1. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
Scriptures
Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13
Vocabulary
Hypostatic Union: This is a term used to describe the fact that Jesus was both God and man.
The above scriptures tell of Jesus’s temptation in the Wilderness. The three synoptic Gospels relate the three temptations of Christ in the wilderness. The gospel of John does not relate this story.
The vocabulary is “Hypostatic Union”. This term is used to relate that Jesus was both God and man. The God-Man.
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2. Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Hypostatic Union is a term used to describe the fact that Jesus was both God and man (God-Man).
Jesus was fully human as you and I are, yet He did not have a sin nature.
As a man Jesus could feel hunger, thirst, pain, and temptation.
However, Jesus was also God and could perform miracles, heal people, and know certain things his humanity (the Man) could not otherwise know.
The concept of Kenosis involves the fact that Jesus could not use the power he had as God to help His own humanity (the Man part of Jesus).
All of his miracles were directed at helping others, not Himself.
Review and explain these items. Jesus was human as you and I, except he did not have a sin nature OSN, STA. Jesus would get hungry, be thirsty, feel pain and be tempted. Jesus could use his Godly powers to do miracles to help and heal other people but not to help Himself.
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3. Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
After Jesus’ baptism by John, Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Testing is used to reveal or develop character. In the incarnation at the first advent, Jesus was tempted and could have chosen to sin.
Hebrews 2:17–18 (NASB95)
17Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation (satisfaction) for the sins of the people.
18For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
He was in the wilderness for 40 days and nights without food.
This test would have been hard enough if Jesus had been rested and well fed, but He is now in a weakened condition, which makes any test more difficult.
Explain and review these points. Testing is used to reveal and develop character. Jesus was tempted just like you and I are and could have decided to sin, but he did not sin. Since Jesus was tempted like we are tempted on all ways, he then understands what it is like to be tempted and can therefore help us when we are tempted. He was in the wilderness 40 days and nights with out food. There Jesus was very weak because lack of food which made his tempting and testing to be much more difficult to handle.
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4. 14No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
As an angelic being Satan can appear in various forms, not the horned devil depicted in fiction.
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NASB95)
14No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
In each of these tests Satan twists certain truths in order to tempt Jesus.
In the first test, the temptation was for Jesus to use His deity in a way inconsistent with the ground rules for the incarnation (the appearing of Jesus at the first Advent); He was tempted to use His deity to provide for Himself.
Jesus, as a man, must trust God for all things, just as believers must do.
Satan is he highest angel ever created. He can appear in various forms and is not that red devil with horns and a pitch fork. 2 Cor. Tells us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, he is the angel of darkness and a deceiver, etc. In all of the three tests, Satan twists the truth in order to tempt Jesus. In the first test, the temptation was to have Jesus us his deity to provide for himself, this is against the rules of the Kenosis. Jesus as a man, must put his trust in God for everything just like believers must also do.
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5. The First Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The First Test / Temptation
Satan tries to get Jesus to use His rightful powers (as the Son of God) to provide living grace for Himself for the first temptation.
Matthew 4:2–3 (NASB95)
2And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
3And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Luke 4:2-3 (NASB95)
2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.
3And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
The first temptation is told in Matthew and Luke above, where Jesus after not eating for 40 days was told by Satan to change stones to bread to satisfy his hunger. If He would have done this, he would be violating the rules of the Kenosis in using his Godly powers to satisfy his hunger and would have sinned.
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6. The First Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The First Test / Temptation
Satan tries to get Jesus to use His rightful powers (as the Son of God) to provide living grace for Himself for the first temptation.
Jesus uses the Word of God, Deuteronomy 8:3 to refute (counter) Satan.
Deuteronomy 8:3b (NASB95)
3bthat man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Matthew 4:4 (NASB95)
4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
Luke 4:4 (NASB95)
4And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”
We see that for the first temptation, Jesus quotes the WOG from the OT Deut. 8:3 to counter Satan’s command to turn the stones to bread. Jesus’s answer is in Matt. 4:4 and Luke 4:4. synoptic Gospels, that have the same or similar stories. This is what all believers should do when confronted with temptations, is to recall scriptures that would also counter it from the Bible. 12/6/15
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7. The Second Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Second Test / Temptation
In the second temptation, Satan tries to get Jesus to test God’s promise.
Psalm 91:11-12 indicates that believers can be secure in God’s care for them.
Psalm 91:11–12 (NASB95)
11For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.
12They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
Satan does not quote the Old Testament accurately and leaves out important parts of the Psalm 91 for his own purpose; he ignores the surrounding context about trusting in God (Ps. 91:2), making the Lord his refuge (a place of shelter or safety); (Ps. 91:9), and loving God. Ps. 91:14
In the second temptation, Satan tries to get Jesus to test God’s promise as seen in Ps. 91: Satan does not quote verse 2, in trusting God, verse 9 in making God his place of shelter or safety and verse 14 about loving God.
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8. The Second Test / Temptation
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The Second Test / Temptation
The second temptation involved taking Jesus into Jerusalem and having him stand on the pinnacle (high point) of the temple.
