JESUS TEMPTED BY SATAN

Judean Wilderness

Autumn 26 A.D

Judean Wilderness

The Judean Wilderness is not some totally barren desert. It is a sparsely settled rugged mountainous area along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea to the East of Jerusalem. It was poorly suited for crops, but was used for pasturing. It has extensive forests, but also places of rock.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13

And immediately the spirit drove him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.

Mark is very brief, leaving out all the details of Jesus temptation in the wilderness. Mark’s statements stand as a preface to what Matthew and Luke tell about this instance immediately after Jesus was baptized.

And then was Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted forty days of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungered.

And when the tempter came to him the Devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God command that these stones be made bread.”

But he Jesus answered him and said, ”It is written, That Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Notice the subtleness (the nuance if you would) of how the Devil tempts. First he told Jesus to turn the stones to bread and eat, an odd thing to say. Why didn't Satan turn the stones to bread and wave the baked aroma beneath the nose of the hungry man? Satan is very powerful, but there are limits to his power. The hungry man was also God, and there are no limits on God's power. Satan knew full well Jesus could produce all the food he needed if he just stretched out his hand and commanded it. Jesus didn't deny this fact. He said, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (NIV) He quoted scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3 - “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.) and didn't give in to the tempting.

And Then the devil he brought him to Jerusalem, took him up into the holy city, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, And said to him, “If you be the Son of God, cast yourself down for it is written, ‘He shall give his angels charge concerning you to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone’.”

And Jesus answering said to him, “It is written again, ’You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

Again Jesus answers Satan with scriture from Deuteronomy, this time 6:16 - “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” We may ask what is this Massah? To answer that we must go to Exodus 17: 1-7 – “All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Is it total coincidence that Jesus answered Satan with these particular verses? Yes, they were fitting answers, but were the questions asked because Satan was trying to play with Jesus’ head? These scripture quotes came from the long speech Moses made to the Hebrews after they had been in the desert for 40 years, as Jesus was in the wilderness 40 days. 

When the Hebrews tempted the Lord at Massah it showed their fear and lack of faith in what God could do, even after they had witnessed several miracles. Although they should have known God would provide, they moaned and groaned about a lack of water. Satan may have felt Jesus would be like the Hebrews then, uncertain of God because of what Jesus knew was coming and might take his destiny into his own hands.

It is also interesting that this same reference pointing back to Massah involved the command to strike the Rock that would bring forth water, the salvation to the Hebrews who were thirsting, the Rock being the archetype of Christ, the Savior, who also would be struck for the salvation of men thirsting for redemption.

Anyway, the Devil tried a new tact. Satan took Jesus to the top of the highest temple in Jerusalem. Just stop and think about this for a moment if you doubt Satan has greater power than you do. He took Jesus to the highest point in Jerusalem. Do you think they walked there and climbed up the building? When they got there, like in an instant, Satan asked a question. "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down." Satan is great at asking these kinds of questions. How did he tempt Eve? By asking questions and here he asks Jesus the same question the Pharisees and Sadducees were always asking. "Will you show us a sign?" It was the same question asked when Jesus hung on the cross, "If you are the Son of God, come down off that tree?"

Then Satan has the audacity to quote scripture, Psalm 91:11-12 " '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.'" (NIV) But Satan, just as when he was the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, takes this a bit out of context. Read Psalm 91 and see how it is God's assurance of his presence when we face the afflictions of this world.

Psalm 91

King James Version (KJV)

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

(Also note how Satan cherry-picked his verses. Satan certainly didn’t continue to Verse 13 where it says, “And the Dragon you shall trample under feet.”

But Satan also knows that God could command the Angels to swoop down and gather up Jesus if he jumped. Jesus knows this as well. Satan is good at trick questions, too. Look at how he phrased things before God concerning Job. If Jesus would have jumped and Angels weren't commanded to catch him, He could have been killed by the fall and God's Salvation Plan would have been impossible. If he jumped and the Angels grabbed him and He lived, He would have sinned and the plan would have been impossible anyway. Jesus answered with scripture, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Deuteronomy 6:16 NIV)

And again, the devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And the devil said to him, “All this power will I give you, and the glory of them, for that is delivered to me and to whomsoever I will I give it. All these things will I give you if you will therefore fall down and will worship me, it all shall be yours."

And Then Jesus answered and said to him, “Get you hence behind me, Satan, for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’.”

Satan is also persistent. Now he takes Jesus to a very high mountain. (Again, do you think they walked to this mountain, hired some Sherpas, rented some pickaxes and began climbing?) Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said: "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me?" 

Could Satan make that promise? Yes, otherwise it would have been just a silly bluster and there would be no temptation. It'd be as much of a temptation as if someone said to me, "Read my Blog and your psoriasis will immediately clear." 

Note Satan didn't say, I will give you the world. He said he would give him "the kingdoms of the world and their splendor."  The world belongs to God and God is in control. But Satan has rule over the superficialities of this world. This was given to him when man sinned. Man could have been the ruler of the world, but God took that away. Satan was the king of the political world, but there is a greater Kingdom where he has no rule. Jesus made this distinction between these kingdoms himself.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. 

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:33-37

Jesus doesn't laugh at Satan's boast, doesn't deny it as fact. (At another time he asks what good is it to gain the world and lose your soul, but not here.) Jesus addresses Satan's demand to be worshiped with more scripture, "Worship your God, and serve him only." (Deuteronomy 6:13) and observe that all Jesus' replies were taken right from the Law. If Jesus had acceded to any, he would have broken the Law and that is sin.)

Jesus also said, "away from me Satan!" Then the Devil left him. How come? Because as powerful as Satan is, even he knows his limits and whose really boss. 

And when the devil had ended all the temptation, then the devil left him, he departed from him for a season, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

 [Note: Luke reverses Matthew’s order of Satan taking Jesus to Jerusalem and the high mountain.]

“The angels came and ministered to him.” I believe Jesus always has this special protection by the Angels. When it says, “He shall give his angels charge concerning you to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone”, that was to guard the human body of Jesus from the dangers of everyday life. We stump our toes on a coffee table and break them, we fall off of ladders and break a leg, we cut off a finger with a power saw, we step in the street and get run over by a bus. The world is full of hazards to this body. Jesus had a goal and purpose that must be fulfilled; he could not be subject to everyday accidents.

So why take the risks that existed in the wilderness? He could have been overcome by heat, bitten by scorpions, set upon by robbers. Jesus had just heard his Father in Heaven call him His son, yet he decides to take a forty-day hike alone in the badlands?

     No, this was no whim. This had a purpose. What were we told in the Scripture that opened this section?  (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13) “And immediately the spirit drove him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.

And then was Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted forty days of the devil.”

Jesus was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go immediately into the wilderness to be tempted. Like all of us, Jesus was tempted and tested. How would He know what we face if he did not face similar temptations? How would we fare in such a situation? Not only were the temptations grand, but these were made to a man now in a weakened physical condition, struggling to go on after forty days of deprivation. This would heighten the lure of what was offered, but in this Jesus did not sin.