First Sunday in Lent (Series A)
March 5th, 2017
Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11
Epistle: Romans 5:12-19
Lesson: Genesis 3:1-21
Psalm: Psalm 32:1-7
CLB Commentary – Rev. Omar Gjerness
Christians are not freed from temptation. We may have a new nature, but we also continue to have an old nature capable of sin. It would seem that the best place to study temptation is to look at the most pivotal temptation of all time. The temptation of Jesus Christ is recorded in Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13.
Tradition tells us it took place in the hills above Jericho. Jesus was tired and hungry after forty days and nights of fasting. Mark tells us that there were wild beasts in the area, giving the feeling of danger and fear. Jesus comes face to face with Satan himself. C.S. Lewis once said that we have done Satan a favor in making a caricature of him in tights with a tail and a spear and horns. Such an image does not bring fear. This devil that Christ faced is real and is to be feared.
There are many difficult questions raised through this event. Could Jesus have sinned? What would have happened if He failed? How can Satan offer the world to Jesus? But we will not deal with these questions, but rather analyze the temptation and the paths to victory.
Much temptation lies in the of misuse of natural needs. Food can become gluttony and drink can become alcoholism. Material needs can lead to theft, greed, dishonesty, and underpaying help. Sex can be abused with disdain of marriage, homosexuality, abortion, and pornography. Desire for beauty can become perverted art, in the areas of dress, decoration, music and painting. As Satan tried to justify this temptation, so do we. “God made me this way”; “Don’t judge”; Christianity is a religion of tolerance.”
Satan tempts Jesus on three different levels. Note that Satan justifies the temptation by quoting Scripture.
The first temptation has to do with human wants and appetites. Jesus is understandably hungry after a forty day fast. Satan says, “Eat,” and there is surely nothing sinful about eating.
But there are several hidden factors in this temptation. He begins with planting seeds of doubt. “If you are the son of God.” Jesus had just come from His baptism where God had affirmed that Jesus was His son. Here Satan appeals to doubt. Did you really hear that statement? Did it come from God? The temptation is subtle and it is imbedded in Christ’s most vulnerable spot; hunger. Jesus had fasted for 40 days.
We are all vulnerable in some areas. In sports, a manager will study the weakness of an opposing team and aim his strength at weakness. And Satan knows our weakness and will exploit this knowledge. Know your weaknesses and keep your guard up especially in these areas.
When Jesus responds by saying “Man does not live by bread alone” he is saying, “My fasting is more important than my hunger”.
Satan is defeated in this first temptation, but he does not stop. When you overcome one temptation, you can expect that there will be others.
In the second temptation, they are somehow miraculously transported from Jericho to Jerusalem, where they are on top of the highest point on the temple mount. Here Satan appeals to the sense of acceptance. “Show your power by throwing yourself down. If scripture is true, you will suffer no harm.” What a scene it would have been if Jesus had agreed. With the temple mount crowd observing, He would have had instant and national acclaim. They would never have brought Him to the cross.
Jesus responds, “You shall not tempt the Lord you God.” He does not mean a reproof to Satan for tempting Him. He is saying that He would not put the Father to the test. It is wrong to approach the Almighty and ask Him to prove Himself with a miracle.
The third temptation is grounded in the desire for power. Imagine ownership of the World! But what kind of a world is ultimately under the power of Satan? Do politicians make concessions to the world to gain votes? Do churches make concessions to the world to gain approval? Do we Christians wrestle with our conscience in order to gain popularity? Christ will ultimately rule the world, but under His conditions. The pristine world He created will be wrestled from Satan’s power.
The late Malcom Muggeridge gave a series of talks on the BBC (England) on the subject of “Christ and the Media”. In one of the speeches he postulated a fourth temptation. What would have happened if Jesus could have been persuaded to place His mission and career in the hands of the media? Muggeridge’s conclusion is that it would have destroyed the gospel. I believe this is what Paul is referring to in Phil. 2:8; “He made Himself of no reputation” (KJV). Note the many times Christ cautioned men and demons not to announce His miracles. Jesus uses only as much of His divine power as needed to confirm His identity, but not enough so His public acceptance would have prevented His crucifixion.
So we learn many things by observing the temptation of Christ. Temptation comes from three sources; the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Temptation can be very subtle and at the point of our weakness. Know your weakness, and keep your guard up. Jesus found the strength to resist in Himself and in His knowledge of scripture. How many times in my own life when I was met with temptation that a Bible verse came to mind to help me resist. Your conscience is usually the yardstick by which you recognize temptation for what it really is. But conscience can be cauterized until it finally speaks no more.
We pray in the Lord’s Prayer “Lead us not into temptation”.