I was not alive during World War II but today I like to watch the television documentaries of the great battles of that conflict. It isn't because I'm morbid or I like to see the terrible violence that took place. It's because again and again I am struck with just how much our nation and our way of life were in jeopardy in those days and therefor how precious our freedom is. As we read these verses in Matthew we should realize something similar. There was real jeopardy here - real danger - real risk! But Jesus stood His ground.

1. The Event was Real.

Probably most of us would consider such an assertion unneeded. Perhaps you've never heard it challenged. Yet as I already mentioned, there are some that read the Bible and conclude, probably because they are uncomfortable with the possibility of the supernatural, that this passage is an allegory (that is, a symbolic, mythical story) rather than an actual event. I see absolutely no reason in the text to presume that. It occurs in the midst of the flow of actual happenings described in both Matthew and Luke and there is no indication in the text that it was intended to be anything less than literal. If someone has difficulty with the supernatural in Jesus' life, he or she is going to have difficulty with many of the gospel accounts.

That little word "then" in verse 1 ties this story together with the verses immediately above it. There in the closing verses of Matthew 3 we find the story of the baptism of Jesus and beginning of His earthly ministry. Remember that there were no chapter divisions in the original text. What we're reading here is a continuous account. To appreciate the connection, let's backtrack and read the verses immediately above this chapter.

(Read Matthew 3:13 - 4:1)

You can see the smooth flow of events. If the story of Jesus' temptation is an allegory, then are His baptism and God's pronouncement of His deity also allegorical and not literal? From there, where would you draw the line? Would His birth and crucifixion also be allegories? Would anything that made the reader uncomfortable also become an allegory? Nothing in the text indicates that Matthew intended this story of Jesus' temptation to be read as anything other than an actual event that took place in time and space.

Matthew doesn't say how soon after Jesus' baptism the temptations by Satan began, but Mark does in his account. We read in Mark 1:10-13, right after the mention of Jesus' baptism: "And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: "Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased." And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan…"

Mark hardly takes a breath in his account. Surely there is nothing here that indicates that this was to be taken as an allegory.

By the way, before we move on, let's notice a couple more things. First, did you notice that Satan wasted little time after Jesus' baptism before beginning the temptations? That is often true in our case, too. Satan wastes little time after our baptism in beginning his temptations. We need to be aware of that so we can watch out for it.

Notice also that Jesus was, as it says in verse 1, "led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…." It is the Spirit that leads and the devil that tempts. People sometimes get these turned around and their misunderstanding causes problems. James 1:13 says, "…[God] Himself does not tempt anyone." In the Spirit's leading Jesus here we conclude that it was God's desire that Jesus be tested. He allowed these things to happen just as He allows temptation to come upon us.

"Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you…" Peter says in 1 Peter 4:12

Temptation is a part of the life of every person. Said another way, all of us will face temptation by the devil in the very literal sense. Temptation is no allegory.

2. The Devil was Real.

Jesus believed in a real devil. He faced a real devil, here and in other parts of the gospels. There are those today who teach that Satan is merely a symbol of evil - a metaphor and not an actual person or being. To me that's like suggesting that the events of 9-11 were not caused by real terrorists. Those planes full of people were piloted by their original captains who were under the influence of evil and not by real terrorists. Yeah, right!

Here and elsewhere in the ministry of Jesus we see the refutation of that false conclusion. Jesus wasn't doing battle with a fable here. If the devil were a fable in this account, what would there be to stop the conclusion that Jesus was also a fable? No. The devil described here and elsewhere is real - even when it makes people uncomfortable in their politically correct ways.

The other gospel accounts deal with Satan as a literal being, too. For instance, we read in John 14:30 these words of Christ: "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me…." In that passage Jesus was referring to Satan and He used the pronoun "he" to refer to him, not "it" as though He were referring to some impersonal force. That usage is consistent across the entire New Testament. If Satan was not real, Jesus surely didn't know it! Further, if Satan, is simply a metaphor for evil and not a literal being, what would keep us from the conclusion that God is also a metaphor for good and not a literal being?

