The Temptation of Jesus Christ - Part 1

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There's a perfect picture of fallen man in J.R. Tolkien's trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. It's a tragic, pathetic character called, Gollum. Gollum, in the story, was once an ordinary hobbit, but he became obsessed with the ring of power. He killed his best friend to get it, lost it, and then became consumed with getting it back at all costs. All kindness, love, and loyalty are eclipsed by this one consuming lust–he must have the ring of power, which he calls, “My Precious.” Before the work of sovereign grace in our souls, believers, we were just like Gollum. There were small glimpses in us of what God had created man to be, but we were so terribly marred by the fall that we, like him (Gollum), appeared pathetic and grotesque. And we lived for whatever it was we defined as “My Precious.”

In regeneration, in the glory of the new birth, God powerfully changed our hearts. And yet, sadly, there remains in us a part of the person we once were. The Bible calls that our ‘flesh.’ And from that unredeemed part of our humanness, which has its beachhead in our bodies, comes wave upon relenting wave of solicitations to sin that the Bible calls ‘temptations.’ For every person here this morning, whether redeemed or unredeemed, temptation and sin are universal, ever-present realities. And I think that's why the temptation of Christ is so compelling to us because here's a Person who met temptation and never yielded. We just read it together from Matthew's Gospel, Matthew 4, verses 1 to 11. If I had to summarize those verses, I would do it like this, “In His temptation, Jesus powerfully, undeniably demonstrated His sufficiency over both temptation and sin.” 

So, what is it that Matthew teaches us about the temptation? Well, here in the verses we just read a moment ago, Matthew provides us with several essential insights into the temptation of our Lord. There is so much here to learn. As we prepare for the Lord's Table today, I really just want to introduce us to this monumental passage. The first insight concerns "The Circumstances of Jesus' Temptation,” the circumstances of Jesus' temptation in verse 1. 

Now, as we consider the circumstances, we first learn about “Its Deliberate Timing.” Verse 1 begins, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.” Luke's version, Luke 4, verse 1, says the same thing, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness.” In both of those accounts, it's pointed out that the temptation, intentionally, with God's intention, followed immediately after Jesus' baptism. So, Jesus' testing here in this passage, in God's sovereign purpose, was to take place at the very beginning of His ministry, as we'll see. It's because it plays a crucial role in defining the nature of the Messiah's ministry and in accomplishing our redemption. It was deliberate as far as its timing. 

Secondly, we see in verse 1, “Its Ultimate Cause,” its ultimate cause; “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit.” The Greek word translated ‘led up’ means ‘to bring’ or ‘to lead from a lower to a higher point,’ and that certainly happens in this case. Jesus left the Jordan River, near the Dead Sea, which is at about fifteen-hundred feet below sea level, the lowest point in dry land on this planet, and then He climbed into the highlands of the Judean wilderness at about thirty-five-hundred feet. So, from the place where He was baptized, to the place where the temptation happened, is an elevation increase of about five-thousand feet. And Matthew says the ultimate cause of this change was not Jesus. Instead, it says, “He was led up by God's Holy Spirit.” Mark uses an even stronger word; Mark says, “the Spirit impelled Him.” The Greek word translated ‘impelled’ means ‘to drive out,’ literally. In fact, Mark uses that same word three other times in the first chapter of his Gospel to describe demons being cast out. The Spirit threw Jesus into the wilderness, not, obviously, against His will, that's not the point. The point is that the Spirit who had just anointed Jesus at His baptism is now empowering and directing His ministry, and that would be true throughout Jesus' ministry. 

In chapter Matthew 12, verse 28, Jesus says, “I cast out demons by the Spirit of God.” In Luke 4:14, it says, “Jesus returned to Galilee (after His temptations) in the power of the Spirit,” to begin His ministry. You may not have thought about this, and many Christians haven't, but the Spirit was even crucial in the atonement for our sins on the cross. Hebrews 9:14 says, “Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God.” Without the work of the Spirit in our redemption, there would be no redemption. The Spirit, here in our text, led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Now, don't misunderstand, from the Spirit's standpoint, this was a test intended to prove that Jesus was “God's Son and the one in whom He was well-pleased.” From Satan's standpoint, it was “a temptation to sin.”

