The Temptation
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
1. Testing the tempter. At first thought this heading may seem impossible. Was the tempter the one whom the Lord was testing? Let us weigh the meaning of the words: "And Jesus * * was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil."
The Spirit did not lead the Lord into the wilderness to see if the Lord would fall under Satan's wiles this was impossible. Matthew says, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Why was He so led? The objective was to force Satan to a decisive conflict in order to make manifest Christ's Deity and supremacy on the one hand; and the devil's utter undoing on the other hand.
Jesus Christ was not only impervious to Satan's temptings, but the Father and the Spirit knew Him so. God had promised that Jesus Christ would redeem His people; and God could not have promised this, had there been any possibility that Christ could have succumbed to Satan's attacks.
2. The sword of the Spirit. It is interesting, as the battle waged, to see how Christ routed the enemy. Three distinctive temptations are described in this study. They are the temptations by which Satan, from every angle, sought to overwhelm the Lord Jesus. Each time the Lord drew forth the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and utterly spoiled Satan.
In the first temptation the devil, working upon the fact of Christ's hunger, said unto him "If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." How skillfully did Christ wield the Word of God 1 Drawing this two-edged Sword, He said: "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
Satan said: "If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Jesus replied, in substance: "I am the Son of God, because I am the Bread, the Manna, which came down from Heaven."
In the second temptation the devil showed Christ the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and offered them to Christ on the one condition that He would worship him. Christ once more drew the Sword of the Spirit, and said, "It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
Once more Christ quoted from Deuteronomy. This time the Scripture had reference to Israel's thirsting for water at Massah. It was at Massah that Moses smote the rock. Christ, in quoting this Scripture, seemed to be affirming to Satan that He was the Son of God, because He was the Water of Life, and that Satan should not tempt God, the Son.
The third temptation finds Christ once more saying, "It is written." Satan endeavored, finally, to meet Christ with Scripture, saying, "Cast thyself down." Satan, however, utterly misused the Scripture, and particularly failed to quote the verse immediately following the portion which he did use. What he left out reads, "To keep Thee in all Thy ways," and "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt Thou trample under feet." Of course, this prophecy foretold Satan's utter undoing.
3. The supremacy of the Son of God. We have space only to speak of the marvelous victory which Christ wrought, showing Himself supreme over Satan. We need to remember that the devil was no small antagonist, for even the archangel, Michael, durst not bring against the devil a ratling accusation. However, Christ, even in the flesh, overcame Satan, showing His supremacy, not only over Satan, but even over Michael the archangel who durst not meet Satan single-handed and alone.
We urge that Satan's onslaughts against the true faith must always be met by the Word of God. Arguments and scientific deductions are of no avail.
I. CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT (Luke 4:1)
1. Jesus was begotten of the Spirit (Luke 1:35). "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee," said the angel to Mary. "And the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Thus Jesus Christ was begotten of the Spirit.
2. Jesus was baptized in the Spirit (Luke 3:21-22). As Jesus stood there in the water, after His baptism. He prayed, and as He prayed the Heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove upon Him. Here we have Christ's special anointing of the Spirit.
3. Jesus was filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1). Our key-text says, "And Jesus being full of the Spirit." It is one thing to have the Spirit indwelling; it is another thing to have the Spirit infilling.
4. Jesus was led of the Spirit (Luke 4:1, l.c). The result of Spirit-filling is Spirit-guidance. The Lord Jesus Christ walked in the Spirit. Let us take this matter to heart. It is those who are led by the Spirit of God who are the sons of God.
5. Jesus preached in the Spirit (Luke 4:18). The ministry of Christ, which began after His baptism and temptation in the wilderness, was a ministry under the enduement of the Spirit. He was anointed with the Spirit to preach the Gospel to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted; to preach deliverance to the captives; and the recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty the bruised; to preach the acceptable year, of the Lord. May our ministry likewise be one identified with the enduement of the Holy Ghost.
6. Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirt (Romans 8:11).
7. Jesus gave commandment in the Spirit (Acts 1:2).
II. THE APPEAL TO HUNGER (Luke 4:2-3)
It was after Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights that the devil made the appeal to His hunger, saying, "If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread."
1. Satan's attack came after Christ was an hungered. It is always so, Satan watches for some need in our life, some lack, some weak spot which perhaps is unguarded, and there he centers his attacks.
