know the rest of the story. As a result of succumbing to temptation, God’s word was carried out. Death was unleashed upon Adam and Eve and their children. Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden and cut off from the Tree of Life. Despite all of this, they were left with a promise that someday the seed of Woman (Jesus Christ) would crush the head of the serpent.
The fruits of succumbing to temptation were bitter and horrendous and set the backdrop for our study today which is an encounter between Jesus, the second Adam, and Satan, the Ancient Serpent of Old. This time instead of succumbing to temptation, Christ would be victorious over temptation.
Durer Woodcut showing Adam, Eve, Serpent and Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil
King David
King David during the late afternoon and was on the roof of his house when he saw Bathsheba, the wife of one of one of his soldiers, Uriah the Hittite, bathing. As a result of succumbing to this temptation Bathsheba became pregnant and David ended up arranging for the killing of Uriah in battle.
God punishes sin. The Bible says in 2 Sam. 11:27, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” God sent the prophet Nathan to David and told him that he would be punished and that the sword would not depart from his house. Bathsheba lost the child that she was carrying. Later there would be bloodshed whereby one son Absalom killed another son, Amnon, for raping Absalom’s sister Tamar. In addition, Absalom would rebel against his father David and die in that rebellion.
The consequences of succumbing to temptation by King David were dire.
Samson
Most of us are familiar with the strongman Samson who was a Judge of Israel. Despite God’s commands, Samson succumbed to the temptations of prostitutes and foreign women. He fell in love with Delilah who was a Philistine woman and who worked with the leaders of Philistines to uncover the secret of Samson’s strength which was his long hair. The results of Samson’s actions are recounted in Judges 16. Giving in to temptation ultimately resulted in Samson’s capture by the Philistines, having his eyes gouged out, and being forced to grind in a mill in prison.
Again, the repercussions of sin were dire and Samson died as he pushed down the pillars of a coliseum where he was being exhibited for sport.
Solomon
In our last lesson, we discussed how Solomon had many wives (700) and concubines (300). In Solomon’s old age he built pagan altars just outside of Jerusalem so that his foreign wives could worship their false gods. Solomon, who was the second son of Bathsheba by King David, displeased God through his actions. The punishment for succumbing to temptation by Solomon was severe. God raised up enemies to oppose Solomon and further provided that one of his servants, Jeroboam, would take and rule over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. God left only two Tribes to the son of Solomon, Rehoboam, one of which tribes was Judah.
In summation, God judges sin. Surrendering to temptation brings adverse results as illustrated by the examples recorded in Scripture above. What is done in secret and darkness gets shouted from the rooftops.
Jesus did not give in to temptation. Next we will look at the temptations which Satan presented to Jesus with the hope that he would fail just as Adam and Eve did.
THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST
Icon showing the Three Temptations
Introduction
The three temptations of Christ are recounted in Mat. 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. The order of the temptations in Matthew and Luke differ slightly. Therefore, the order of the temptations which I am using in this teaching is arbitrary and is the order used in Luke.
First Temptation
Satan challenges Jesus to make bread out of stones
All three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) agree that the first temptation involved changing stones into bread. Matthew 4:1-4 says the following:
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stone to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.””
My initial comment about this temptation is that Satan does not tempt us when we are at our strongest. Instead he tempts us when we are at our weakest. Jesus was weak from hunger. Satan waited forty days to tempt Jesus and caught him while he was hungry and appealed to a way by which Jesus could satisfy the desires of his flesh.
Satan likes to use questions in his temptations. To Eve he asked “Did God actually say….” To Jesus he said, “If you are the Son of God….” Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God but in his temptation he challenged Jesus to prove that he was the Son of God by changing stones into bread.
Jesus responded to Satan’s challenge with Scripture. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 which says: “ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
It is interesting that Jesus would pick these verses. Jesus would later refer to himself as the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35). He would also refer to himself as the Manna which came down from heaven. (Jn. 6:31-33).
In one sense, the three temptations are precursors to things which would later happen in the life of Jesus.