Now, I need to stop here and sort of hit the pause button on this passage in our study of Matthew and step away for a moment because there's a crucial, theological point we need to understand at this point in our study of Matthew's Gospel. In Jesus' baptism, in His temptation, in His entire ministry, and even in the redemption He accomplished at the cross, we find all three members of the Trinity at work. Now, that shouldn't surprise us because of what Scripture teaches us about the being of God. Now, stay with me, this is important and is leading somewhere, “Who is our God?” Scripture teaches that “There is one God.” He is one in essence with one mind, one will, and one power. But “This one God eternally exists in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” The Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed articulate what theologians call the eternal relations of origin. That is, listen carefully, the way the three persons are related but distinct. 

Here's what we know about the relations in the Trinity. First of all, “The Father is of none.” He is “unbegotten.” John 5:26 says, “the Father has life in Himself.” Secondly, “The Son is eternally begotten or eternally generated by the Father.” Now, don't misunderstand; this is not begetting like it happens at a human level where somehow the Son had a beginning. No, in fact, the point is exactly the opposite. He was eternally begotten, meaning that He has no beginning, and He shares, as a Son does of a human father, the Father's nature or essence from eternity. You see, it's because the Son is eternally begotten and, therefore, shares the Father's essence that He is therefore equal to the Father. Thirdly, “The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds, or the theological word is ‘spirates,’ from the Father and the Son,” John 15 verse 26. 

Now, let me just say to you that we cannot fully grasp the depths of all that I just shared with you and all that that means, but it's what the Scripture teaches about the relations and order within the Trinity. This is where, for the first five-hundred years of the church, these things were hammered out. Go back and read the Nicene Creed, read the definition of the Council of Chalcedon, read the Athanasian Creed, and you'll see these things articulated. So, we can't understand all of that, but we must accept it by faith. Here's, however, what we know that means, and this is crucial. 

Number one, “The three persons in the one God are co-equal. They are “co-equal-each person equally possesses every perfection of the divine essence.” They are equal in perfection and glory. Secondly, they are “co-eternal–each person in the Trinity is eternal without beginning.” And thirdly, and this one may be more unfamiliar to you, they are “Consubstantial,” is the theological word that was hammered out. In other words, “They are of the same substance–each person fully possesses the entire essence of God.” That's our God! 

Now, that brings me to where I want to come, and that is “The Works of God.” “The three persons of the Trinity all act–and act as one–in all of the divine works.” Theologians call this, “inseparable operations.” They're all at work in everything that God is doing. Secondly, “In each of God's works, the work of one divine Person may be emphasized (appropriation).” For example, in the work of redemption, we often read most about the Son and what He's accomplishing in the work of redemption. However, the Scripture teaches that all God's works are — this is really important to remember, this is where I wanted to come — “all God's works are initiated by the Father, executed by the Son, and perfected by the Spirit.” You can see that in Ephesians 1. The Father “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” He initiated the plan. The Son came and purchased our forgiveness–He executed the plan. And the Spirit is applying and perfecting that plan in each of our lives, Ephesians 1. That's true of all of God's works. 

And here, in the early chapters of Matthew, we learn that all three members are actively engaged in the work of redemption. We saw it in Jesus' baptism, right? Jesus is there, the Eternal Son; the Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove; and the Father speaks from heaven. We see it in Jesus' temptation. Verse 1 of chapter 4, you have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and in verse 3, the temptation comes to the Son of God, which implies the Father. And Jesus Himself, as He responds to Satan, speaks of the Father, we'll see that. Matthew's Gospel ends with the Trinitarian baptismal formula. You remember in chapter 28, verse 19, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Friends, don't miss this, the focus of Matthew's Gospel is primarily on the Son's work in the work of redemption, but all three members are at work to redeem us. Your salvation is not simply the work of the Son. It is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Look at chapter 1, verse 18. It says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:  when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” Who is bringing to perfection the incarnation? It is the Holy Spirit; He's the one who brought Jesus into the world–the eternal Son becomes man. 

