The King and His Kingdom

• Immediately after His baptism and declaration by God as His son, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit where He fasted for 40 days.

• After 40 days, Satan tempted (tested) Jesus to sin but Jesus withstood the temptations by His knowledge of scripture and awareness of the importance of following God's will for His mission.

• At the conclusion of the temptations, Satan flees, and angels minister to Jesus.

Answers will vary depending on one's understanding of the temptations. Look for the following in the responses:

Jesus faced the same attacks from Satan as we do. Jesus was able to withstand Satan by His understanding of and reliance upon God's word. One might argue that this was easier for Jesus since He was divine, however, we must remember that He was also fully human. This is the part of Jesus' nature that Satan attacked; His ego (prove yourself), His faith, (prove the Word), His desire to do God's will (take the easy way).

James states that we are tempted by our lusts no matter the form they take. Temptation is a form of seduction that lures us to sin. Jesus' temptation differed in that God cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13). Jesus' temptations were tests to examine His true self and to reveal possible weaknesses in an attempt to discredit, discourage and distract Him from His mission. In the same way, Satan attacks us through our weaknesses in order to destroy or weaken our faith and influence for Christ. We are to see temptations (tests) as a way to grow in faith.

Matthew 4:3-4 – Prove Yourself – The test was to see if Jesus would rely on God's word or exercise power to confirm this fact. Jesus responded from Deuteronomy 8:3.

Matthew 4:5-7 – Prove the Word – This second test builds on Jesus' statement about sustainment coming from God's word, thus Satan attacks the Word…Prove yourself – prove the Word. To test God is to not trust God.

Matthew 4:8-10 – Take the easy way – This directly challenges the human side of Jesus' nature. Satan is saying, "What you are saying and doing is true but difficult, why not take my way, the easy way?"

Satan injected an element of doubt with Adam and Eve, "Did God really say…?" In the temptation of Jesus, Satan uses the same tactic with the challenging word, "If". Satan uses doubt as a key tactic against us. Like Jesus, we must rely upon the evidence that God always keeps His promise.

Satan presented the view of pleasure, or relief from discomfort. In the same way, Satan, the Father of Lies (John 8:44) presents sin in a favorable way, but still a sin. A significant element of all temptations is that there is usually an element of truth in them, however, his truth is usually true only in the short-term and not completely as God desires. (Note: Other examples might include the situation between Sarah and Hagar with the birth of Ishmael).

Jesus is proclaimed as a royal figure by the wise men and Herod. He is also proclaimed as Spiritual Deity by His defeat of Satan. As we withstand Satan's attacks, we too affirm our relationship as members of God's Kingdom (See also James 1:2-18).

Jesus' use of scripture shows us a way to overcome sin. We too must use God's word to stay faithful as Jesus shows us. We are saved and sustained by God's word. When tempted, think of scripture teaching us about the issue. We should then apply the scripture to help us resist sin. When successful, we should offer a prayer of thanksgiving and ask for continued strength to withstand.