Even though Jesus did not change the stones to bread as Satan desired, Jesus did miracles to help people by miraculously multiplying the fishes and loaves. For instance, Jesus multiplied fishes and loaves of bread on two occasions to feed people resulting in seven baskets being picked up of leftovers on one occasion (Mark 8:8) and twelve in another ( See Mark 6:43). The result was that people wanted to make Jesus a king but he refused. (Jn. 6:15)
Second Temptation
Jesus on the Pinnacle of the Temple
The Second Temptation is found in Matthew 4:5-7 and is recounted in the following manner:
“ Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him 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 command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Satan puts Jesus in a perilous position by setting him on the pinnacle of the temple. He then quotes a select portion of Ps. 91 to him (Ps. 91:11-12), which reads as follows:
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
In effect, Satan is again challenging Jesus to prove he is the Son of God by throwing himself down from the top of Herod’s Temple.
Interestingly, Satan was treading on dangerous ground when he used this quote from Psalm 91 which goes on to say regarding the person being protected by God, “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.” (See Ps. 91:13.) This of course, sounds very similar to the promise made by God to the Serpent in Genesis at Gen 3:15 which says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Obviously, Satan had no interest in bringing Ps. 91:13 up and it was conveniently omitted.
Jesus’ answer to Satan was again from Scripture. Jesus quoted part of Deut. 6:16 which says, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah”. (Massah is also known as Meribah in the Bible). At Massah the Hebrews had doubted God because there was no water to drink. The location was called Massah or Meribah because it meant “Is God among us or not?” In short, it is a place of doubt and unbelief.
Jesus did not fall for Satan’s challenge.
The temptation to utilize angels to protect the life of Jesus finds echoes as his life and mission continue after the temptation in the wilderness. When Jesus is taken captive to be judged and crucified, he states that had he wished he could have called twelve legions of angels for protection. (Matt. 26:53). However, he did not do so because it was the will of his Father that he die for the sins of mankind. Jesus willingly gave himself over to suffering and death. As Jesus is on the cross his tormenters challenged him again to prove he is the Son of God by coming down from the cross. Matt. 27:39-42 says:
“And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying: “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”
Again, we see the expression “if you are the Son of God.” Just as Jesus refused to call the angels to protect him and demonstrate that he was the Son of God, Jesus also refused to call the angels to save him from the death on the cross. Instead, he trusted God and God demonstrated that Jesus was the Son of God by accepting his sacrifice and resurrecting him from the dead. In the death of Jesus, a fatal blow was delivered to the Great Serpent of Old. Jesus was wounded by the Serpent as evidenced by the scars from his crucifixion, but a fatal blow was given to Satan, to his rule over mankind and to death itself.
The Third Temptation
Satan offers Jesus the Kingdoms of this world.
The Third Temptation is found in Matt. 4:8-11. It is also found at Luke 4: 5-8, which reads as follows:
“And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
Again, the particular Mountain is not specified; however, many people in Israel believe that it is The Mountain of Temptation which is just outside of Jericho.
Below is photo of The Mountain of Temptation which I took some years ago. There is presently a monastery located on the mountain.
Mount of Temptation outside of Jericho
Did Satan have the right to offer Jesus “the kingdoms of this world?” Apparently, he did. Jesus did not dispute the right, but refused the offer. Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12:31) but stated that he would be “cast out.” Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” In John 14:30 he said, “the ruler of this world is coming.” And in John 16:11 he said that “the ruler of this world is judged.”
Other writers in Scripture have commented upon the power of Satan. John in 1 John 5:19 said, “the whole world is under the power of the evil one.” In 2 Cor. 4:4, Paul called Satan “the god of this world” and in Eph. 2:2 Satan was called the “ruler of the power of the air.”
It is not clear when Satan achieved his power over the kingdoms of the earth. Some believe that it happened when man lost control of the earth because of his sin. Others believe it happened more gradually as man degenerated into idol worship. In either event the kingdoms of the earth were offered to Jesus upon the condition that he worship Satan. Satan’s temptation was that Jesus should break the First Commandment found at Exodus 20:3 that there should be no gods before YHWH. The offer was outrageous and Jesus responded for the third time with Scripture. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13 which says, “It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him only you shall serve ….”