The Son of God, of course, is very much involved in the work of redemption. Turn over to chapter 20; chapter 20, verse 28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served,” Jesus says, “but to serve.” And here's His part; He executes the plan “to give His life a ransom for many.” Look at chapter 26; chapter 26, and verse 28. Verse 28, Jesus, in inaugurating the Lord's Table, says, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Here's His work in the great plan of redemption. He is executing the plan–He is purchasing our forgiveness. 

What about the Father? Look at chapter 26, verse 39. You remember in Gethsemane, Jesus “went a little beyond them (His disciples), fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from Me, yet not as I will, but as You will.'" Here, Jesus is contemplating enduring the wrath of God, and He's praying. But notice, He's praying to the Father and acknowledging (What?) that the Father initiated this plan. This was the Father's plan. Isaiah 53 says, "It pleased the Father to crush the Son in this great plan" (Paraphrase). It was His plan–He initiated it. Chapter 27, verse 46, reminds us that the Father was very much involved in the work of redemption. Verse 46 says, Jesus cried out, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” This was the plan, for Christ to endure the separation from the Father, the wrath of the Father. And so, you have all three persons actively involved in Jesus' life, His ministry, His death, His resurrection. Don't ever forget that your salvation is the work of the triune God; all three members at work to redeem your soul. 

Back in our text, Jesus is led by the Spirit to be tempted. Next, Matthew points out regarding the circumstances of Jesus' temptation, “Its Desolate Location,” “into the wilderness.” He led Him into the wilderness. Now, we can't be sure exactly where this was. Tradition, since the time of the Crusades, identifies the place as the rugged limestone cliffs above Jericho. But wherever this happened, the entire Judean wilderness is a dreadful, inhospitable place. Mark even tells us that He was with the wild beasts. That reminds us and emphasizes the absolute loneliness and isolation of the place where Jesus' temptation unfolded, as well as the very real danger. And as we'll learn, the location is really important. Why? Because it's exactly the opposite of the paradise where the first Adam faced temptation representing us and failed miserably. In this case, Jesus is tempted in the worst possible condition and circumstance. The second Adam comes out triumphant. Representing us, He does not succumb to temptation. 

Next, we learn in verse 1 about “Its Immediate Purpose.” Why did the Spirit drive Jesus out to the wilderness? “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted,” that was the purpose behind the Spirit's action. Now again, the Spirit did it to test Jesus, but Satan is tempting Him. The word means ‘to entice to improper behavior,’ ‘to solicit to sin.’ But I think a lot of Christians misunderstand the temptation. They think Jesus, “Yes, He was hungry, He couldn't eat, but He had really a quiet forty days and He just communed with God during those forty days.” That is not the picture of the Gospels. Mark, chapter 1, verse 13 says, for forty days He was “being tempted by the devil.” Luke 4, verse 2 says the same thing, “for forty days,” He was “being tempted by the devil.” So, the three temptations in Matthew and Luke weren't the only temptations that Jesus endured. They are examples of the temptations Jesus faced that entire forty-day period, and these three temptations are the climax at the end of the forty days. Matthew's record makes that very clear–his record is chronologically in order. 

Notice verse 1 of chapter 4, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness.” Verse 2, “After He had fasted for forty days…He then became hungry.” Verse 5, “Then the devil took Him into the holy city.” Verse 8, “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain.” Verse 11, “Then the devil left Him.” So, the three temptations that are recorded happened in the order in which Matthew has recorded them. The other Gospel, Luke, changes that order for his own purposes, but this is the chronological order. Now look again at verse 2, “After He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came.” So, that means not only are the three temptations here in chronological order, but these three temptations are the climax of the forty days of temptation. These three do come at the end. So, this was the purpose of the Spirit; He drove Him into the wilderness to be tempted. 

