Talk by John Foxon

Many preachers focusing on Matthew 4 1-11 begin by asking “Have you ever been tempted? Whereas the important question should probably be “When have you not been tempted?” Temptation comes our way everyday. Often temptation is trivialised such as chocolate, cream cakes and perhaps seen as a joke. However, perhaps the temptation we should fear the most is the temptation to put “Me” at the centre of the universe and, in doing so disengage from our Creator God. This temptation started at the beginning of the human race as symbolised in the story of Adam, Eve, the serpent and the apple. By putting their wants and desires first Adam and Eve placed a barrier between themselves and God and were banished from Paradise.

God sent his son to heal that estrangement and to end that banishment. To do so Jesus was to be the perfect sacrifice that paid for the sins of humankind to be cleansed from our record. To do so a wrong needed to be righted. Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation of their own free will; Jesus rights that wrong by resisting temptation of his own free will.

In the wilderness Jesus is faced with three temptations. First, Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread. Second, he was tempted to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple into the hands of angels. And finally, he was tempted to fall down and worship the devil.

When Satan first tempts Jesus, Jesus had been fasting in the wilderness a long time- Forty days and Forty nights. He must have been very hungry. Satan tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Not only would this address Jesus’ hunger but it would also give him the gratification that he had the power to do it. Jesus resists by saying “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus chooses not to pursue personal gratification but chooses instead to make the pursuit of God his top priority. He knows his mission, he knows who he is, and chooses to trust in God completely. Can we resist temptation to do things for self-gratification and instead trust in God completely and seek to do his will.

Having resisted personal gratification the next temptation put in his way is to be taken to the highest point of the temple where Satan assures him that if he throws himself off the angels will prevent him from crashing to the ground. He even quotes scripture in support. Jesus resists the temptation, the temptation of using the sensational to attract support. He responds to Satan’s false use of scripture by using scripture himself: Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”. Do we always resist the urge to be seen as wonderful or sensational or are we prepared to accept a servant role.

Thirdly, the devil takes Jesus to a mountain and tempts him with worldly power, verse 8: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.”

Without naming any names we can look around us at the world today and we see so many leaders who have given in to this temptation. It’s easy to point the finger at them but are we mindful of our own petty pursuits for power and how we are prepared to push people aside so we can have control. Jesus, however, of his own free will, chooses to resist because he knows that these kingdoms are not in the devil’s gift anyway. All authority in heaven and on earth are God’s. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Underlying these three temptations is a fourth which targets self-betrayal and self-doubt. The devil challenges Jesus: “If you are the son of God…”. Following Jesus baptism Matthew had told us in Ch 3 vs 17 “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” The devil is tempting Jesus to doubt this and prove himself by turning stones into bread and by throwing himself off the pinnacle into the hands of angels. It’s the temptation to doubt that God is well pleased with him and seek approval and recognition from another by falling down and worshipping Satan, the deceiver. How often have we been tempted and tried to prove ourselves? Have there been times when we have done or wanted to do something to remind and assure ourselves that we are beloved? And how often do we betray ourselves trying to seek another’s approval or recognition? How often do we forget that we are beloved of God. How often do we choose to act as God rather than trust in God.

Jesus stands with us in our temptations. God is God and we are human but here Jesus was both. He truly knows what it is to face temptation and he has shown us that it is possible to resist temptation if we accept the word of God, we are accept Jesus as the Son of God and through him have a relationship with God the Father.

As we move forward through the season of Lent, we should recognise the physical and spiritual cost to Jesus. It is good for us to resolve ourselves afresh to absorb the word of God more and to seek a new intimacy with the Father so we can be stronger in our resistance to temptation. We need to accept that we too are beloved of God. In the end, it is only in the strength of the Spirit and through the cross of Christ that the victory over sin and death is won. Even so we have our part to play in the skirmishes and the battles and we pray today for strength to resist. Let us give thanks to God for what Jesus was prepared to endure so that we could be free. The devil has his victories where temptation and opportunity collide. Let us pray that the two can be kept apart.