The Temptations of Jesus

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Originally Posted by Jeffrey

Interesting take, Mike.

The temptation, if against his humanity, was asking things of him that were simply unhuman. The fact is, the temptations were based on "if you are the Son of God," which is a divine charge, not a human charge.

Not really. Sons of God are people like us! We are claiming we are God's people and that we are in God's provision. When the devil tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread, he was actually tempting the Lord as A MAN to speak a command and see if The Father would back it up!

And the interesting thing about this is that Jesus directly referred to that temptation a few chapter slater and noted the CARE of the FATHER for His children, the saints, when he said this:

Mat 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

Notice satan referred to Jesus as SON OF GOD. A Son's Father is God. So, Jesus is trying to show us how much the Father cares for us by having us consider our own care for our children. If WE as fathers would never give a STONE to our children when they ask for BREAD, why would God do that to us? Jesus was actually saying that if He, as GOD'S SON needed bread, He would ask for BREAD the Father would give Him BREAD. In other words, to show how Jesus really believed He was God's Son, as a MAN, He would not look for stones to turn into bread, but rather ASK THE FATHER FOR BREAD AND HAVE FAITH TO EXPECT BREAD.

This is the same with all these temptations.

The key to understanding this is to realize that the words Jesus responded with were actually words Moses gave to Israel WHEN THEY WERE IN THE WILDERNESS as Jesus was. Jesus knew that. He specifically referred to scriptures that dealt with people in the wilderness.

In other words, ISRAEL WAS TEMPTED WITH THESE THINGS just as Jesus was.

Satan was not tempting deity at all, I believe. Satan may be stupid, but he knows you cannot tempt God.

"IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD" was a temptation to doubt His identity of SONSHIP. It's like doubting we really got saved.

AS A MAN, Jesus just fasted forty days. Had no food. And he is hungry, as God does not get hungry, and the devil tempted Him with FOOD.

Am I really good enough to be His loved one? What about this and that need? The devil emphasize unworth. And once we entertain such thoughts... we start believing a lie: "No, I am not being led by God. I am not good enough for God. I should be able to turn stone to bread or anything if I'm saved."

As our example, Jesus was showing us what to do when we are attacked like this. This first temptation is one which attacks immature believers.

When we research the reason Moses spoke the words, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," that Jesus responded with, we find they were TEMPTED like Jesus to believe GOD ABANDONED THEM. Jesus knew what defeated the Israelites. He knew where they went wrong and he would not go wrong where they did.

Look what he quoted:
[indent]Deu 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.[/quote]

When we research WHEN God humbled them and suffered them to hunger, we find it was here:

Exodus 16:1-3 KJV And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. (2) And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: (3) And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Israel was made to DOUBT God was with them and caring for them!