LESSONS FROM JESUS | 07 | Three Questions
By: Billy Praise
Tags: Jesus Christ, Worship, Questions, Christianity, Bible

One of the more popular stories involving Jesus Christ in the Bible is the account of His temptation. This event is of particular significance because it marks the beginning of his ministry.

In the two accounts of this event (Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13), prior to the temptation, John the Baptist had the spotlight. When Jesus was done with the devil, the narrative of the books shifted totally to Christ himself.

For today’s lesson, we will examine the details of this event to find answers to some key questions that are still relevant to our Christian walk today.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. — Matthew 4:1–11 (English Standard Version)

The Question of Will

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” — Matthew 4:2–4

The interesting thing about this temptation is that the Bible clearly records two things: Jesus was hungry and the fast was over. There was nothing wrong with Jesus needing food at this point in His life. It was a legitimate need.

However, the problem here is not the need, but the means by which He satisfies it. In the book of John, Jesus repeatedly tells us that He did everything by the will of His Father. Jesus never did anything that His Father in heaven did not approve of or wasn’t willing to do (John 5:19; John 6:38; John 10:30; John 14:31). Every healing, miracle, teaching, and correction was done because His Father wanted it.

Jesus’ hunger was valid and He clearly had the power to perform this miracle but it was not the Father’s will.

As believers, this is a temptation that we are bound to face over and over again. Our desires can be good and justified but still not fall in line with the will of God for us. We need to constantly align ourselves to God’s will by constant communication with Him.

The Question of Truth

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” — Matthew 4:5–7

At the time, the temple was the Jewish representation of religious authority, worship, and truth. The devil placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and quoted the Bible to him (specifically Psalm 91:11–12). The problem was that the devil was interpreting the Bible out of context.

In our world today, the truth of God’s word is one of the most heavily contested and debated subjects in the church. For anyone looking from the outside, it would seem like the body of Christ relishes fighting and contradicting each other. However, on deeper examination, there is a battle for the souls of the saints and many of us have fallen into the trap of false doctrines and teachings.

Jesus spoke about this at length and admonished us to be careful of these things (Matthew 24:11–12). In a general sense, there are two vital steps that can help us to guard our hearts against false teachings:

- Building a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is within us to teach and correct us — among other things. We need to continually fellowship with God through his word and prayers to get familiar with His voice and the ways He speaks to us. There is no substitute for this.

- Building a deep love for God’s Word: Listening to messages, going for services, and having a favorite teacher/pastor are all admirable practices. However, there is no replacement for our personal study of God’s word. We need to cultivate the habit of seeking out the truth of God’s word for ourselves. It’s only by doing this that we can respond the way Jesus did.

The Question of Worship

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” — Matthew 4:8–10

Jesus was shown the ‘kingdoms of the world and their glory’ in exchange for worship. At the heart of this temptation is a conversation about ambition and greed.

Jesus was fully aware of His mission of earth. He was the Sacrificial King that would give His life for the world, not the Conquering King who would possess all the kingdoms of the earth.

If I asked casually, ‘do you worship the devil?’, most Christians will be offended by this question.

A better question might be, ‘are you a slave to your ambition?’ or ‘are you chasing God’s will for your life or your own ambition?’.

The truth is, we are all worshipping something or someone. You do not have to join a cult or begin to chant to Satan before he steals you away. Worship begins in the heart and it is always a reflection of who or what is most precious to us.

This does not mean that God does not place his children in positions of power or that He doesn’t increase us. He did it countless times in the Bible with people like Joseph, Daniel, and David.

Yet, we need to recognize that whatever we are to become is by His sovereign will. Our focus should be on Him and not on ourselves. Jesus’ awareness of His Father’s will for Him guided Him throughout His earthly existence.

When God is not the center of our worship, we are yielding to the devil whether directly or indirectly.

The temptation of Jesus is a beautiful story of victory but it is also a humbling account full of lessons that are given to us to guide us in our Christian faith.