Explore the Bible
Dean, School of Christian Ministries, University of Mobile
THE KING TEMPTED
Matthew 4:1–10
According to the apostle Paul, the temptations confronting followers of Jesus are the same kind faced by all humanity (1 Cor. 10:13). We read in Scripture that the only perfect couple, a man after God’s own heart and the Messiah all faced similar temptations. Eve succumbed to deceptive temptation (Gen. 3:6) and Adam blatantly disobeyed God. David systematically yielded to the same types of temptation (2 Sam. 11). John marks these temptations as “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride in one’s lifestyle” (1 John 2:16). The tempter has a plan that works so he used the same temptations for the Son of God.
Our King sets the pattern for how to prepare for, confront and overcome temptation. The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus was tempted like we are yet He was without sin (Heb. 4:15). As we consider His pattern, we observe that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, He anticipated temptation through fasting and He gave biblical, appropriate and God-centered responses.
Face-Off (1)
Jesus prepared for the temptations, being led by the Spirit. He prayed and fasted during 40 days of preparation. Obviously He meditated on the Scriptures, particularly the Law. When Jesus responded to the enemy, each answer was a quotation from Deuteronomy. He was fully prepared to face the temptations of the slanderer.
Food? (2–4)
“If you are the Son of God.” This conditional sentence assumes the first portion of the statement to be true, necessary for the latter portion to take place. Since Jesus is the Son of God, He has the authority and ability to turn the stones to bread. In essence the devil was tempting Jesus to demonstrate His divine nature though He had no need to do so. Jesus responded by reciting the words of Moses: “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deut. 8:3).
Faith? (5–7)
The devil hears the words of Scripture so he determines to tempt Jesus with pride. “Since you are the Son of God throw yourself down. After all the Bible says … ” — Jesus is not the only one who can quote chapter and verse. The enemy misrepresents God all the time. Remember when the tempter questioned Eve about God’s instructions?
Responding with appropriate Scripture is essential. As we prepare to face temptation, we must be careful not to twist the Bible to fit our desire or flatter our ego.
Fame? (8–10)
The devil promised Jesus the world. The pretense was gone. No longer was he prefacing his temptations with “if you are the Son of God.” Satan was fishing with a bare hook: “Just bow down and worship me.”
Our Master would have none of it. Jesus dispatched the enemy, directing his attention to the Torah. “Go away, Satan. For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him” (Deut. 6:16).
Jesus warned us about focusing our attention upon what the world has to offer. The Synoptic writers record Jesus asking: “What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?” (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25).
This passage offers practical responses to the kinds of temptations we regularly face. With Jesus as our model, believers are without excuse if we yield to temptation.
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