The Temptation of Jesus

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'" Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time (Luke 4:1-13).

After his baptism, Jesus is led into the desert by the Holy Spirit so that he may be tested and so that victory of God can be made manifest in Christ’s surrender to God’s will. This takes place out in the wilderness, a place where resources are scarce if at all present and where the environment offers to both souls and bodies no second chances. Survival is victory in the desert. Yet, not only is Jesus’ physical life being tested, his very soul is under assault by the devil.

First, he is tempted by the very healthy need for food. Jesus is not hungry. He is suffering from hunger. He is in the midst of starvation and his body is probably turning upon itself for sustenance. He is being offered life itself by the devil but the devil has no power to offer life. Only God can offer life to Jesus and it is upon God alone that Jesus will wait.

The devil then tempts Jesus with what is already to be his-his kingship. The devil offers Jesus a kingdom. He offers the entire world since Jesus has been anointed by God. The devil is claiming that Jesus is indeed the Kings of Kings and that he should take hold of that title. But again, the devil has no power to offer anything in God’s stead. Yet, the kingdom of God is not built out of armies, grand parades, triumphs, and military splendor. The Kingdom of God is built upon God’s self-revelation in Jesus and humanity’s being transformed by that revelation-that God is love. This is the only kingdom that Jesus will be king.

Then the devil tempts Jesus with his own faith. The devil attempts to use that which Jesus has relied upon his own life…that which makes him who he is being used against him. The devil is going after what is most important to Jesus. He is asking Jesus to prove that God will indeed take care of him. He even quotes from the Holy Scriptures in order to proof-text that such is true. Unlike the devil who is so willing to test God, Jesus will not do so. He will wait upon the God who will not even save him from the cross but will save him from the tomb. In Jesus’ being true to his baptism and anointing he refuses to accept any offer, no matter how seemingly good, from the devil. With every temptation Jesus considers the source. So must we.

Like Jesus we are assailed by temptations left and right, subtle and gross, with the threat to sin ever present. We are tempted by what is even best in our lives. For we Christians, our baptisms provide the forgiveness of sins, but baptism does not remove sin. Our baptisms do fill us with God’s power and strength so that when we find ourselves in a desert, a parched wasteland of serpents and scorpions, we will find that within our souls is a deep well of living water from which to drink. That well in our souls is filled to the brim with God. Yet, it is only when the Spirit leads us out into the desert do we learn how to drink from that well, to rely upon the power of God given to us in baptism, and find our deepest thirst quenched not by what our temptations offer us but by what God offers us-His very Self--The Reverend Adrian A. Amaya.