0104 LEAD US NOT

Jesus faces the same three temptations that are common to all of us while He is in the wilderness.

LEAD US NOT 

Grace and peace to you. Welcome to the podcast of One a Day, covering something from a chapter of the Bible each day. Today is January 4, so we are reading Matthew chapter 4. Let’s get to it.

In Matthew 4, we find that Jesus has just been baptized. And he is led by the Spirit into the wilderness for the express purpose of being tempted by the devil. He has already fasted 40 days and 40 nights when we find him having the final three battles.

Scripture says that Jesus was tempted in every way that we were, yet was without sin. It also says, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” So seeing this battle should look familiar to me, though the particular temptations might be specific to Jesus. At the same time, how the Lord defeats his temptor should teach me how to overcome my own temptations.

John tells us that there are three basic categories of sin, which contain what he calls “all that is in the world.” They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These are the three temptations that Jesus faces here.

The first temptation is the lust of the flesh. If you are the Son of God, you can turn these stones into loaves of bread. After 40 days of fasting, that’s got to be a very tempting offer to the one who could feed 5000 with five loaves and two fish. But Jesus is ready with an answer. 

Through gritted teeth, He quotes the book of Deuteronomy: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” There is something more important, more eternal and more life-giving than food, even after 40 days of depriving yourself of it. If I delight in God’s word and doing His will, I can also overcome the lust of the flesh in whatever form it takes.

Now the devil shows him the highest point on top of the temple in Jerusalem. This time the tempter quotes a couple of Scriptures himself—I guess he is able as much as anyone to read the Bible, even though he misapplies it. Prove that you are the Messiah by having God work a public miracle to verify your authenticity. But Jesus is also ready for this one. This might be a case of taking a shortcut to the boastful pride of life. This particular manifestation might not be so strong for me, but for Jesus, doing a sign like this would mean He would not have to go through the cross and the grave in order for God to prove him to be divine. But he also knows that He would be forcing God’s hand to have to rescue him. He shouts, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God!” It’s not about me taking a shortcut to food or to fame, it’s about my Father.

So now the devil speaks directly to the center of the issue: Jesus can have all of the riches and honor in the world, and nothing would be withheld from him. The lust of his eye would be fulfilled, forever. All he has to do is to bow down and worship the one who is in control of much of the earth, and He can take a shortcut to being Lord of all. Jesus takes complete spiritual authority over his enemy. “Away! Leave me! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only!’" And Satan must comply when Jesus commands him, so he leaves for a more opportune time.

And now angels come and minister to Him. 

Wait a second! Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, and in the very next chapter he teaches us to pray, “lead us not into temptation?" He knew, didn’t He? He would not wish this on anybody. Instead, we are to plead with our Father to “deliver us from evil." Just as Jesus was delivered a moment ago.

I wonder if the incarnation is so complete that Jesus has been deprived for forty days and nights of His Father’s blessed presence? Jesus was simply there to battle satan, armed with only what he knew of the word of God, from which he quoted with each temptation. 

Now I think I see why Scripture memorization can be so helpful, not just on Sundays, but on the weakest days, too.