Unlike some of our religious contemporaries, Jesus believed in a real devil. The account is real. The devil it describes is real.

3. The Temptations were Real.

I make this point because there are some theologians who work themselves into a lather every time they cannot explain some aspect of deity in a tidy way that appeals to human logic. Such people have trouble with the idea that Jesus, in whom "all the fullness of deity [dwelt] in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9) could have been tempted. After all, they reason, wasn't Jesus "God with us," as it says in Matthew 1:23 and doesn't James 1:13 say, "God cannot be tempted by evil"?

To that line of reasoning let me say two things. First, if Jesus could not be tempted, why did Matthew, Mark, and Luke, inspired by the same Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, all say that he was tempted? These descriptions of Jesus' temptation would be meaningless if they described something that couldn't happen!

Secondly, such a view that Jesus could not be tempted because He was God doesn't take into account what He willingly gave up to come to this earth to redeem you and me. Please pay attention because this will give you a better understanding of the true heroism and dedication of our Savior. We read in Philippians 2:6-7, regarding Jesus' earthly life that, "although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." That means that for the duration of His time on earth, Jesus willingly set aside some of the attributes of His deity that would have protected Him from harm. You might recall the statement in Matthew 24:35-36 that reads, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." The passage was referring to the end of time and it says that Jesus didn't know, while He was on the earth, when it was to take place. Here then, we have a characteristic of deity, namely omniscience, the quality of being all-knowing, that Jesus gave up for the duration of his time of earth. Though He was "God with us," He took on the limits of humanity.

So how long did these human limitations last? You'll find the answer to that in John 17:5. During His farewell discourse with His disciples Jesus prayed to His father. In the text of His prayer, as He anticipated facing the cross, He said this: "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." From those words we see clearly that Jesus possessed the glory of deity before He came to earth, that is, "before the world was." He temporarily gave up that glory when He took on human frailty. Then He resumed the full glory of His deity (as He prayed here) when He returned to His Father.

I realize that my words won't answer every human speculation about Jesus' deity versus His humanity, but this is what the Bible says. The temptations Jesus faced were real because He had the same human frailty that we have. He could be tempted. This isn't some made-up, phony story where, like the phony fireman, He showed up and went through the motions, but didn't really participate. Jesus was tempted and He struggled just as you and I struggle. He knows what it is like to be tempted. He was there.

This was a real account. Jesus faced a real devil. The temptation was real.

4. The Risk was Real.

We must assume that Jesus could have given in to the tempter's efforts, otherwise once again this passage in Matthew would be meaningless - the equivalent of a firefighter showing up and taking credit for something he never did. That's why it is so important to understand that these temptations were real. Yet there was one difference between Jesus' struggle with temptation and ours: He didn't give in. He didn't sin! I'm really glad about that! Hebrews 4:15 says he was "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."

Do we realize how much that means? Do we realize what was hanging on the outcome of these temptations and the others that would follow? Our redemption hung in the balance! And not only our redemption, but also the redemption of every person of faith who had ever lived up until that time and who would live after! (2) We can accurately say that the condition of the entire world hung on the outcome of these temptations and the ones that would come after them. In order for Jesus to be qualified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, He had to remain sinless himself. Offerings for sin were disqualified if they had any spot or blemish.

Had Jesus turned even one of those stones into bread, had He decided to take a single swan dive from the pinnacle of that temple, had He chosen to even curtsy to Satan one time, you and I and every other person here would be headed for hell no matter how sincere and religious we were!

I was not alive during World War II but today I like to watch the television documentaries of the great battles of that conflict. It isn't because I'm morbid or I like to see the terrible violence that took place. It's because again and again I am struck with just how much our nation and our way of life were in jeopardy in those days and therefor how precious our freedom is. As we read these verses in Matthew we should realize something similar. There was real jeopardy here - real danger - real risk! But Jesus stood His ground.

And Jesus received no help through it all. Though the entire plan of God from before the foundation of the world was at stake, God the Father did not intervene on behalf of His Son. The holy angels did not move to aid Him until it was over, though they must have heard every word uttered and must also have strongly desired to break in and do what they were created to do. So much was at stake and Jesus faced the danger alone.