Daniel
It is interesting to me that the offer of “the kingdoms of this world” to Jesus is in one sense was a bogus offer. Those kingdoms are transitory. This is illustrated by the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel interpreted the dream and revealed that the great statute seen by Nebuchadnezzar was made up of various kingdoms. In his dream there is a small stone which is the kingdom of God which gets progressively larger and larger and smashes those kingdoms to small fragments. The kingdoms of this earth are transitory and they wear out and decay. Some of the ruined kingdoms of pictured by the statue in the dream include Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome all of which became ruins. (See Daniel 2:31-45). Satan offered Jesus transitory kingdoms which will ultimately decay and be destroyed by the Kingdom of God.
Statue Seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his dream
Despite this, there is a desire for Jesus to rule over physical kingdoms. The people came to make him a king after Jesus multiplied the fishes and loaves. (John 6:15) To Pilate, Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36). After the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples of Jesus wanted to know if he was ready to establish his kingdom. This is recounted in Acts 1:6 where his disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” The response of Jesus was : “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7). Man’s flesh apparently is quick to gravitate to the physical Kingdom and to a physical Jerusalem as opposed to the spiritual kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem.
The ongoing temptation to Jesus after being tempted in the wilderness was to sacrifice the spiritual Kingdom of God for a physical kingdom in the here and now. However, Jesus resisted the temptation when presented to him by Satan in the wilderness and the temptation when presented to him by his disciples and others during his ministry. Man’s way of redemption then (and today) does not include suffering and the cross. Remember it was Peter who told Jesus that he should not bear the cross. (Matt. 16:21-22). The response of Jesus was “Get behind me Satan,” (Matt. 16:23), which is somewhat reminiscent to Jesus’ parting comment to Satan at his temptation when he responded, “Away with you, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10) Other translations of this are “Be Gone” or “Go Away.”
Luke 4:13 says that after the temptations were completed, the devil departed from him “until an opportune time.” As indicated in this teaching, the temptations of the wilderness would reappear in different guises during the remaining years of the life of Jesus. The temptations often came in the form of asking Jesus to take actions which would preserve his physical life and not to endure the cross.
Jesus as Second Adam
The first Adam was unable to resist temptation. The result of his disobedience to God was separation from God and ultimately death. The way to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life was blocked by angels with flaming swords. Interestingly, this was also reflected on the veil which separated The Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. On the veil were representations of cherubim (angels) which were a warning not to proceed further. Man was excluded from life. It is not without accident that the Scripture reports that this veil (which in Herod’s Temple was about sixty feet tall and four inches thick) was ripped from top to bottom supernaturally when Jesus died on the cross. (Matt. 27:51). This action evidences that the way to life was no longer blocked for the children of God.
Previously, we had been separated from the “tree of life” by Adam’s disobedience (and out own disobedience as well.) However, Jesus made a way where there was no way. Revelation 2:7 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
Jesus was viewed by the early church as the “Second Adam.” Paul in Roman 5:12-29 contrasts the first Adam by whom death came into the world with Jesus by whom grace came for many. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:19, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
Similarly in 1 Cor. 15:45-49, Paul contrasts the first Adam as being a living being where the “last Adam” became a “life giving spirit”. The first Adam was “from the dust” but the second man (Jesus) is “from heaven”.
Jesus Knows Our Temptations and Can Help Us
Finally, part of the Good News is that Jesus understands our temptations and he can help us resist temptation. Hebrews 2:18 says, “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Likewise, Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
We live in a society where there are temptations on every corner. We meet these temptations in school, in the media, at work and at play. The temptations come to each of us. We encounter them in our spiritual life and even in our spiritual leaders. The good news is that God will help us overcome temptations. The vast majority of temptations arise from our own flesh and from the human nature which we have inherited or to which we have been exposed to in our corrupt culture. God knows the dangers and temptations which we encounter and will help us to become victorious over these temptations. He will also forgive and make a way for us even if we fail. It is no wonder that in the Model Prayer it says, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Jesus reminded us before enduring the cross that he would not leave us alone in the world but he would send us his Holy Spirit to aid us. In John 16:33, Jesus said: “I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart I have overcome the world.” The Second Adam, Jesus Christ, had victory over temptations and he will help you have victory as well. As our loving High Priest, he knows temptation very well. Like Christ, because of our weaknesses, we may bear scars from giving into temptation, but Christ has administered a fatal blow to the head of Satan, and like Christ, our heel too shall crush Satan. Romans 16:20 promises us this: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.”