March 4, 2001

First Sunday in Lent

Showdown In The Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

There's a showdown afoot in these verses. The good guy and the evil guy are facing off. The good guy wins. Why?

I. The Showdown

The devil knew exactly where and when to hit Jesus. The devil tried to hit Jesus where it hurt. Remember, Jesus had been fasting for some time. The idea of food was more than a simple, passing thought. Let me paraphrase the temptation. "If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into loaves of bread. You must be very hungry after forty days with only water. Or maybe You're unable to do it. Maybe You're not really what You say You are! Anyone who was the true Son of God could do it!"

The devil hit Jesus doubly hard with a one-two punch. One fist went to Jesus' ego while the other went to His hungry stomach. Jesus held firm.

Next, Satan tempted Jesus with worldly power. In the flash of a moment the devil showed Jesus the entire world with all its kingdoms. He said, "They are mine to give to anyone I please. If You bow down and worship me, I will give all these to You!"

Imagine the power, wealth and glory of ruling the entire world! Can you imagine ruling the world? We remember Jesus' words in another time and place where He said, "What would it benefit a man to gain the entire world, yet lose his soul?" No, Jesus wasn't going for it; He held firm.

Finally, Satan tempted Jesus to test God. He selectively misquoted scripture. Such a method is as old as the devil himself. Again, a paraphrase of the temptation. "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself off this pinnacle because the Bible says that God won't let You hit the pavement! Doesn't it say that He has given His angels charge over You? You believe the Bible, don't You? As the Son of God You trust God, don't You?"

Jesus saw through the Devil's thin argument. The Son of God was not about to put God to the test. Jesus held firm. Then we read, "The devil left Him until an opportune time." In this account the devil knew when, where and how to hit with his temptation. Why did he fail? A simple answer is that he was up against the Son of God. The devil failed because Jesus is the Son of God. True -- but that is only partially correct. What do we learn about temptation from this account?

II. What do we learn?

We learn two important things as we watch Satan tempt Jesus. The first thing we learn is that Jesus knows what your experience of temptation is like because He has experienced temptation as well. It is true that Jesus is the Son of God. So, you might think that these offers roll off Jesus like water off a duck's back. Not true. Let us not forget that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God. These were real feelings of temptation for Him as they would have been for us.

Remember the verses say that after forty days of fasting Jesus was very hungry. That hunger was real. Jesus stomach hurt with hunger just as yours would if you fasted forty days. In that hunger the devil tempted Jesus to misuse His power. It was a very real temptation that Jesus felt. That is the first thing these verses teach us, Jesus was tempted and knows what you experience in temptation.