This therefore, was a real event about a conflict with a real devil that presented real temptations that put Jesus (and you and me) in real jeopardy.

Before we leave this issue of the risk involved, let's look a little more closely at the nature of each of the temptations. If the temptations were real, what was the issue behind each one?

Satan suggested that Jesus 1) turn stones into bread, 2) jump from a high place and provoke God to catch Him, and 3) bow down to him.

Those who have written about this passage differ greatly as to what was actually the operative issue (or issues) behind each of these temptations. Let's start with the easiest one to figure out. In my mind, the nature of the third temptation seems rather self-evident. Satan tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of the world in exchange for bowing down to worship him. It's easy to see how bowing to the archenemy of God would be a sin.

The other two temptations aren't so clear. While we can understand the temptation of hunger, the act of turning rocks into bread to satisfy that desire seems rather harmless. If you're legitimately hungry and you have the power to make bread, why not do so? So what was the problem? How would turning rocks into bread be a sin?

Some folks reason that perhaps it had something to do with the breaking of His forty-day fast. There are two other men in Scripture who fasted for forty days - Moses and Elijah. It is interesting to note that these three, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus were present at the transfiguration. Was this 40-day fast characteristic indicative of some special position for these three? Would breaking His fast have somehow dropped Jesus from that special designation? Yet on the other hand, both Matthew and Luke mention specifically that the temptation to turn stones into bread began after the forty-day fast was complete.(3) If Jesus had to qualify for something by fasting 40 days, then He qualified. So what else could it be?

The first two temptations seem to involve the possibility of Jesus invoking His special power or His special position for His own selfish purposes. Turning stones into bread would be using His special power to alleviate personal suffering. Had Jesus resorted to using His supernatural power to deliver Himself each time He faced suffering He certainly wouldn't have ended up being our High Priest who could sympathize with our weaknesses.(4) Using his miraculous power that way would have messed up His mission.

Jumping from the temple (and expecting God to rescue Him) would certainly draw a big crowd and convince a lot of people that Jesus was someone special. In fact, using His special position as God's Son in this way would have quickly gained Him a following without any need to do the very difficult work of calling out a special group of people willing to sacrifice themselves in order to serve Him. No need to go to the cross if you're willing to simply settle for a crowd. It's always easy to attract people when you put on a show. But this sort of method seldom produces more than a crowd of fickle people who move on about as quickly as they move in.(5) And if you cannot top the last performance each time you entertain them, they move along. That's a primary reason why Jesus sometimes refused to do miracles in the presence of those who only wanted to see a show.

By the way, some churches today are giving in to this temptation of Satan. Rather than use the occasions of their gathering and the special position and good name of Christ's church to transmit life saving truth to people on the terms Jesus laid down, they turn the church assembly into a stage production and an elaborate show. Biblical truth is pushed further and further into the background until it is seldom heard. We need to understand that Jesus refused to resort to such tactics. In my opinion, church leaders would do well to remember it.

Actually, with this idea in mind that the first two temptations would have been potential shortcuts that would have spoiled His mission - the first by removing His suffering and the second by resorting to theatrics to gain a following, the third temptation fits right in. Had he simply bowed to Satan he could have quickly gained His kingdom. He could have been king of "all the kingdoms of the world" with no pain or suffering. No need to go to the cross in order to "draw all men unto Himself."(6) Just take the shortcuts that Satan suggested. People would have quickly recognized Him as king. But there would have been one problem with that: Satan would have still been in charge. 1 John 3:8 tells us that "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil." Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan, not to bow down to him. There could be no compromise. There could be no shortcuts. There could be no deals. Sometimes the only way to get people out of a burning building is to go in yourself. For Jesus, suffering was the only way.

So there Jesus was, in a real battle facing a real devil and real temptations, in a situation of real risk, having laid aside certain powers of His deity. We have here my friends, the story of a real hero who did not shrink from danger and did not regard Himself as more important than those He was trying to save.

Conclusion

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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