The Temptation of Christ

Luke 4:1–13
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The way an Eskimo kills a wolf offers fresh insight into the self-destructive nature of yielding to temptation. First the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another until the blade is completely conce … More

Temptation

Before I made a trip to Israel I used to think of the wilderness mentioned in the Bible as a huge forest. However, I found out it was just barren land with lots of rocks. It is thought that the place where Jesus was first tempted is a barren area northwest of the dead sea and Jericho (v. 1).

The things that Satan tempted Jesus with were very human in character:

An appeal to the “lust of the flesh.” It was that Jesus could satisfy His hunger by commanding the stones to become bread (vv. 2-3). Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (v. 4). Keep in mind that Jesus was on a forty day fast at the time. Thank the Lord for His answer drawn from Deuteronomy 8:3.
An appeal to the “lust of the eyes.” This was an offer for Christ to control all of the kingdoms of the world if He would just bow down to Satan (vv. 5-7). The Lord rejected the temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13. Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (v. 8).
An appeal to the “pride of life.” This time Jesus is asked to put Himself in a place of danger to show how the Father can deliver Him (vv. 9-11). We are never to bring ourselves into a position of danger simply to “show off” or to demonstrate what great faith we have. Again Jesus rejects the temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 and the devil departs (vv. 12-13).

Application

A big reason I need to memorize the Word of God is so I can use it when Satan tempts me. I need to continue working on memorizing the weekly memory verses.

Luke 4:1-13 (English Standard Version)

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