“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”
Luke 4:1-13 NLT
Temptation is part of life. Jesus allowed Himself to experience weakness and temptation, though He never sinned. The devil tempted Jesus to eat when He was hungry, to worship someone other than the Lord, and to put God to the test. Jesus—weak though He was from fasting for 40 days—resisted all these temptations, standing strong in Scripture.
These temptations were a test on the identity and self-worth of Jesus: the devil said, “IF you are the Son of God…” The voice of the Father declared this truth at Christ’s baptism. Just like us, He was tempted to disbelieve the voice of God about who He was. Jesus is the Son of God, and He would live out His identity through His ministry, teaching, and suffering. The devil would tempt Jesus again on the cross, when people taunted, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” He followed the will of God, lived out His identity and calling, and brought us salvation.
The three temptations can also be seen as three wrong ways Jesus could have done His ministry. Jesus—both in these verses and for His entire ministry—resisted the temptation to gain popularity through feeding people, rule with power gained through compromised character, or test God and dazzle people with miracles. Satan tempted Jesus to disobey the Lord’s way because it would include suffering. Jesus gave us an example: with God’s help we can overcome temptation and live God’s way at work and in ministry.
We will be tempted, and we can stand firm. Jesus’ temptations were on a whole different level than ours, but they still give us an example to follow. We can be secure in our self-worth—we have a new identity through the resurrection. We can use the Word of God when tempted. We can lean into the support of other Christians. With Jesus we can live God’s will and not give in to social, spiritual, or material temptations. Sin is never worth it. Resist temptation. Don’t give in, even when it means suffering. Overcome with Christ.
What temptations are in your life right now? What is your plan to resist temptation?
