Matthew 4:1-11 The Temptation of Jesus

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (Matthew 4:1)

It seems strange that immediately after Jesus Baptism, the Spirit who attested him as the Son of God led him into the wilderness to be tempted. We are often so familiar with the stories that we don't let it really have the impact it should have. So imagine what it must have been like. What we've already learned of Jesus in the book of Matthew is that he was descended from Abraham through the Davidic line. He was born of a virgin and an angel told Joseph that Jesus would save his people from his sins. Hostile people tried unsuccessfully to kill him when he was only a toddler, and God saved him by warning Joseph to flee to Egypt. Then the story skips all the intervening years and brings us up to the time Jesus began his ministry. The very first thing that Jesus does in his ministry is to be baptized. As I mentioned in the previous post, by submitting to this rite (which was supposed to be for repentant sinners) Jesus identified with his people. He humbled himself and took on the identity of sinners--foreshadowing that great exchange where his righteousness is imputed to us. Then, after being baptized the Holy Spirit leads him out to be tempted in the wilderness. Let this sink in. Let's think of the who, the where, the when, and the why to help this sink in. First, this wasn't Satan seeking an opportunity to to tempt Jesus; it was God, as a part of his eternal plan, leading Jesus out to be tempted.  Next, it happened right after the baptism and before he publicly started his ministry. So, it was necessary that he go through a testing before he began his ministry. This was a part of the path that he must take to accomplish the goal of God. Then, Jesus went into the wilderness. This is significant. It points to one of the ways that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel. Just as Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness, Jesus spent 40 days in the same place. Maybe not exactly the same geographical location, but the same term is used. Finally, the purpose of all this is to be tempted. Now this is puzzling. How can God be tempted? Could Jesus have really sinned? Was it even possible for him to fail this test? I don't think that's the point. Again, just like Jesus' baptism, this tempting was another way Jesus identified with sinners. Jesus temptation was a necessary part of God's plan because it was through his temptation that we know that our savior can sympathize with us. The author of Hebrews make this point. Jesus is our high priest and he can sympathize with weak sinners because he was tempted at all points just as we are. This gives us at least two reasons to celebrate. First, When we face temptation, we can look at Jesus experience of temptation and see how we are to respond. We are to resist the devil as he did and as James tells us to. We are to delight in the law of the Lord as he did and as Psalm 1 tells us to. Also, it gives us confidence that Jesus loves us. We can be discouraged when we are tempted and we fail. Yet, because Jesus was tempted we know that we have a high priest who sympathizes with our weakness. He was tempted and he knows what it is like. He knows and has felt the very things we feel, and he went through it all without sin. We know that this one who sympathizes with us is our advocate, pleading our case before the Father. When we fail, this great high priest stands before the Father and tells him, "This one is mine, I identified with him and took his sin. His punishment is paid."

 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
 (Heb 4:15-16 ESV)