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Matthew 4:1-11
Immediately after his baptism we read that Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Here he fasts for 40 days and nights and then we hear details of three of Satan's temptations to prove that he really is the Son of God:
Jesus answers Satan each time with words from scripture, the final time commanding Satan to leave him.
We then read of angels coming to him and ministering to him.
I was really struck by this first word of Matthew 4, 'then'.
'Then' - immediately following his baptism Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness purposefully to be tempted.
Why 'then'?
Matthew Henry suggests that it was because the Lord Jesus had firstly, just been anointed with the Spirit. Secondly, he had just been given the token of hearing his Father's voice from heaven confirming his Sonship. He was best able to grapple with the temptations at this time.
This seems hard to understand when we think how Jesus being God was all powerful, but it shows us that he was a man too. He allowed himself to be subjected to the weaknesses and temptations of man's nature, as well as Satan's temptations, but he overcame.
But does this mean that all believers who are baptised will straight way experience temptations?
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Henry suggests that after having great honours or experiences we should expect something that it is humbling, but that this experience of Jesus is also an evidence that God usually prepares his people for temptation by giving them strength beforehand.
He also states that being assured of our sonship - as Jesus had just been - is the best preparation for temptation.
But personally I don't think I experienced this - I know that after the Lord first spoke to me I became troubled that it meant I was going to experience a trial (I suppose though that this was a temptation in itself as it took away some of my enjoyment) - but I did not 'then' have new troubles.
On the contrary I have sometimes found that I experience the Lord's blessing when I am in the trial or temptation - at the point when it becomes too much for me to bear and I need the Lord to manage it all for me.
What has your experience been?
On talking with my husband about this he said how it warns us to each be 'on our guard' because Satan will not be happy at our baptising and will try to cause difficulties if the Lord permits it.
Well, to return to this account, don't we see how Jesus overcame the fears and temptations of our nature?
He spent 40 days and nights without food and drink, on his own, without all the comforts of civilisation, where there were no doubt dangers from animals/outlaws, trials from the weather and potentially great loneliness.
Although Luke tells us Jesus was tempted all through these 40 days by the devil, we don't read of the specifics until the end of this time, when Satan tries to make Jesus doubt and prove that he is the Son of God.
Satan will also tempt us that we are not children of God - when does he do this?
As he tempted Jesus at a time when after 40 days and nights of fasting (in itself a miracle) we would expect him to be feeling faint, delirious, emaciated and desperate for food and drink - a time when we would be expecting his resistance and emotions to be lowest, so Satan sometimes tries to get us when we are already feeling low.
He will use our weakness to his advantage.
Satan tempted Jesus with what he thought he would most be wanting right then - food. "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (verse 3).
This reminds me how Satan knows our besetting sin - our weakness and will tempt us with thoughts or sights of it when we are at our most vulnerable.
To be completed next week, God Willing.
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