Temptation - Part 3

Okay I promised this last post about temptation last week, but the offer to stay out on the deer lease for one more day won out over my desire to post on the blog! I know, I know, I am weak! Anyway, back to the topic of temptation.

The last temptation of Christ during His time in the wilderness is as interesting one. I have to admit that when I first started this topic I thought that I had it figured out, but the more I look at it the more that I think that I had it wrong. So, let’s look at the passage for today:

Luke 4:9-12 (NIV)
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

When I first read this passage I thought that the temptation was about pride. I thought that Satan was challenging Christ over whether or not He was really the Son of God. I thought that he was trying to get Jesus to prove Himself.

But when I kept reading the passage I could not get away from Christ’s response to Satan. He does not respond with, “I have no need to prove myself.” Or, “I know who I am; I do not need to prove it to you!” No, He responds simply with, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” And then I realized, Satan is not trying to get Jesus to prove Himself, He is challenging Jesus to prove how much He really trusts His Father. This is not a challenge to the abilities of Christ; this is a challenge to the abilities of the Father. So, the temptation is most clearly, “Do you really trust your Father the way that you say that you do? If so prove it!” This is a challenge to the faith of Christ!

Can you imagine that Christ would have been tempted to not trust His Father? But think about it, has there ever been a more trusting moment than when Christ took on flesh? Before taking on flesh Jesus was omnipresent (everywhere at once); omniscient (all knowing); omnipotent (all powerful) – He was GOD!! But then when He became flesh each of these attributes was veiled. He could no longer be everywhere at once; He did not know everything (He confesses that He does not know the day or hour of His return – Matthew 24:36); and He was not all-powerful (He can only do that which the Father tells Him to do – John 5:19). He went from being absolutely in control of all creation to having to trust His Father to lead, guide and protect Him! Can you imagine the level of faith that it took for Him to step into flesh?

With this reality in mind let this passage from Philippians 2 wash over you:

Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped (better translated as "held onto"),
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

So, when the enemy challenges Christ to throw Himself from the Temple He is challenging Christ to test the trustworthiness of His Father to do what He had promised – to protect His Son. You see Satan knows that if he can convince Christ that His Father is not trustworthy then the downfall of Christ is all but assured. Satan understood that the entirety of Christ’s life and ministry was built upon the faith that He had in His Father! But Jesus will not be drawn into the challenge; He has no need to test His Father because His Father had never failed to be trustworthy.

So let me ask you, do you trust God the way that Christ did? Is your attitude the same as that of Christ Jesus as it is commanded to be in Philippians 2:5?

Well maybe these questions are unfair, so let me start with one that is a little more clear-cut – “Has God ever let you down?” The response must be an unequivocal and absolute, “NO!” Of course He has not let you down because it is impossible for God to let you down:

2 Timothy 2:13 (NIV)
13 if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

And if it is impossible for God to let us down then there is no need to ever doubt Him! So, whatever you might be dealing with today (stock market worries, marriage issues, parenting problems) you can trust Him. Now, that does not mean that God will remove every struggle, but it does mean that we can trust that no matter how difficult a situation may be, no matter how much it may hurt, God will ALWAYS work it out for that which is absolutely the best!

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Lord, help us to trust you with our entire lives! Please remind us that you are absolutely trustworthy and when the enemy tries to convince us to do things under our own power or in our own wisdom remind us that you and you alone are really trustworthy. We praise you our Lord and our God!