Temptation in the Wilderness

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But 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.’”

5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *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.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “[b]On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [c]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and [d]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Mark 1:12 Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And 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

Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b]the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and [c]its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You [d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

9 And 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; 10 for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’

11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up,

So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 4:2 Lit later became; or afterward became

b. Matthew 4:7 Lit Again

c. Matthew 4:9 Lit prostrate Yourself

d. Matthew 4:10 Or fulfill religious duty to Him

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 4:1 Or under the influence of; lit in

b. Luke 4:5 Lit the inhabited earth

c. Luke 4:6 Lit their (referring to the kingdoms in v 5)

d. Luke 4:7 Or bow down before

Commentary

This is another one of those times when I wonder how a particular story came to be told by the gospel writers. The only witnesses were Jesus and Satan, so Jesus would have had to recount the story to at least one other person, in order for it to be passed on. The Word in Life Study Bible calls out that the book of Matthew paints eight portraits of what it means to be like Jesus. This temptation demonstrates the fourth; “to be like Jesus means to admit our vulnerability to temptation. Matthew’s inclusion of the temptation is remarkable. It shows that the sinless Lord of the universe was tempted, just as we are (Heb 4:15-16). If we want to be like Jesus, we must accept that temptation is real – as is the possibility of overcoming temptation. But we need to be open about our struggles. In doing so we honor God, recognize the power of sin, and encourage others to do likewise” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1623). Surely, Jesus recognized this opportunity to share His experience with His followers as an important teaching moment, when He could humbly acknowledge that He had been tempted and encourage His disciples to overcome temptation, as He did. “Many people, confusing temptation with sin, are troubled at the thought that Jesus could be tempted. It must be recognized that temptations are appeals to legitimate needs and desires. The error is in suggesting that these desires should be fulfilled in a way contrary to God’s will” (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia, Vol 5 pg. 671).

The account of the wilderness is in three of the gospels, whereas the gospel of John goes directly from John the Baptist’s testimony, to Jesus recruiting His first followers ‘the next day’. Despite what may at first seem to be a conflict, the reason the accounts do not contradict one another is that the story of Jesus’ baptism in the book of John is a testimony after-the-fact by John the Baptist. While I included the verses earlier in my study because they thematically coincided with events that were happening in the other gospels, it is more likely that the entire passage from John 1:19-34, where John the Baptist is questioned by the council sent by the Pharisees and testifies to having seen the Spirit alight on Jesus, all were spoken by John the Baptist as Jesus was returning from the wilderness.

The wilderness in these passages refers to an area northwest of Jericho, “the elevation of the Judean wilderness. The historical setting of the temptation, which was directed against Jesus’ human nature, indicates that His was a literal experience which He really conquered, not merely a mental victory over His own thoughts” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1169). The choice of the desert as a venue for Jesus’ fasting and temptation was significant because ancient beliefs held that there were a lot of spirits wandering there, in an ongoing spiritual warfare. “In fact, some of the early church fathers went into desert caves as a way to engage in spiritual warfare and develop spiritual disciplines” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1775). Additionally, it recalls the various trials and sins of God’s people in the wilderness.

Satan then transports Jesus’ human form to the pinnacle of the temple, which is “normally taken to mean the place where the southern and eastern walls of the city and temple area met. This place even today stands several hundred feet above the depths of the Kidron Valley below it” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1270). Finally, Satan transports Jesus to the top of a high mountain, the location of which is unidentified. However, the account is given as factual, rather than in Jesus’ mind, so we can assume this is a real physical location (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1170).

As we see the Holy Spirit filling and leading Jesus, we get further insight into the uniqueness of these two beings, as well as Jesus’ earthly dependence on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit orchestrates this test for Jesus in order to reveal both the extent of Jesus’ self-humiliation, as well as His qualification as a human free from sin. Jesus, being God, was in fact incapable of sin, but this does not stop Satan from attacking Him, anyway (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1269-1270). In my NAS Bible, Luke 4:5 references Matthew 24:14, which is a real insight into the character of God. Satan promised Jesus power over those regions, but God’s plan was to give Him power over all those kingdoms, anyway. Once He overcame the temptation of the Devil, He was able to get more than the Devil could have offered Him, including victory over the Devil himself.

Also, we see the person of Satan presented as a factual being, offering something no mortal man could have been expected to decline (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1169). While I have always understood the purpose of this passage to demonstrate that Jesus was tempted to sin, just as humans are, I always assumed it was pretty easy for Him. I am not particularly motivated by the things the Devil was offering to Jesus, and it’s hard for me to appreciate exactly how tempting that would have been. However, my perspective has changed slightly since becoming a parent. I always tell people who don’t have kids that a person doesn’t know what they’re capable of thinking or who they’re capable of being until they haven’t slept for three months. You might know what it’s like to be tired because you haven’t slept for 48 hours to finish a project, but you can’t ever know what it’s like to be ‘new parent’ tired until you’ve actually done it. It’s not just that the sleeplessness makes you crave sleep, but that the sleeplessness makes you emotionally unstable, lacking impulse control in every facet of your life. I imagine fasting for 40 days is much the same. I know what it’s like to be ‘hangry’ because I haven’t eaten for most of a day, but I can’t possibly know how close I would be to the edge of reason after 40 days. Luke 4:2 also implies that the temptation had been ongoing for the entire 40 days, so Jesus may have been worn out, not only from the lack of sustenance, but also from the constant badgering.

Regarding that period of 40 days, it’s interesting how frequently God uses the same time frames or numbers. Jesus was in the desert and fasted for 40 days, as was Moses when he received the 10 commandments (Ex 34:28). Elijah also fasted in the desert 40 days (1 Ki 19:8). Although I found some conflicting reports, the number 40 appears about 150 times in the Bible (give or take a few, depending on what resources you look at), and it is usually associated with some period of trial or spiritual purification. Once you start looking into Bible numerology, you can find some pretty wacky stuff, but I did want to offer a pretty straightforward reference with a few other significant examples of the number 40 (https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/q11_number_40/).

At the end of the passage in Luke, it says the Devil left Jesus until an opportune time. This implies that Satan continued to attack Jesus throughout His earthly life, so I make this note to see if we can perceive the attacks of Satan in other settings over the course of the gospel accounts, but also so we can perceive “opportune times” in our own lives when we might be more susceptible to the schemes of the Tempter (https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/opportune-times-d-greg-ebie-sermon-on-jesus-temptation-53084?page=1&wc=800).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/05/16/22-jesus-first-converts/

Scripture References

Mk 1:12 Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And 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

Lk 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” 5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And 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.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” 9 And 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; 10 for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’ 11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

Ex 34:28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

1 Ki 19:8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

1 Th 3:5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.

Mt 14:33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Mt 26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Mk 3:11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”

Mk 5:7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!”

Lk 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

Lk 4:41 Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

Jn 1:34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

Jn 1:49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

Ac 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

Dt 8:3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Ne 11:1 Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities.

Ne 11:18 All the Levites in the holy city were 284.

Da 9:24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

Mt 27:53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Ps 91:11-12 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

Dt 6:16 You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.

Mt 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

1 Jn 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 Co 10:20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Dt 6:13 You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.

Dt 10:20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.

Mt 26:53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Lk 22:43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.

Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Mt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But 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.’” 5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and 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.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Lk 3:3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

Mt 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

1 Jn 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.