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!

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Jesus was just told by the Father that He was God's Son in Whom God was well pleased. This was at the baptism. Immediately after the baptism, Jesus went into a fast for 40 days. The last word He heard from the Father was about His Sonship. Ands this is precisely what the devil attacked. It is like ADAM's temptation, since Adam was SON OF GOD as well, only not the person of God as Jesus was at the same time. But Adam was not deity and neither was the HUMANITY Jesus had apart from His deity.

EVE was tempted about the WORD OF GOD. "Yea, hath God said?" Jesus was tempted as a man to know if he really was God's Son.

God actually was TEMPTING ISRAEL according to Moses' words saying God suffered them to hunger to PROVE THEM whether they would keep His commands or not.

Exodus 16:3 KJV 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.

Would Israel complain or have faith God was caring for them? This was the temptation to Jesus' humanity.

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TEMPTATION NO. 2

Matthew 4:5-7 KJV Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (6) And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

This was also a temptation to HIS HUMANITY.

The key is to research what Jesus quoted in response and see how ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS FAILED WHERE JESUS WOULD NOT. And they were not tempted as DEITIES.

Deuteronomy 6:16 KJV Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

More words spoken to ISRAEL in the wilderness.

When we reference that event at Massah, we find it occurred at this juncture:

Exodus 17:1-2 KJV And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. (2) Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

They asked for water to drink.

Exodus 17:3 KJV And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Moses warned them about murmuring.

Exodus 17:7 KJV And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

Moses knew the tempted GOD, and not MOSES at all, when they asked MOSES for water. They knew it would take a miracle for God to provide them water there.

MASSAH means "A TESTING" and MERIBAH means "A QUARREL OR STRIFE" derived from the thought of holding a controversy with someone. They were testing God, but it turned out GOD TESTED THEM!

I can hear satan tempting Jesus if he REALLY WAS GOD'S SON, again, asking if God was CARING FOR HIM, as the Israelites tested to see if God cared for them. They knew it would take a miracle for water, so they murmured about it and watched to see if water would come.

Satan quoted:

Psa 91:11-12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Now, we know this is not a word to God, as thought satan tempted Jesus' deity, but to MAN showing MAN would be taken care of by God.

Satan tempted Israel with the "Seeing is believing" lie.

In actuality, believing precedes seeing.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

When we read more of Massah and Meribah, we find GOD TEMPTED ISRAEL, when they tried testing God.

Psalms 81:7 KJV Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

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TEMPTATION No. 3

Matthew 4:8-10 KJV Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

What did Jesus quote?

Deuteronomy 6:13 KJV Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

MORE WORDS SPOKEN TO ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS.

The first test was tempting CHRIST'S FLESH. FOOD. Turn stone to BREAD for you need FOOD.

The second test was SOULISH. Ease your MIND. PROVE GOD is real to YOUR MIND.

The third one was SPIRITUAL. WORSHIP.

Spirit, soul and body were tempted.

The third response Jesus gave from the Exodus account in Deuteronomy was different than the first two. It regarded what Israel would DO IN THE LAND.

Deuteronomy 12:8-11 KJV Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. (9) For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you. (10) But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; (11) Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:

The context of Deut 6: 13 was ONCE THEY WERE IN TH ELAND, they had better live a certain way in faith.

Deu 6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

The third temptation was of a SPIRITUAL NATURE.

Deuteronomy 6:10-15 KJV And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, (11) And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; (12) Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (13) Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. (14) Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (15) (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Notice Jesus is not challenged IF HE IS SON OF GOD in satan's third temptation.

Satan knew that Jesus knew He was Son and Jesus would not waver on that. Satan knew it was futile to tempt Him about HIS SONSHIP. Once satan knows we know better than to fall for his deceptions, he comes out in the open and tempts us with what he really wants. WORSHIP to be like GOD. So, SATAN TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT. He offered JESUS the KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD which Jesus would get BECAUSE JESUS WAS SON.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

BUT Jesus was tempted to BYPASS THE CROSS to get this kingdoms right away! Jesus would get the Kingdoms of the world through the cross. Satan appealed to His humanity to bypass that suffering. Just worship the devil and get them now.

2 Timothy 2:12 KJV If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

1 Peter 3:18 KJV For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

1 Peter 3:22 KJV Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Satan did have those kingdoms, though through usurping them. Jesus did not deny that.

Jesus refused to worship, AS A MAN, anyone but God.

Deuteronomy 6:14-15 KJV Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (15) (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Why was idolatry so tempting? THERE WAS SENSUAL INDULGENCE IN SIN TO APPEASE FALSE GODS. no suffering, but SENSUAL CARNALITY! They had temple prostitutes to enjoy in order to get fertility of the land blessings. Similarly, Jesus was tempted into IDOLATRY and avoid the suffering of the cross. The false gods offered the same blessings as God, but without a cross and through sensual living.

The whole key to seeing the temptations of Jesus in their true light is to research the scriptures Jesus used and realize they were words TO PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS just like He was.

Jesus was not telling satan that satan must worship Jesus, because SON OF GOD is to be worshiped, as though Jesus was speaking from the standpoint of a Deity. He was telling satan that as a MAN, JESUS would worship GOD ALONE.

Jesus did not tell satan to stop tempting Him in the second temptation, either as though Jesus was DEITY being tempted. No, Jesus was telling Satan that HE AS A MAN would not tempt God like Israel did.

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The important point I see in this is to see Jesus' HUMANITY was tempted. So many -- too many -- see no humanity in Jesus. And this leaves them thinking the opposite of what Jesus said they can do. They think since he is God, and I am not, how can anyone expect me to do the things He did. But Jesus responded to the same temptations we receive (God does not care for you. Test to make sure you really are His son like His word says you are) in ways we can respond with. He did not zap the devil out of existence with DEITY power, but used the WORD WE HAVE TO LEARN so that his lies do not affect us either.

In my understanding, to say Jesus was tempted as per His deity is to miss the whole point of Him being our example.

[Aquila]

I've often asked, what was the purpose of the temptation? In the Garden Satan seduced man into sin via temptation. Why? God gave man dominion over the earth. Spiritually speaking, who or whatever we serve is our master. When Adam fell into sin Adam surrendered dominion to Satan and Satan became "god of this world". Immediately after his baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Jesus knew what he was in for. Jesus was prepared for a fight. By resisting Satan, Jesus, the Son of Man, took dominion back and gained spiritual authority for his redemptive mission. Had Jesus not endured temptation... he'd been another powerless servant of sin like the rest of us. If we want power... we must resist temptation.

[Jeffrey]

Mike, I agree about how so many minimize the humanity of the Messiah. And it's very real what the person, Jesus of Nazareth, was going through in the wilderness.

However, when the Satan called him "Son of God" there are many reasons I believe he was challenging his divine status as God's Messiah. Could you explain why you believe "Son of God" here is the same as you and I, those who believe in Jesus?

All the temptations matched Messianic expectancies at the time. This was not "human" stuff. I'll respond to your other comments later.