Fully Devoted: JesusSample

What Do I Do When I’m Tempted?

Matthew continues to show us Jesus’ humanity, but what he’s really been doing from the very beginning of his genealogy is showing us that Jesus is no ordinary guy. There’s something special, something different, something holy about Him. So Matthew relays the testing of Jesus in the wilderness. And this account both raises and answers a lot of questions for us. Does Jesus understand what we go through? How do we deal with temptation? Why did the enemy even bother tempting Jesus? Why does it say the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted? What is really happening here? 

All valid questions. As we dig into them, we’ll discover that Jesus is giving us a road map for successfully dealing with temptations. It’s important to note that temptation itself is not a sin. Choosing to act on it is where the problem creeps in. What’s happening here is another callback to Genesis. Jesus, the Son of Man, the second Adam, is being presented with the same choice the first Adam was given—will He trust God or His own desires? He’s also playing out Israel’s narrative. They wandered the desert for 40 years, and time and time again, they were given opportunities to trust God’s provision instead of relying on themselves. 

That’s what this first temptation is all about. Right here, Jesus is practicing what He would later preach in the Sermon on the Mount. He’s been wandering the desert for 40 days and is super hungry, but instead of complying with Satan’s challenge to turn stones into bread, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy: 

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV

Jesus is calling us back, reminding us that in the same way that God provided for the Israelites every single day, He’s got us. And we can trust Him. Step one to dealing with temptation: Identify where you have placed your trust. Is it in a girlfriend or boyfriend? A paycheck? A school you just have to get into? The only sure thing we can hang our trust on is something that never changes—our God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

The second temptation focuses on trust from a different angle. The angle of security. Satan takes Jesus up to the highest point of the temple and tells Him to jump—and this time Satan quotes Scripture about the protection of angels! Jesus answers by refusing to put God to the test. What’s going on here? Seems so weird to challenge Jesus to jump off a building for no apparent reason. Once again though, it’s a twisted test of trust. Will Jesus stake His life on this challenge from the enemy? Or will He wait and trust God’s timing for His identity to be validated? It’s like back in middle school when someone double-dog dares you. Your pride and reputation are on the line! You know you can do it, but letting someone goad you into it never has the payoff you hope for. It’s not that Jesus didn’t think God could protect Him, it’s that He was humble enough to make a wise decision. Pride clouds our judgment. And what is pride? It’s trusting ourselves more than we trust God. Step two to dealing with temptation: practice humility. Humility leads to wise decisions. 

Temptation number three comes at trust once again. This time, Satan offers Jesus a shortcut—the easy way out. He says, hey, if You bow down and worship me now, I will give you back all the kingdoms of the world—You will be their rightful King again. Here’s the thing: Jesus knew where He was heading. He knew His crowning moment would be His crucifixion—that the only way to truly disarm the authorities of this world and conquer death was by going there Himself and returning from the grave. Satan was offering Jesus a way that negated all the suffering, but offered only a superficial version of authority. Messed up, right? But how often do we give up the things that matter most for a momentary, superficial gain? We’re so allergic to discomfort that we drop to a knee in front of empty things instead of fighting for faithfulness. Jesus trusted God’s plan so much so that even though He knew it meant pain, suffering, and death, He confidently rejected the enemy’s counteroffer. Step three for dealing with temptation: Fight for faithfulness, even when it’s the harder choice in the moment. Even when there’s the potential for pain down the road. Don’t settle for the counterfeit when the real thing is on the other side of your obedience. 

And that brings it full circle. Jesus is modeling for us what it looks like to choose trust and obedience to God over obedience to our desires. This has been the choice from the very beginning. God has been looking for partners all along. And the beautiful thing about this passage is that right after He shows us how to deal with temptation, Jesus starts calling people to follow Him—to partner with Him in His mission of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. 

Journaling Questions

• What Scripture(s) stand out to you the most in today’s reading? Write them in your journal. 
• What part of dealing with temptation is hardest for you currently? Why?
• In your own words, describe what you think it looks like to choose to trust God rather than your own desires.