“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” (Matthew 4:1 KJV)
One of the first big temptations when studying Luke 4:1-13 and Matthew 4:1-11 is to try and glean something from this conversation that will help us fight temptation more effectively. After all, much of what we learn, we learn from what others have done. If we have even a little bit of sense, we do not necessarily have to make the mistakes ourselves; we can learn from those who have gone before us. In fact, not even mistakes, but research. How many mathematicians, poets, scientists, negotiators, or financiers have done things which entire curriculums are made of? If we can take the knowledge and experience that someone has left behind and capitalize on that, are we not that much further ahead for it? Yet that feeds the very poison in the temptations that are presented. The poison that says that we can be bigger, stronger, smarter, faster, and more prepared. With enough study and devotion, we might even attain a real mastery at knowing the difference between good and evil in every situation. Never mind a mere taste of that fruit. We could make gallons of smoothies from it.
So, what do we do with passages like these? We start by seeing the very determined fast that Jesus begins with. We see his desire to humble himself and distance himself from that which we want to feed ourselves with. A real place of hunger to see what it is that God has for us. We see by the words that Jesus uses that he knows God’s Word well enough that he is able to quote it and does not hesitate to do so. In fact, Jesus quotes it as though these were his best answers. No cunning, no rebuke, no style of his own, no reminder of coming judgement. Plain scripture that he knows without a doubt is the best answer. Jesus even trusts that his very real need for food will be met, even by the hands of angels, in the time that the father has appointed despite this need being twisted and used against him from the onset.
Can we learn from this dialog and do better on our own? Maybe if we practice and study really hard? I am sure that there are those who have tried. In fact, the temptations that are listed in these passages are very common. Most, if not all, of us will get a chance to face them in one way or another. What do we do with them then? We can start by humbly and respectfully knowing that Jesus faced them and was successful. Yes, follow his lead, but more than that. Know that he is great enough, big enough, smart enough, and has enough love even in his smallest finger to walk us through what he has for us. No matter how tattered and torn we might come through that experience, the question that is being asked of each of us is will we try to make ourselves bigger and stronger? Or do we proceed by unloading ourselves and knowing that Jesus is our very sustenance?
“Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” (Matthew 4:11 KJV)