Now next, regarding the circumstances, I want you to consider “Its Reprobate Source.” its reprobate source, “to be tempted by the devil.” Now here we have the clarification; it wasn't the Holy Spirit who was behind the temptation. James 1:13 says, “God tempts no one” (Paraphrase). No, it's another person. We find His name, in verse 10, a personal name, is “Satan.” That is a transliteration from Hebrew into Greek and then into English of the Old Testament Hebrew word ‘Satan.’ This name is used eighteen times in the Old Testament, thirty-four times in the New Testament, to identify this supernatural enemy of God. ‘Satan’ literally means ‘the adversary.’ This being is so much at odds with God, the God of the universe, that his personal name is ‘Satan, the adversary.’ The other word used in the New Testament with almost equal frequency for this person is the one He uses in verse 1, ‘the devil.’ And Matthew uses that description throughout this account. But ‘the devil’ is more a description of His person than it is a name. He is ‘diabolos.’ He is ‘the accuser,’ ‘the slanderer.’ So, Jesus was tempted by Satan, the adversary, who is a slanderer and an accuser. 

Now, it's highly unlikely for someone to be tempted by Satan directly. Jesus obviously was. You have to remember that Satan is not omnipresent. Satan is not like God. He's not able to be everywhere at any one point in time. He is isolated to a single area; he is confined to one place at one time. So, we've all undoubtedly been tempted by demons, but not likely by Satan himself; Jesus was. 

But there's a larger point here that I want us to get. We're going to discover, as this passage unfolds, that Jesus' temptations were like ours in many ways. He was “tempted in all points as we are.” However, we also need to understand, and this is what I want to show you, is that His temptations were different than ours in at least two ways–very important to understand this. Number one, let's consider “The Source of Our Temptations.” Genesis 3 is clear that Satan is the author of all temptation. But what about “The Sources of Our Temptations?” Where do our temptations come from? Well, first of all, they come “From outside of us.” I'm not going to go through all these texts. You can go back and look them up. But here are the places, outside of us, temptation comes from. “People,” from “Satan's world system” that he's created, from “Satan or his demons,” from “Circumstances.” James 1 talks about the fact that when circumstances come, those circumstances, that are called trials, the same Greek word is used in a different way in verses 13 and 14, to say those trials can become temptations. Every trial or difficulty that God brings into our lives carries the possibility of an inner enticement to sin. The test is from God, but the temptation is not. So, our temptations come to us from outside, but our temptations also come “From within.” James 1, verses 13 and 14, “Each one is tempted…by his own lust.” “Each one” reminds us that temptation is universal. Each one literally is being tempted “by his own lust.” Here's the internal source of our sin and temptation. That, if we're redeemed, our flesh, that part of us that remains in us that has not yet been changed, its beachhead is our bodies; out of that comes our lusts. So, temptation for us is never solely external. There's always an internal lust which tempts us to respond to the bait like a fish, who within him, there is a compelling desire to go and get the external worm that's on the hook. There is within us this desire that compels us to respond to that external temptation. 

What about “The Source of Jesus' Temptations?” This is the first difference between Jesus and us. His temptations all originated “Solely from Outside of Him.” There was no sinful craving inside His soul that resonated with, responded to, that external temptation. That's the first point you have to remember. Jesus was not like you in that way. 

There's a second difference between our temptations and Jesus' temptation, and that is “The Possibility of Sinning.” Jesus' temptation always raises this important question, “Was Jesus able to sin?” Now, make sure you understand that all who believe the Bible believe Jesus didn't sin, that's not the question. The question is, “Was He able?” Some argue for what's called “The Peccability of Christ,” that is, that He was “Able to sin.” They argue this based on His full humanity, His ability to be tempted, as we read in this text, and the free will that comes with human nature, and Jesus had that as part of His human nature. However, most believers and teachers and theologians throughout the history of the church and today, and I certainly would land firmly on this view, believe in “The Impeccability of Christ.” That is, He was “Not able to sin.” This view has the support of two-thousand years of church history. It also has the support of Scripture. There are three arguments for the impeccability of Christ, that He could not sin. 

