30th August 2015Jesus Overcomes Temptation & satan
During his earthly ministry Jesus encounters a whole tranch of different people from all walks of life, both sexes and of all ages. They were all important experiences to him and for them, but one, perhaps, whose encounter was the longest, and outcome was the greatest, was when Jesus was confronted by the devil himself in the wilderness.
The temptation of Christ is detailed in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. According to these texts, after being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean Desert. During this time, Satan, old hairy legs himself, appeared to Jesus and tempted him. Jesus having refused each temptation, Satan departed and angels came and brought nourishment to Jesus
Satan full well knew who Jesus was! There couldn't have been any doubt in Satan's mind as to Jesus' identity, as opposed to the Pharisees and Sadducees, who simply refused to believe. No, Satan isn't really asking Jesus to prove Himself. Rather, he has some other motive...
The recorded three temptations of Christ mirror the steps Satan used to bring sin into the world in the first place:
Lets compare Matthews gospel with Genesis for a moment.
Matthew 4:3 "If you are the Son of God..." the devil says vs Genesis 3 "Did God actually say you were not..." Which is what the serpent said to Eve... Also, like with the first sin, it is related to food.
Second:
“If you are the Son of God, jump off ...'throw yourself down'” Matthew 4:6 vs Genesis 3:5 “No! You will not die. God knows that the day you eat it you too will be like gods.”
And lastly:
"If you fall at my feet and do me homage", Matthew 4:10 vs Genesis 3:5 “you will be like God” Satan is again questioning God's authority. Oh how dare he!
Satan is questioning whether Jesus was who He said He was (and whom His Father had just attested to at the baptism) - He was trying to get Jesus to fail in His earthly life so He couldn't be our perfect sacrificial substitute
As the writer of the letter of Hebrews says: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Satan absolutely did know who Jesus was, and why he was there. And he also knew that Jesus had free will and the ability to make his own choices - just the same as you or I. (In fact, we have one recorded instance where Jesus directly stated that his will was in opposition to the will of the Father, in the Garden of Gethsemane, (Matthew 26:38-44,) but he still chose, knowing what was to come, to do his Father's will and not his own.) And the devil knew that Jesus needed to be perfect to complete the work that he had come to accomplish.
So if he could find any way of tempting Jesus to step off the path, even once, it would have destroyed God's plan, which is exactly what Satan wanted. So Satan tempted him, trying to get him to use his power for physical desires, for fame, and for wealth and earthly power
One of Satan's biggest tricks is to try and confuse you about who you are, and whose you are.
Satan will wait until you are at your weakest point in life and then come to you with questions about your life... your calling... and your ability to do for God the Father.
You must know that you have been given the power to become a son or daughter of God... Just as Jesus was his son in whom God was WELL PLEASED
Go this day with the love of Christ in your hearts... Amen.
