The temptation of Christ in the wilderness that is depicted in Matthew chapter 4 and Luke chapter 4 is an altogether familiar passage. But what lessons can be learned from this story? How can this story help the believer who finds himself battling against temptation in his own life?
To begin, it can be helpful to look at a bad example of temptation before we proceed into a good example. In the book of Genesis, we read of a time in which God creates Adam out of dust. Shortly after, he tells Adam that he is not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God also tells Adam that if he does eat from the tree, he will die. This is the simple warning of Scripture concerning the consequences of sin. Sin brings death.
After a period of time, Eve is approached by a serpent (who is also said to be Satan). Satan then tempts Eve with what is referred to in the book of John as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. She eats and then goes and convinces Adam to do likewise.
So what can we learn from this story as we place it up against the temptation of Christ? Matthew can be of assistance here.
Lesson #1 – God tests His children
What the Christian should see early on is that God does, in fact, test His children. God desires that man would pass the test and go on to new and greater heights. God is the One Who put the tree in the garden. He did not want man to fall, but He did want to test man. God could have created the garden without a forbidden tree present. God could have shielded His creation from sin. However, God chose not to do this.
Scripture says, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matt. 4:1). The word used for temptation in the original language is “peirazo.” This word comes from the word “peira,” meaning to test. It can also mean to discipline, examine, prove, or try. It therefore can carry the meaning of either a bad temptation or a good type of trying or testing.
In the case of Matthew 4:1, it is as though one can see both sides of this coin. The Holy Spirit is the One Who is said to have led Jesus into the wilderness. The Father desired to test Jesus so that Jesus would pass the test. The Father did not want Jesus to fail but rather succeed.
Lesson #2 – Satan tempts his enemies
This quickly brings us to the role of Satan. Satan desired that Jesus would fall. He desired to bring Christ’s ministry to ruin. Satan knew that if he got Jesus to sin, then the ministry of Christ would be dismantled in a single blow.
It is at this point that a real-world example of the difference between testing and temptation may be helpful. Pretend you go to work and you have a meeting with a number of your fellow coworkers. During the meeting, someone takes out his wallet to look for a piece of paper. He finds it and then sets his wallet down on the table. As he looks at the paper and shares its contents with everyone at the meeting, it slips his mind that he did not put his wallet back into his pocket.
After the meeting, he and everyone else grab their own personal belongings and leave. You are the last one in the room, and you notice that the wallet remains on the table. It is at this point that you are being tested. God would desire that you would give the wallet back to your coworker, thus passing the test. God does not want you to fail. He wants you to pass the test and grow in holiness. Apart from times of testing, there are no opportunities for growth.
But wherever God is seeking to produce good, Satan is seeking to undo what God is attempting to do. If you steal the wallet or begin to experience urges to do so, it is because you have been tempted. Satan is seeking for you to fail the test through the avenue of temptation.
In the garden, Adam and Eve fell into the temptation of Satan and failed their test.
Lesson #3 – Know the Word
When Satan sought to tempt Jesus, there was a way in which Jesus fought against the lies of the enemy. Three times, Jesus is said to have quoted Scripture as Satan sought to lie to Jesus. Satan is the Father of lies and, in Matthew 4, we can see that he tells lies in an attempt to lead people astray.
In the garden, God told Adam what he must do. “Do not eat the fruit from the tree,” was the word from God. Adam knew this, and there is no good reason to believe that Eve did not as well. They knew what they were supposed to do. However, when Satan tempted Eve, she did not recall the Word of God during her time of tempting. As she led her husband into sin, he also did not recall the Word of God during his time of temptation.
Jesus, on the other hand, recalled the Scriptures when tempted. As He recalled the Scriptures, He was able to detect the truth from a lie.
Lesson #4 – Obey the Word
But the testing and temptation did not end there. Jesus did not just quote Scripture, as some may say. Simply quoting Scripture would not have been enough in the garden either. Adam and Eve ultimately failed their test and gave into temptation because they were disobedient.
Jesus is seen as a man who, in fact, recalled the Scripture, quoted the Word of God, and knew what it said. But the defining mark of His victory was not seen in quoting the Bible to Satan. Rather, it is seen when Jesus did what the Bible says. Jesus’ obedience to the Word of God brought about victory. The Bible is the Sword of the Spirit. But the Christian uses this weapon of warfare when he does what it says. It deals fatal blows to the enemy, and one can see what happens next as we approach Matthew 4:11 and James 4:7.
Lesson #5 – The enemy will flee
In the book of James, the Christian receives some clear teaching on how the Christian is to conduct himself in all of life. As one approaches James chapter 4, the Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). It would seem that many Christians have looked at this verse and been discouraged. They have thought that this verse is not true in their lives.
The reason for this is that they may think, “I’ve tried to resist temptation, but it certainly doesn’t seem like the enemy is fleeing.” It is because of this concern that we turn to Matthew 4:11. Scripture says, “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him” (Matt. 4:11). This statement came after a long battle between Satan and Jesus.
In three different ways, Satan sought to get Jesus to fall into temptation. A close look at what took place would reveal that these events probably took a long time to transpire. This means that for James 4:7 to finds its fulfillment, it would have taken some time for Satan to finally flee from Jesus. It also means that for the Christian, some battles against temptation may take longer than others. But you can be sure that the enemy will flee.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for helping me to fight against temptation in my life. Help me to see that there will be times when You will test me, but it is Satan who wants me to fall. Help me to know Your Word and learn to obey Your Word. Finally, help me to remember that the enemy will flee in due time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.