Tempted, just like us

The first three Gospels all record Jesus' being led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days of temptation (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). Matthew and Luke include much more detail about the final three temptations that Christ endured:

• to turn the nearby stones into bread (He had been fasting for the 40 days and seriously needed food)
• to throw Himself down from the "pinnacle of the Temple," (a high corner of the Temple overlooking the city where the priests would blow the trumpet to announce the beginning of Sabbath or a feast day), in the expectation that God would miraculously save Him
• to give allegiance to Satan in return for authority over all the kingdoms of the world

These three temptations have a remarkable similarity to the three aspects of the first temptation, of Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:6, Eve saw that the forbidden fruit:

• Was good for food
• Looked attractive
• Would make her wise (or so she thought, based on the serpent's lie)

 Now, the similarity between the two temptations might not be immediately obvious, but let's look a bit deeper.

• The first temptation was to fulfill a physical need in a way that God had not ordained. The fact that Satan suggested turning the stones into bread lets us know immediately that this idea did not come from God. Even though the act may not have been immoral in itself, to do so would have strayed from God's revealed will, thus Christ would not do it. So for both Eve and Jesus, there was a temptation to fulfill a physical need in a wrong way.
• Eve looked on the outward appearance of the forbidden fruit and found it attractive,  and her decision to disobey God was based (at least partly) on what the fruit looked like. Similarly, Satan tempted Jesus by showing Him the kingdoms of the world and their glory, trying to get Jesus to respond based on their beauty and attractiveness. Both of these were temptations to make an appearance-based decision, a shallow, selfish approach to judgment rather than considering the situation from God's perspective.  Numerous Scripture passages refer to this danger - for example, Isaiah 11:3 and John 7:24.
• The underlying principle of Eve's third temptation is self-exaltation - Eve became dissatisfied with what God had revealed to her and wanted to be wise in her own right. Likewise, had Jesus cast Himself down in the sight of the entire city of Jerusalem and been miraculously rescued, this would have brought Him instant fame and popularity. In both cases, then, the temptation was to shortcut God's method of being acclaimed - "humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you" (James 4:10).

 So the principles underlying these temptations are the same - physical desires, appearance-based desires, and self-exaltation.* In fact, Luke rearranges the order in which he lists Jesus' temptations, apparently to reflect the order of the original temptation that resulted in the Fall.**

There are two glaring differences between the two episodes, however. First, Eve was tempted at a time when she had no pressing needs like hunger or pain, no fear of coming distress, no other real impetus to do wrong. Jesus, on the other hand, was extremely weak and hungry at the time, and knew what His future held - no doubt part of the temptation for Him was the possibility of avoiding the pain of rejection and the cross.

The other glaring difference is this: while Eve and Adam fell, Jesus Christ was victorious. He triumphed over a much more intense form of the same temptations that our first parents faced - and that we face. Every temptation is based on one or a combination of these three principles: physical desires, appearance-based desires, and self-exaltation. Jesus overcame every temptation, and He invites us to share in His victory as well. His Spirit enables us to overcome the temptations that we face in our lives every day.

* These are the same three principles that John listed as comprising "worldliness" in 1 John 2:16 - "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world."

** Compare the narratives in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 - Matthew uses "time connectors" like "then" & "again," while Luke uses a simple "and" to connect the episodes.

The Child in the Temple

We know very little about Jesus' boyhood. The only insight we get is found in the end of Luke chapter 2. Jesus is 12 years old, and He has accompanied His parents to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When the feast is over, Mary and Joseph join a caravan and head back to Nazareth, thinking that Jesus is still with them. As they make camp after the day's travel, they discover that Jesus is nowhere in the group. Frightened, they head back to Jerusalem and begin searching for Jesus. They finally find Him in the Temple, talking with the Rabbis and experts in the Scripture, who are amazed at His knowledge and the quality of His questions.

Image from freebibleimages.org. 

Mary rebukes Him: “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”

Apparently Jesus did not know that Mary and Joseph had left for Nazareth, and had returned and were searching for Him. He's genuinely surprised and a bit perplexed. "But why were you searching for Me? Didn't you know where I would be - in My Father's house, learning about My Father?"

In fact, these are the earliest recorded words of Jesus, His first statement that has been passed down to us in Scripture. And what words they are! They sum up what Jesus' entire life was about. Even at 12 years old, Jesus knew exactly who He was - the Son of God. The average Israelite did not refer to God as "My Father" - in fact, this could be considered blasphemy. But Jesus knew that it was true. This is especially clear when you note that in Mary's rebuke, she referred to Joseph as "your father." Of course, she knew that Joseph was not Jesus physical father, but Joseph had raised Jesus from birth, cared for and provided for Him. No doubt "father" was Jesus' common title for Joseph.

But Jesus' response shows that His focus was shifting from His earthly parents to His real Father in Heaven. Jesus was in His Father's house, learning about His Father. Question and answer was the usual format for learning in first-century Judaism, and we here glimpse Jesus fully engaged in the process. There is no suggestion of debating in the text, no picture of Jesus trying to teach the teachers. No, He is soaking in everything He can learn about His Father, His Father's Word, His Father's will and character and commands. Jesus knows who He is, and as a result, He is 100% God-focused.

If you had to answer the question "who are you," what would you say? I'm a welder, a business man, a teacher, a student, a mother or grandfather? Those are all jobs, roles or relationships. But who are you, in the deepest part of your soul? Are you a child of God? If so, do you really understand that you are a child of God? That's the foundation to be the best accountant, officer, nurse, father, wife - whatever your role, you fulfill it best by being, first of all, God's beloved child.