Hope for Temptation

Ryrie

• (1) “Satan's intention in the temptation was to make Christ sin so as to thwart God's plan for man's redemption by disqualifying the Savior. God's purpose (note that the Spirit led Jesus to the test) was to prove His Son to be sinless and thus a worthy Savior. It is clear that [Jesus] was actually tempted; it is equally clear that He was sinless.”
• (1) Hebrews 4:15 notes that Jesus was “tempted in every way.” It's “not that Christ experienced every temptation man does, but rather that He was tempted in all areas in which man is tempted (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life) and with particular temptations specially suited to Him. This testing was possible only because He took the likeness of sinful flesh, for had there not been an incarnation, Jesus could not have been tempted. Yet our Lord was distinct from all other men in that He was without sin; i.e., He possessed no sin nature as we do. Because He endured and successfully passed His tests, He can now offer us mercy and grace to help in time of need, for He knows what we are going through.”
• (3) “'If' may be translated 'since.' Satan acknowledged that He had the power to turn stones into bread.”
• (4) “Quoting Deut 8:3 (a book whose authority is often rejected and whose contents not well known), the Lord refused to act independently of the Father's power but chose rather to rely on God's word.”
• (5) The point to which Jesus was taken was “about 600 ft above the valley below. Had the Lord cast Himself off this height and lighted on the temple area unharmed, the people might have acclaimed Him as Messiah.”
• (6) “Satan, as well as Jesus, quotes the Bible (in this instance, Ps 91:11-12). But Satan did not quote accurately, for he omitted a phrase that was not suited to his purpose ('in all your ways').”
• (7) “Quoting Deut 6:16, Christ responded that one cannot expect God to protect when out of His will.”
• (9) “Satan, as prince of this world, was within his rights to make this offer [to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world]. Had Jesus accepted, He would not have had to die on the cross.”
• (15) The term rendered “world” is, in Greek, kosmos. It “is that organized system headed by Satan that leaves God out and is a rival to Him. Though God loves the world of men, believers are not to love at all that which organizes them against God.”
• (10) Jesus' quote comes out of Deut 6:13 and 10:20
  

Reflecting God

• (1-11) “The significance of Jesus' temptations, especially because they occurred at the outset of his public ministry, seems best understood in terms of the kind of Messiah he was to be. He would not accomplish His mission by using His supernatural power for His own needs (first temptation), by using His power to win a large following by miracles or magic (second temptation) or by compromising with Satan (third temptation). Jesus had no inward desire or inclination to sin, for these in themselves are sin. Because he was God he did not sin in any way, whether by actions or word or inner desire. Yet Jesus' temptation was real, not merely symbolic. He was 'tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin' (Heb 4:15). He was confronted by the tempter with a real opportunity to sin.”
• (1-11) “Although Jesus was the Son of God, he defeated Satan by using a weapon that everyone has at his or her disposal: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:17). He met all three temptations with Scriptural truth from Deuteronomy.”
• (1) “The testing of Jesus (the Greek verb translated 'tempted' can also be rendered 'tested'), which was divinely intended, has as its primary background Dt 8:1-5, from which Jesus also quotes in his first reply to the devil. There Moses recalls how the Lord led the Israelites in the desert 40 years 'to humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.' Here at the beginning of his ministry Jesus is subjected to a similar test and shows himself to be the true Israelite who lives 'on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.' And whereas Adam failed the great test and plunged the whole race into sin, Jesus was faithful and thus demonstrated his qualification to become the Savior of all who receive him.”
• (1) “It was, moreover, important that Jesus be tested/tempted as Israel and we are, so that he could become our 'merciful and faithful high priest' (Heb 2:17) and thus be 'able to help those who are being tempted' (Heb 2:18).”
• (1) “As a human he had the choice to refuse the will of his Father, just as we all do. He is the example.”
• (1) “God tests his people, but it is the devil who tempts to evil. Like the Hebrew for 'Satan,' the Greek for 'devil' means 'accuser' or 'slanderer.' The devil is a personal being, not a mere force or influence. He is the great archenemy of God and the leader of the hosts of darkness.”
• (2) “The number [of days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to the temptation] recalls the experiences of Moses (Ex 24:18; 34:28) and Elijah (1Ki 19:8) as well as the 40 years of Israel's temptation (testing) in the desert (Dt 8:2-3).”
• (3) “The devil is not casting doubt on Jesus' divine sonship, but is tempting Him to use His supernatural powers as the Son of God for His own ends.”
• (4) “Just as God gave the Israelites manna in a supernatural way, so also man must rely on God for spiritual feeding. Jesus relied on His Father, not His own miracle power, for provision of food.”
• (5) The temple, including the entire temple area, had been rebuilt by Herod the Great. The courtyard had been greatly enlarged, to about 330 by 500 yards. To accomplish this a huge platform had been erected to compensate for the sharp falling off of the land to the southeast. An enormous retaining wall made of massive stones was built to support the platform. On the platform stood the temple building, porches and courtyards flanked by beautiful colonnades.”