Jesus Passed the Test:Matthew 4:1-11

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, NASB).

There is a song titled, “Yield Not to Temptation.” It was frequently sung in the church that my family attended when I was a child. The first verse says, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin; each victory will help you some other to win; fight man-fully on-ward, Dark passions subdue; Look ever to Jesus, he will carry you through.” Today, in many churches there is a lot of emphasis on praise and worship. Yet while there is a lot of praise going on, I believe that often sin is not recognized and mentioned. It seems to me that people believe that if they praise the Lord they do not have to worry about their sins. In this article I want to look at the temptations of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. In these two scripture passages Jesus is tempted by the devil. Jesus passed the test, and He is able to sympathize with us when we are tempted.

Before we begin our study on the scripture passages let us look at the words “tempted” and “temptations.” The Greek word “pierazo” is translated to the English word “tempted.” In a good sense it means to be put on trial in order to ascertain the character, views, or feelings of someone (see Matthew 22:35; John 6:6). On the other hand, in a bad sense one is tempted with an ill intent. It is to try one’s virtue, tempt, and solicit to sin; and especially by Satan (see Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2). The word “temptation” is derived from the Greek word “peirasmos” is to be put a person on trail to prove, or put to the test. A person goes through temptations by God so that God brings His people through adversity and affliction in order to prove their faith and confidence in Him. On the other hand Satan uses temptations in order to entice us to sin. It is the enticement to sin that I want to focus on in this article. Let us return to our text.

Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1, NASB). Jesus would be tested to see if He could be enticed to sin by the devil. The story before us is not saying that this one incident was the only time that Jesus was tempted by the devil. Rather, it points to the fact that throughout His earthly sojourns Jesus would go through temptations. Luke confirms this truth at the end of his account of this event. Luke writes, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13, NASB). As Christians we need to know that throughout our sojourn with Jesus Christ we will encounter temptations. The devil is watching and waiting for an opportunity to entice us to sin. The apostle Peter cautions the believers saying, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NASB).

It is important to notice that the devil waited for an opportune time before he spoke to Jesus. Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days with nothing to eat. Jesus was hungry. The devil’s approach to Jesus was similar to his approach to the woman in the garden (see Genesis 3:1-5). The devil does not approach either of them with harsh words and physical threats. Rather, the devil sees a need, and he exploits that need. The basic need to sustain life is food. In both the case with the woman and Jesus the devil uses the need for food to start a conversation. In the conversation the devil makes subtle changes to the words of God and God’s intent. You see, it is at a point of weakness that we are best able to be enticed by the devil. Eve did not notice the subtle change in God’s word that the serpent made. Jesus not only heard the words that the devil spoke; He knew that the devil was using the word in such a way that he hoped that he could entice Jesus to sin. How did Jesus know? He knew the scriptures that insulated Him from the trap of the devil. Jesus knew that He should not obey the voice of anyone other than God. Jesus said that His sheep do as He did (see John 10:1-5). The devil told Jesus to use His power as the Son of God to change stones into bread to provide for Him. Jesus knew that life should not be lived on bread alone. Life is to be lived by every word of God.

The devil had failed in his first attempt to get Jesus to sin because of His needs; the devil makes a second attempt. For the second time the devil reminds Jesus that He is the Son of God. He should take advantage of His status. In fact, Jesus should make sure that God would protect Him. How could Jesus be sure that God would protect Him? If Jesus believed what God said, He should put God to the test. Jesus should “throw Yourself down; for it is written” (Matthew 4:6). Jesus had said that God would provide for His need for bread. He would not test God. When we feel the need to test God it shows that we have a lack of faith in God. God will be with us in our trials, and He will bring us through our sufferings and afflictions. The third temptation that Jesus went through tells us about His character. In Genesis 3 the woman believed the serpent when He told her that she should not limit herself to what God had commanded. In fact, she should know that God’s commandments were designed to keep her from achieving greater things for her. The woman ate the fruit thinking that she would gain more. She learned that she had not gained more; in fact she lost what she had. So, now the devil is at it again. Jesus did not need to suffer as the Son of God. If He would worship the devil He could have all the kingdoms of the world. They belonged to him and he could give them to whoever he chose. Unlike the woman and the man in the garden, Jesus was content with what the Father had given to Him. The devil might own the world now, but there is coming a day when God will turn everything over to Jesus. Therefore, He should worship and serve the Lord only (v.10).

When we begin this article, we made reference to the first verse of the song “Yield Not to Temptation.” How can we keep from yielding to Temptation? The second and third verses tell us about character traits that we should implement into our lives. They also tell us behaviors that we should avoid. It is the chorus that tells us how we can achieve our goals. The words of the chorus are: “Ask the savior to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you; He is willing to aid you, He will carry you through. We learned from the story of Jesus being tempted is that while praise has its value: it is the knowledge of the Word of God that keeps us from falling for the deceptive words of the devil. Let the words of God be your strength and your guide so that you do not hear the voice of the devil who seeks to devour you.