Uncompromised: How to Withstand Temptations When You're Most VulnerableSample

Temptation #2: Emotional Needs and Desires

This one was interesting. Again, we have Jesus, the Son of the living God, being taken up to the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem. The adversary tempted Jesus to jump! Why is this one of the temptations? Was the adversary just wanting to see a magic trick? Quite frankly, this portion of the story seems a bit strange at face value. However, I believe that this was an attempt to attack Jesus' mental state.

Having been isolated for 40 days and 40 nights, I can imagine that Jesus was lonely and tired. He probably desired a warm bed and someone to talk to. Instead, He's faced with His biggest enemy who's trying to manipulate the Bible and trick Him into doing something. Believe it or not, jumping from the top of the Temple would have potentially felt like a reasonable thing to do given the circumstances. Perhaps Jesus would've felt the embrace of his Heavenly friends that I'm sure He longed for after being lonely. Maybe, He wanted to see if He really had any friends that would show up or if His Father would abandon Him and allow Him to crash on the ground. Sounds crazy, huh?

Well, remember when Jesus said, "Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachthani? Which is translated as, "My God, my God, for what have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34) This proves that Jesus felt the same emotions of hurt, abandonment, and isolation. Which means He needed consolation after isolation and confirmation that He had the support system that He believed He had. I imagine that jumping from the top of the Temple would've been the ultimate "trust fall," and what better time to "fall" for this temptation than after being alone for over a month?

That's why this specific temptation is important for us to learn from! It's easy to shrug it off and say, "Of course, He wouldn't jump," like I did in the past. Instead, we get to learn from Jesus as He responds to the adversary's attack of the isolated and lonely mind. Understanding the timing of this attack can help us defeat the same attack in the future when we feel lonely, isolated, and abandoned. Jesus realized that though tempting, the idea that He should jump had deeper implications. He inherently knew that He had loved ones who could and would surround Him, but this wasn't the way to draw their attention, consolation, and love. Thus, He refused the offer.

This one is worth hinging on because it often causes the most permanent damage. We feel vulnerable, so we attempt to express ourselves to the world around us and fill a void with quiet protests. That's how we fall into self-harm, promiscuousness, constant overeating, self-degrading comments, and more. We've been in a wilderness experience that makes us feel isolated, alone, abandoned, tired, ugly, dumb, made fun of, ostracized, and isolated. All of these are real feelings based upon things we've heard and begun to believe about ourselves. Now, we're at the top of a metaphorical Temple ready to jump to see whether someone–anyone–will come save us! Don't jump!

Jesus proved–as you'll see later in this story–that God has placed people in our lives who are there to help us through our hardest situations and most vulnerable moments. The assertion that we are alone and that no one understands (or is willing to understand) is simply inaccurate. Be willing to open up and be comforted. I get it; it's tough when you feel abandoned and alone. It's even tougher when you have opened up and feel that you did not receive the response you desired or deserved. Don't give up! Keep reaching out to those around you. Use resources to connect with counselors, teachers, trusted advisors, etc. You are not alone, and you will overcome this!