Matthew 4:5–6 (NASB95)
5Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”
Luke 4:9–11 (NASB95)
9And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;
10for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’
11and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ”
For the second temptation, Satan takes Jesus to the high point of the temple and tells Him to throw Himself down and that the angels would literally catch Him and prevent him from hurting Himself. This is seen in the Matthew and Luke scriptures.
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9. The Second Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Second Test / Temptation
The second temptation involved taking Jesus into Jerusalem and having him stand on the pinnacle (high point) of the temple.
Jesus responds again by quoting the WOG, the OT
Deuteronomy 6:16 (NASB95)
16“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’”
Matthew 4:7 (NASB95)
7Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
Luke 4:12 (NASB95)
12And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
Also involved in this test is the fact that this would be a public display and would prove to the people that He was the Messiah.
Again Jesus quotes from the OT, Deut. 6:16, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”. This is told in Matthew 4:7 and Luke 4:12. If Jesus had done that, it would be a public display and prove that He was the Messiah but he would be sinning in doing so by putting God to the test. Jesus never sinned. Again we should recall scriptures when we are tempted just as Jesus did.
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10. The Second Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Second Test / Temptation
The second temptation involved taking Jesus into Jerusalem and having him stand on the pinnacle (high point) of the temple.
Jewish writings taught that the Messiah would prove Himself by leaping from the Temple pinnacle.
Satan quotes Psalm 91:11-12, but is suggesting a misapplication of the doctrine. Jesus refutes (counters) him with Deuteronomy 6:16 saying, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
We learn from this also that believers should not expect God to protect them when they are out of His will.
Jewish writings taught that the Messiah would prove Himself by leaping from the Temple pinnacle, the high point. Again, Jesus quotes from the WOG, the Old Testament Deut. 6:16. From this we learn that all believers should not expect God to protect them when they are out of God’s will.
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11. Herod’s Temple
This is a representation of the Temple where Jesus was standing on the pinnacle, high point of the Temple. In the back at the top of the Holy Place is where Jesus was during this second temptation.
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12. The Third Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Third Test / Temptation
In the third temptation Satan offers Jesus a short cut to achieving the glory that prophecy says will be His.
He takes Him to a very high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
He tells Jesus “All these things I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:8–9 (NASB95)
8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
Luke 4:5–7 (NASB95)
5And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7“Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”
On the third temptation, Satan takes Jesus to a very high mountain and shows Him all of the Kingdoms of the world and all the glory they have. We know that Jesus will rule all of the kingdoms of the world during the millennial Kingdom. But first he had to suffer on the cross for the forgiveness of all of mankind. To worship Satan would be a terrible sin, but a shortcut to his glory, but then no one would be saved. In God’s omniscience He new that Jesus would reject Satan’s offer and follow God’s will for Him to go to the cross. Notice that Jesus did not tell Satan that he was wrong in saying “for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish”. Remember that for now, Satan is ruler of this world.
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13. The Third Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Third Test / Temptation
In the third temptation Satan offers Jesus a short cut to achieving the glory that prophecy says will be His.
Satan, as prince of this world, was within his rights to make this offer. Jn. 12:31
Had Jesus accepted, He would not have had to die on the cross.
Satan offers the crown (rulership of the world) without the cross; the price Christ would pay for this is to commit idolatry – going against God’s will and worshiping the Devil
Jesus strongly rebukes Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13
Deuteronomy 6:13 (NASB95)
13“You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
We see in the third temptation, the Satan as prince of this world, wad within his rights to make the offer. Read John 12:31. Again Satan is the ruler of this world. If Jesus accepted Satan’s offer He would be committing idolatry, by going against God’s will and worshiping the Devil. Jesus strongly rebukes Satan by quoting Deut. 6:13.
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14. The Third Test / Temptation
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
The Third Test / Temptation
In the third temptation Satan offers Jesus a short cut to achieving the glory that prophecy says will be His.
Matthew 4:10 (NASB95)
10Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”
Luke 4:8 (NASB95)
8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”
Here we see in the Matthew and Luke scripture that Jesus is quoting Deut. 6:13. Satan’s offer was to short cut the prophecy about him by by passing the Cross. 12/9/15
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15. Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
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Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
Jesus strongly rebukes Peter for suggesting He should avoid the cross in Matt. 16:23.
Matthew 16:23 (NASB95)
23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
He also had to deal with wild beasts while in the wilderness.
Mark 1:13 (NASB95)
13And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.
After passing these tests Jesus is cared for by angels in a ways that are not explained.
This is not a violation of Kenosis, since it is not provided by His Deity and living grace is provided to all men.
In Matt. 16:23 we see that Jesus strongly rebukes Peter for suggesting He should avoid the Cross. We see in Mark 1:13, that He was in the wilderness for 40 days, being tempted by Satan and with wild beasts also. After the tests he is helped (ministered) by angels. The way the angels cared for him are not explained.
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16. Jesus’ Temptation In The Wilderness
12th century mosaic at St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy .
12th century mosaic at St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy over 900 years ago. We see from the mosaic, that over 900 years ago that people believed the truth of the scriptures about Jesus’ temptations.
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