Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Lent Words Day 18: Temptation


Our words over the past few days have led us through Matthew's Gospel account of the Temptation of Jesus  -  Wilderness, Bread, and today, Temptation. And we will conclude the journey through this passage tomorrow with the word Worship.

Today's Lent Word is Temptation.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Matthew 4:5-7
The temptations of Jesus that we witness in Matthew 4:1-11 tell us about who Jesus is by the temptations the devil tests Him with, and by how Jesus responds. Some observations about the first few verses of this passage before we see the first temptation:
  • We are told in verse 1 that Jesus was led into the desert (wilderness) by the Spirit. The same Spirit who appeared at Jesus' baptism in Matthew 3:13-17.
  • He was led into the desert by the Spirit for the purpose of being tempted or tested by the devil.
  • He had fasted for forty days and nights and was hungry.
Being hungry is where the devil begins his testing. He tries to get Jesus to meet his own needs by selfishly using His divine power. "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Mt. 4:3. It was not in Jesus' nature to use what He possessed divinely for his own personal gain. Jesus was always about doing the will of the Father and using His own Deity for that purpose. He responds to the devil, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

In the next temptation the devil uses Scripture to tempt Jesus to prove His Deity. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’Mt. 4:5-6

He tries to tempt Jesus to test God. But Jesus replies, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’Mt. 4:7
Our passage tomorrow will look at the third temptation Jesus faced where the devil tried to lure him away from worshiping God. 
Author Ruth Haley Barton uses the temptations of Jesus as a way to examine ourselves during Lent:
"A true Lenten journey demands that we take a clear-eyed look at our lives and wonder, Where am I tempted to  “turn these stones into bread”—using whatever gifts and powers God has given me to secure my own survival?  Where am I putting God to the test—disregarding human limitations in order to prove something to others—and expecting him to come to my rescue time and time again?    When, where and how am I tempted to worship the outward trappings of success rather than seeking the inner authority that comes from worshipping God and serving him only?"
As we face temptations ourselves, whether in the Lent season as we struggle with fasting, or in life as we face trials, we can rest in Jesus who also faced temptation. Like Jesus, we can stand on God's word and His promise that we can trust in Him. God is faithful.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13




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