Temptation

Matthew 4:1-4

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God (in the Greek, that’s a first class conditional, meaning and you ARE), command that these stones become bread."

4 But He answered and said, "It is written, (in Deuteronomy 8:3) "MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"

My first thought on this passage was always, “what would be the big deal?” We know He must have been hungry after 40 days without food! You have to appreciate the subtle temptation of Satan. He was trying to get Jesus to operate INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PLAN OF GOD. He wanted Jesus to use His own power instead of what God had provided. Jesus, of course, had the power to turn the entire universe into bread! But He didn’t use His own power, but the power that God had provided Him: the Word of God that He knew.

We so often think of temptation in different terms than this, but really, this is the biggest temptation we face; to operate independently of the plan of God using our own power.

The real beauty of this passage is that God has provided the EXACT SAME power to us to face our temptations.

Acts 1:8

8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; …

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.