Understanding Jesus' Temptations (2)
| Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew4:1-4) |
1) Turn stones into bread
2) Jump off the temple and let the angels catch you
3) Get the world for bowing down to Satan
Over the years we've heard the explanations for these temptations.
- Stones into bread is about fleshly desires
- Jumping off the temple is about being spectacular
- Getting the world is all about power.
These explanations are not incorrect, but when one digs deeper, there is more to see...
Let's look at the first temptation:
"If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
While this temptation is about instant gratification and being driven by a base desire like hunger (and we're told that Jesus was hungry), it's also about asserting independence. Jesus' answer - in which he quotes from Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (see below) - indicates that the real issue is dependence on God and learning to wait for Him.
Satan, who was formerly one of the angels, rebelled against the Lord and persuaded a third of the angels to join him. Now He is trying to keep Jesus from the cross. He's urging Jesus to assert His independence: "Don't wait for God, don't trust God to provide, don't finish this period of fasting that the Spirit has led you to. You've got the power haven't you? You're the Son of God aren't you? When are you going to take charge of your destiny? Just tell the stones to become bread!" (Note how Satan understands Jesus' power as the word(logos) and how he wants Jesus to speak independently.)
Satan wants Jesus to put Himself first.
He wants Him to assert His independence.
He wants him to "take charge"!
On the surface of it, independence is a good thing, but when it is the end of the road, it is a disaster - a world full of independent people would be permanent warfare.
Steven Covey correctly points out that we move from dependence to independence to interdependence. Satan himself got caught out in the lie of independence as the "be all and end all". Jesus, being part of the triune God family, understands that interdependence is what true love is and that independence would be an act of rebellion and a step backwards.
He is quite content to hear the Father's voice and rely on Him.
CHALLENGE:
Are there physical desires that you need to bring under control?
Are there "independent actions" that we have taken that are actually more about rebellion than maturity?
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Deut 8:1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