Number one, “Jesus' Deity.” “Since Jesus is God and God cannot sin, Jesus could not sin.” James 1:13, “God cannot be tempted by evil.” That word means ‘untemptable.’ God, Jesus as God, could not be tempted or sin. So, Jesus was tempted solely in His humanity, but because He was also God, He could not choose to sin. Think of it like this; Jesus' humanity is like a thin filament of wire. Can you break that thin filament of wire given enough force? Of course. So theoretically, Jesus could have sinned, but that humanity was that thin filament of wire, was welded into a great, huge iron bar; it was right through the middle of it. So theoretically, it could be broken, but practically it never could. Jesus couldn't sin because He was deity. He was God. His humanity was protected by his deity. 

Secondly, by “God's Decree,” we know that Jesus couldn't sin. “Since God decreed that Jesus would accomplish our redemption, Jesus could not sin, or God's decree would fail.” I mean, think about Ephesians 1:4, “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” That was His decree, His plan, and that requires that Jesus successfully endures temptation, dies on the cross, and accomplishes our redemption. Think about Hebrews 4:3, “His works (God's works) were finished from the foundation of the world.” In other words, God's plan, His decree was as good as done before the world was ever made. 

A third argument for Christ's impeccability is “The Spirit's Power.” “Since Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to accomplish redemption, (and that was the Spirit's goal, that He actually accomplish that redemption.) Jesus could not fail by sinning.” He had the “Spirit without measure,” John 3:34 tells us. So, Jesus was not able to sin. 

That raises a second question, “If Jesus could not have sinned, was His temptation real?” And the answer is, “Absolutely!” The fact that Jesus didn't sin made His temptation more intense than yours and my temptation because as the intensity of temptation grows, there is always a point when we as human beings succumb. As the intensity grows, we give in. So, none of us ever really understand the intensity of temptation because, at some point in our lives, we give in. But Jesus, on the other hand, He experienced the full fury of temptation in a way that you and I never have or never will because He never gave in. He knows temptation far better than I know it, far better than you know it. Jesus was tempted repeatedly over those forty days in the wilderness. He experienced the three temptations that we'll study in this passage. And Jesus, as we'll see, was tempted throughout His life. But Hebrews 4:15 says, He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Why is that important? It's the most important truth about Jesus because you see, it's only because Jesus did not sin that you have any hope of forgiveness, that you have any hope of being right with God. He had to be without His own sin so that He could stand in your place and stand in my place. And if He had His own sin, He never could. I can't stand in your place; I'm a sinner–only a sinless one could.

That's why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21, God “made Him (Christ) (What?) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.” The only way that, on the cross, God could credit my sin to Jesus and He could pay the debt I owe was because He owed no debt of His own. He was without sin, and, therefore, He could bear the sins of His people. But it's more than that, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” You see, Jesus earned the right to be our substitute because He was without sin. But then all of that righteousness, all of that perfection, all of that keeping of God's Law is credited to me so that I'm not only forgiven of my sin, but I am declared right with God. And listen to this, Christian, God looks down on you today, and He sees you as if, like Jesus, you had never given into temptation once your entire life! That's the beauty of the Gospel, and that's only possible because He was without sin! It's the great exchange that happens at the cross where my sin is credited to the righteous One, the perfect One; and His righteousness is credited to me that we celebrate in the Lord's Table. Take a moment and prepare your heart as the men come.

Our Father, we are amazed at Your grace. Thank You, our God. Thank You, Father, for initiating the plan of redemption. Thank You, God the Son, for executing the plan. And thank You, God the Spirit, for perfecting the plan in us by applying it to our hearts. We worship You, our triune God, through this ordinance that You have given to us. But Father, we come to You through the Son because of the work and intercession of the Spirit, asking You to prepare our hearts now to take up the Lord's Table in a way that honors You. Lord, help us to confess our sin. Jesus came to loose us from our sins, to purchase our forgiveness, but to free us from sin. So, Lord, we come now as Your children seeking Your forgiveness. I pray that You would bring to our minds individually those sins that we need to plead Your forgiveness for. 

And Father, I pray that You would forgive us for Jesus' sake, that You would apply to us the redemption He accomplished. Thank You that His blood keeps on cleansing us from all sin as we confess our sins to You. Lord, I pray now that You would take this ordinance, this act of worship, and consecrate it to our souls. May we worship You, O God, for what You have done for us in redemption. Receive our worship, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.