Temptations come at us every day. Whether it is to lie, break a traffic regulation, or even something more serious like dealing drugs or killing someone, everyone deals with temptations. As our reading from the Gospel of Mark today shows, even Jesus dealt with temptations. As we study this we can get some inspiration as to how to handle them in our own life.
Our passage begins with Jesus leaving Nazareth, the village He grew up in, and heading southeast to the river Jordan where John the Baptist is baptizing. Jesus requests to be baptized by John. He would seem like any of the other dozens of people getting baptized by John that day until He comes up out of the water. It was then that the Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove. Also at that moment a Voice from heaven spoke out, and said to Jesus “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (vs. 9-11). The Father proclaimed His approval of Jesus, the Son, and He sent the Holy Spirit in a figure as a dove. All three members of the Trinity are represented here.
Immediately Jesus is lead by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He remains for 40 days in prayer and fasting, preparing for His imminent ministry. It is here that Satan gives an all-out assault with temptation, as well (vs. 12-13). Mark’s account of the temptation is brief, with few details. We can also read of Jesus’s temptation in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-12, which give more details. Let’s look at these temptations and see if we can learn anything we can apply to our own lives.
The first assault of temptation that Satan gives Jesus is for Him to turn some of the large rocks around Him into bread, as He is hungry from long fasting (Matt. 4:2-4). Because Jesus was hungry, he saw an opportunity where he could try to get Jesus to use His powers to satisfy and gratify a need. In our life Satan can get us to doubt whether God will provide our needs. Jesus responded to this with God’s Word. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. God’s Word is even more important than food. It benefits us for eternity. We should never satisfy a normal desire in the wrong way.
The second temptation that Satan launched against Jesus was to take Him to the pinnacle of the Temple, and dare Him to jump off (Matt. 4:5-7). Then Satan quotes a Bible verse back at Him, (Psalm 91:11-12), saying in essence that God’s angels will protect Him, daring God to rescue Him. Satan twisted the Scriptures to suit his purposes. The intention of Psalm 91 is to show God’s protection of His people, not to incite them to use God’s power for sensational displays. This temptation was for security, casting doubt as to whether God would protect. Satan does the same to us today. Jesus responded that one is never to test God. Again, He used Scripture - Deuteronomy 6:16. Don’t manipulate God by asking for signs.
The third temptation Satan used against Jesus was to promise Him all of the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him (Matt. 4:8-10). It was a temptation of power, authority and significance, casting doubt in the mind as to whether God really does rule. Satan exploits our human desire for quick per, easy solutions, and a human desire to be equal with God. Jesus’s response was one of no compromising with evil, and again He used Scripture against Satan - Deuteronomy 6:13. We read several times in the Gospel of John that Satan is called the “ruler of this world”, and thus has power in the world - John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. Paul also calls him the “god of this age” - II Corinthians 4:4.
Jesus didn’t spend time arguing and debating with Satan. He gave firm and authoritative responses, and always used Scripture to back Him up. Temptation is only a sin if we give in to it. It is through inner testing that God strengthens our character, and valuable lessons are learned. When Satan comes against us with temptation, remember how Jesus responded. He used God’s Word, the Bible, against him and was victorious.
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