Jesus was tempted as we are

Jesus was tempted as we are.

    “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.” Mark 1:12-13 (NKJV)

    At once following His baptism, the Spirit made Jesus go into the desert to spend forty days being tempted by Satan.  This was no make believe, but a severe time of testing!  The wild animals and the angels imply complete isolation from human contact during this period, yet under the eyes of a watchful Father.  Even though Jesus did not sin, He experienced every kind of temptation which a human being may face (see Heb. 4:15).  Some may argue that Jesus could not have faced such temptations as we have today, but this is incorrect.  A little thought will show that there are no new temptations, but only the same old ones that the Devil has been using through the centuries.  Jesus experienced to the fullest the entire human existence, but without sin.  Further, He is our Pioneer who has already undergone both death and the resurrection from the dead!

 

    1. Jesus defeated the Devil.

    Even though Mark does not directly state that Jesus defeated the Devil, it is obvious that He did (compare Mark 3:27).  The way Mark mentions the temptation implies that this event was a preparation or probation for the work of public ministry.  Jesus battled the prince of evil personally, before beginning His war with sin, evil, and sickness in the world.  (Of course, Satan continued to tempt Jesus up to the point of actual death.  Compare Mark 8:11; 10:2; 12:15; etc.  All of this is part of God’s act in Christ to set us free, as Paul describes it in Rom. 8:1-4.)

    Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit had supernatural ability to do many things.  The Devil tempted Jesus to use His strength to defeat the Plan of God.  Jesus countered by quoting Scripture.

 

    a) Stones into bread.  “But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."  Matt 4:4 (NKJV)

 

    b) Angelic protection.  “Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God." Matt 4:7 (NKJV)

 

    c) World domination.  “Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."  Matt 4:10 (NKJV)

 

    2. We are all tempted.

    “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matt 26:41 (NKJV)

     “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Heb 4:15-16 (NKJV)

    “Our High Priest understands our weaknesses, our human pull toward sin, because He faced all of the same testings we do. He was tempted with all the essential aspects of sin, such as lust, greed, unforgiveness, and dishonesty. This makes Him compassionate as our High Priest (Heb 5:2). • yet He did not sin: Jesus is unlike the earthly high priests, who had to make offerings for their own sins before they could make offerings for the people (Heb 5:3; 7:26-28; see also 1 Pet 2:22-23).  Heb 4:16 The verb translated let us come could be translated to indicate ongoing action: let us continually come. • As our compassionate High Priest, Jesus has opened the way for people to enter God's presence boldly (see Heb 6:19-20; 10:19-23), where we can obtain His mercy and grace to help us when we need it most” —NLT Study Bible

    “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7 (NKJV)

    “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”  1 Cor 10:12-13 (NLT)

    “It is the supreme discovery of life that we need not punish ourselves in a hopeless effort to earn God’s forgiveness.  It is freely offered to all. We must gladly accept His gift of love on the terms offered.  A grateful heart will make the best effort to please Him.  No longer do we as criminals seek by our own strength to escape our chains, rather as faithful children we do our best to please our loving Father.”  J.H.Waddey