TOPIC:‌“Jesus - Tested by Temptation”

                  by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

 

TEXT:‌Matthew 4:1-11

 

“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (4:1)

 

‌G. Campbell Morgan describes the temptation of Jesus in these words: “Hell's

attempt to thwart Heaven's purpose.” Here we find Jesus in the greatest battle of His life. He is in a fierce and furious struggle with Satan the destroyer. Satan tried to get Him at His birth, now he tries to get Him after His baptism. He wanted to put out the Light so the world would remain in darkness.

 

‌The temptation incident before us is recorded by all of the Gospel writers, but only Matthew and Luke record all of the details of the conflict. Let's take a closer look at some of the details of this wilderness temptation.

 

I.

 

‌Consider, first of all, the ASPECTS of the temptation of Jesus. From verse 1 we discover five different phases of this event.

 

‌The SUBJECT of it. Note the words: “Then was Jesus…” It was Jesus in His humanity and not Christ in His divinity who fought Satan. Jesus met temptation as a man and He mastered temptation as a man. When Jesus said to the devil in verse 4 “Man shall not live by bread alone” He placed Himself in the area of humanity which could be tempted by Satan. This truth is colorfully expressed in the words of the writer of Hebrews who writes of Christ: “in all points tempted like we are (as a man), yet without sin” (4:15).

 

‌The SCENE of it: “into the wilderness. “The word “wilderness” refers to the uninhabited mountainous region between Jericho and Jerusalem. It was a barren and desolate place. St. Mark describes Jesus as being in a place “with the wild beasts” (1:3).

 

‌The SOURCE of it: “to be tempted of the devil.” Satan is described by Jesus as “the prince of this world” (John 12:31). Satan is the head of this present world system and the author of every evil act that has ever been committed.

 

‌In the temptation before us I am not certain of the precise form Satan took. Being a master of disguise and deceit Satan may have appeared as an angel of light or as an unseen evil spirit. He may even have appeared in some visible bodily form.

 

‌The SEASON of it: “Then was Jesus led…” . . .