April 23, 2023

Matthew 4: 1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him . . .  (NIV) [continue reading the entire passage] 

Satan continues in his role as liar, deceiver, and tempter because these are the only powers he has.*

Immediately following Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and lighted on him – then led him into the desert to be tempted by the devil. There is way more going on in this story than I can fully fathom, but I offer here some thoughts (and questions) for discussion: 

1. Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. It was part of God’s plan, so he went. 

2. Jesus knew where he was going and what he would be facing. Instead of “bulking up,” as we might think he should have done, he fasted, approaching the tempter in a weakened state . . . so it would seem to us. But no: “After fasting . . . he was hungry.” Clearly he received spiritual sustenance while he was without food for more than a month. 

3. He answered Satan’s enticements by quoting scripture. This isn’t just an example for us to follow when we face temptation; it is an insight into the humanity of our Lord. He was God. He is God. His is the word; therefore, he could have rebuked Satan with his own words of authority. Instead, he used the same weapons that we have at our disposal. He humanly resisted temptation; so can we. 

4. So you want to use scripture to outsmart Satan? He can quote scripture right back at you (verse 6). Of course, he will twist it and use it to deceive. Lean not on your own understanding – the Holy Spirit gives us discernment. 

5. Based on Satan’s strategy, I would say that he didn’t really know what Jesus’ weaknesses might be. He started with the most obvious and elemental: physical hunger. When that didn’t work, he moved on to appeal to his pride: “Show us what you can do, Son of God!” Jesus had no need to prove anything to himself; and he did not perform signs and miracles for the sake of amusement. Finally, Satan tips his hand by trying to tempt Jesus with what he himself craved: all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 

6. And the ultimate irony: the devil had nothing to offer that Jesus didn’t already have. In his ministry, Jesus proved that he could satisfy physical hunger, and he proved who he was. As the Son of God, the world was already his. 

In Luke’s version of the story (4: 1-13), he ends with these words: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Satan doesn’t get a starring role anywhere else in the gospels but we know he was lurking and skulking about. Surely he was there that night in the garden when Jesus the man prayed to be delivered from his horrible fate. As Oswald Chambers wrote: “In Gethsemane, Satan came back and was overthrown again.”* Once again, Jesus resisted temptation and submitted to his Father’s will – and showed us how it’s done!

Jesus’ experience demonstrates that Satan can be defeated.*