The devil, doubtless, did not know the Lord Jesus in the fullness of His Deity and power. He may have thought that he could touch Him even as he had touched the first Adam, by appealing to His physical craving for food.
2. Satan's attack centered in his effort to cast doubt into the mind of Christ as to His Divine Sonship. Satan knew that God had just acclaimed Christ, at the baptismal waters, as His Beloved Son. Now, he seeks to discount that announcement, on the one hand; and on the other hand, since Christ asserted His own Sonship, Satan was endeavoring to force Him to use His Deity, out of the will of God, in commanding that the stones should be made bread.
III. THE NEW MEANING OF BREAD (Luke 4:4)
The Lord Jesus showed Satan that He comprehended his endeavor, because He responded; "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
1. In this statement Christ attested His Deity. He seemed to be saying; "I am the Bread of Life." The Lord knew that the bread which came down from Heaven typified His own body. He knew that the True Bread was life indeed, even to all who ate of Him.
Even now we can see the Lord Jesus as He sat in the upper room and took the bread and broke it, saying, "This is My body."
2. In this statement Christ placed the Spiritual Bread as forever supreme over the physical. The bread of which Satan spoke was the bread which feeds the physical body. The bread of which Jesus spoke was that spiritual bread which feeds the soul. Let us never allow the physical to predominate over the spiritual. Let us put and keep the first things first.
3. In this statement Christ showed the folly of working miracles even to demonstrate His Deity, when such a demonstration would carry Him outside of perfect confidence in God. If God wanted Christ to be hungry, Christ could not and would not break God's will to feed Himself.
If Satan impugned that God had neglected Christ by leading Him into the wilderness, and suffering Him to hunger; Jesus Christ was unwilling to accept such an imputation by miraculously making bread.
The Lord Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." It is given to us to suffer. Therefore when we seek deliverance, let us seek it in the will of God.
IV. THE APPEAL TO SOVEREIGNTY (Luke 4:5-6)
In the second temptation Satan carried Christ into an high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. Then Satan said; "All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them; for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it."
Satan was endeavoring to establish his supremacy, even over the Son of God.
1. To prove His supremacy Satan showed Christ the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. It is useless for us to argue that the kingdoms of the world possess no glory; it is just as useless to argue that the glory which they do possess was not under Satan's power and sway. The Lord Jesus Himself taught that Satan was the prince of this world.
In Ephesians we read that Satan is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience.
In II Corinthians we read of the god of this world, who blinds the eyes of the unbelieving Satan is this god.
In I John we are told that the whole world lieth in the wicked one.
Satan certainly paraded his greatness before Christ, and Christ did not deny his claim. The Lord knew that Satan was Lucifer, the son of the morning. He knew that he had walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. He knew that he was "the cherub that covereth"; that he once was clothed with every precious stone, and was perfect in wisdom.
2. To prove his supremacy Satan demanded that Christ should fall down and worship him. This was the sole requirement. There was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, alone, hungered, impoverished, and seemingly forsaken. Before Christ lay the bitterness of shame and spitting, of nails and thorns, of riven side and broken heart of Calvary.
Satan saw the impoverished Christ, and yet Satan realized that He was God, and that being God, He was great. Perhaps, Satan feared Jesus. He knew He had come among men, in order to cast him out, and to take his kingdom. Satan now offered to capitulate, and to yield his authority and power over men, under one condition alone, and that was that Christ should worship him. He demanded to be recognized as supreme.
V. THE NEW MEANING OF WORSHIP (Luke 4:8)
1. Jesus quickly spurned Satan's proffer. He said; "Get thee behind Me, Satan." Instead of worshiping Satan. He thrust him behind His back. Instead of bending the knee before him, He turned His face upon him.
2. Jesus as quickly said; "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God." Satan was the created, and not the Creator. He was the servant, and not the sovereign.
To us, however, there seems to be a deeper meaning in all of this. Jesus Christ is showing not alone His fealty and faithfulness to the Father, but He is also asserting His own Deity. Even though Christ was stripped of His glory, and was humiliated, being found in fashion as a man; yet, He stood before Satan supreme, the unrelenting and unswerving Son of God, and God the Son.
3. Jesus, accordingly, set a standard for all of His saints.
(1) We should not receive worship from men. When the people came out of the Temple filled with wonder and amazement at the healing of the lame man, and they began to look earnestly on Peter and John. Peter quickly rebuked them, telling them that it was by no power of holiness of theirs that the lame man walked.
