n Luke 4:1-13 there are three specific temptations that Satan threw at Jesus along with His response. Today we’ll look at the third one.
The tempter. Always the devil! He has assistants because he’s not omnipresent like God, but it’s always the devil who does the tempting. God tests us, but Satan tempts us. This seems like Satan’s last ditch attempt to get rid of Jesus by having Him jump off a cliff.
The doubt. “If you are the Son of God…” After two failed attempts at tempting Jesus, the devil didn’t take the hint. He still tried a third time to tempt Jesus from a different angle. He still questioned Jesus’s authority and His deity. He knew who Jesus was and who God was, but that’s as far as it went. Did Satan want to truly see if Jesus was God’s Son? If He did and survived, would Satan then believe and stop tempting Him? Probably not. Satan never wants to acknowledge God. Then he’d have to give up his doubts. Are we like that sometimes? We know something in our heart and mind, but we think if we don’t verbalize it aloud, it doesn’t count or it’s not true. Sometimes that’s a coverup for things we don’t want to admit, and sometimes it’s our way of not acknowledging the truth.
The temptation.“…Jump off!” I have no idea how high I was while hiking on the top of this mountain, but it was way too high for anyone to jump from and live to tell about it. The internet states that the Temple in Jerusalem was about 740 miles high! Miles, not feet! Just think about the height of that alone as a deterrent for anyone to even consider a temptation such as Satan’s to jump off. I am a child of God and I know God protects me because it’s happened over and over, but I still would not even consider jumping from a high place such as that. Jesus knew He had the Father’s hand on Him and angels watching over Him, but that didn’t mean He would put them to the test
Misuse of Scripture. Satan continued, “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.’” Satan was quoting Psalm 91:11-12, but that entire chapter was speaking to “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High” and it was referring to God’s care for His people. It does not, however, mean that we should step out into harm’s way just to see if God will protect us. We need to apply Scripture appropriately.
The response. Jesus gave a counter reply, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” What would have happened if Jesus had not known what the Scriptures say? Would He have accepted the challenge to show what God could do??? Testing God is insisting that He prove that He is trustworthy. Those who are His (as Jesus was) already know God is trustworthy, so there was no need to test or prove Him. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” in Deuteronomy 6:16 is referring to the Israelites testing God when they were wandering in the wilderness.
Short and firm. ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ Jesus did not go into examples, mention the temptation just presented to Him, nor explain what Scripture He was referring to and why. He just stated the truth of Scripture that applied to the situation at hand. That’s a good example for us to follow when we need to respond to someone about a specific situation. There’s a saying, less is more. The definition of that is this: “Simplicity is better than elaborate embellishment; Sometimes something simple is better than something advanced or complicated.” I believe this applies to conversations at times, but does not apply to other things or situations.
Takeaway. “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left Him until the next opportunity came.” Satan doesn’t give up! He might leave you alone for a time, but don’t be too hasty to celebrate victory. Be assured, he will return when you least expect it and with a different tactic so you won’t recognize him from previous temptations.
Tomorrow and throughout this next week we will focus on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails, with a preface on examination.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, please give me just the right answer and response when temptations arise. Give me Scripture recall from what I’ve learned and memorized over the years Help me to be victorious in You.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
- Easter – resurrection and salvation