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Temptations


The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 4:3)
 
“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ (Matthew 4:6)
 
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9)
 
          If you read Luke 4, you’ll see that the doctor reverses the order of the second and third temptation. This is not a contradiction or an error. Eastern literature is not obsessed with linear time the way we are. In whichever way they took place, they both took place none-the-less.
          You’ll note that the first temptation is about food and you’ve probably been told that this is a parallel to Genesis 3. It is, but there are some interesting differences. Adam and Eve were in a perfect garden. Jesus was in a wilderness. The suggestion that Jesus tell the stone to become bread suggests that this wilderness didn’t have any edible plants. Adam and Eve were tempted to eat to fulfill a hunger for godhood. They were tempted to eat to gain supernatural power. Jesus was tempted to eat to fill a hunger for mere physical food. He was tempted to use supernatural power to eat. In addition, He was tempted to solve a perceived problem for Himself and by Himself instead of trusting God. Lastly, He was challenged to prove who He is.
          The second temptation repeats the challenge for Him to prove who He is. This time, as you’ve probably heard, Satan quoted Scripture. It wasn’t “Did God really say,” but “God said….” In effect, he’s challenging Jesus to force God to solve Jesus’ problem – to prove Himself.
          The third temptation breaks the pattern. Satan doesn’t ask for proof that Jesus is the Son of God. Instead, he offers a way for Jesus to accomplish what Satan thinks is Jesus’ goal: the repossession of the world from him. This makes me wonder whether Satan knew or understood about the cross. He offered Jesus a chance to repossess the world but without redeeming the world. All Jesus had to do is turn to Satan and accept his help. All Jesus had to do is acknowledge Satan as His god.
          These are common temptations: solve the problem yourself (be your own god), force God to solve your problem, or turn to someone or something else as your god. Tomorrow, I’ll look at Jesus’ responses.

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