(2) We should not worship men. God has written demanding that we are to call no man Rabbi, Rabbi. We are not even to glory in men. We are to worship God, and Him only are we to serve.
VI. THE APPEAL TO PRIDE (Luke 4:9-11)
The devil next brought Jesus to Jerusalem, and setting Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, he said unto Him, "Cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep Thee."
In this testing Satan endeavored to meet Christ on the ground of perfect faith and perfect trust.
1. He seemed to say, "If Thou art the Son of God, cast Thyself upon God's protecting care. If Thou art the Son of God, He will not suffer Thee to be hurt."
Some may wonder why Satan did not, himself, cast Christ down from the Temple's pinnacle. Had he done so, God would have sent His angels and they would have borne Christ up in their hands.
The temptation lay in the appeal to lead Christ away from the perfect will of the Father. Christ afterward said, "I do always those things that please Him (My Father)." He spoke the Words of the Father; He did the will of the Father, and wrought the works of the Father.
2. He seemed to say; "Thou canst safely leap from this pinnacle, for the Scriptures have given Thee the promise that the angels will bear Thee up in their hands, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." Satan may have gone as far as to have argued that this special Scripture was put into the Bible for the very hour of need that then faced the Lord. The whole purpose of Satan seemed to revolve around the one appeal to Christ to show that He was indeed the Son of God.
We who are followers of the Lord Jesus must be very careful that we do nothing on the seeming pledge of one scriptural promise, if the doing would break a definite and positive, "Thus saith the Lord."
VII. CHRIST'S POSITIVE AND FINAL VICTORY (Luke 4:12)
1. The Lord Jesus, in our Scripture, asserted that He would not put His Father to the test. Others have frequently done this. The Children of Israel tempted God in the wilderness, when they asked meat for their lust. They said, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" Again, they tempted God when they turned back, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Jacob said to God that he would give Him a tenth, if God would bless him. Gideon was willing to follow God providing the fleece remained dry; and again, providing it became wet, while the ground was dry.
The Lord Jesus would not doubt God, neither would He unnecessarily place God in a position where He would be forced to aid Him.
2. The Lord Jesus, in our Scripture, asserted that Satan was breaking what was written, when he sought to put Him to the test. When Christ said, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," we believe that He was rebuking Satan in his effort to tempt Him.
Jesus Christ was God, and Satan was seeking to tempt Him. Since Jesus Christ was God, instead of Satan's asking Him to fall down and worship him, Satan should have been worshiping Christ. The Lord Jesus continually asserted His Deity, and the Lord Jesus also accepted Divine worship.
That He was God we know, because God would not have given His glory to another. However, to Jesus Christ, God gave glory. God also raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and exalted Him to His own right hand of power.
The first verse of the Bible says, "In the beginning God"; the Epistle to the Colossians says of Christ, "That in all things He might have the pre-eminence."
AN ILLUSTRATION
In speaking of temptation let me tell of an incident that happened in a little mission Sunday School in the far West.
One Sunday a little lad of about nine years heard the message of salvation and accepted Christ as his personal Saviour. For several weeks everything went well, and he was happy in his new-found joy.
However, one day his Sunday School teacher, on returning home found two of her scholars sitting in the room awaiting her return. They informed her that Johnny had come with them, but had run home again. She was especially interested in Johnny, on account of his recent acceptance of the Lord, and was desirous of an opportunity to help him along in his Christian life. For this cause she was disappointed to know that he had not waited her return. The children visited a while and went home, and the incident was soon forgotten.
When next Sunday came, however, Johnny did not appear at Sunday School, and his teacher was disappointed. Having a very busy week she failed to call upon Johnny, and soon another Sunday came around. This time Johnny was present, looking somewhat uncomfortable and crestfallen. After some little time, he told his teacher he wished to speak to her. She, noticing his embarrassment, was surprised to see him dive down into his little pocket, and bring up a nickel. He handed it to her with the words; "Here teacher, take it it's the nickel I stole from you the day I went to see you." And then with a strained voice and broken spirit, he added these words: "And I do love Jesus."
In a moment of weakness Satan had tempted that little lad with the thought of ice cream, candy, etc., but all of the anticipatory joy had departed when Johnny realized that he had grieved his Lord. The Holy Spirit brought to his remembrance the things he had learned at Sunday School, and gave him a wonderful victory over sin. Praise God for a Saviour who is not only able to save, but who is able to give victory and deliverance from the power of sin.