Temptation of Christ – How Jesus was Tempted by Satan
Bible Study Lessons — Matthew 4:5-11
We don’t normally think about Jesus as being subject to temptation. But, the Bible tells us that the temptation of Christ happened when He went into the wilderness. The good news is that Jesus won in the end – we did too!
This world is full of temptation no matter if you are a Methodist or Baptist or Jewish or Islamic and, we have to really be aware to avoid situations which might put us in compromising positions.
In the time of Christ, temptation also abounded as we will see in this Scripture study of Matthew.
Christ is Tempted by Satan
Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'”
Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, 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 things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'”
Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. – Matthew 4:5-11 NASB
Satan Tries to Tempt Jesus – A Personal Miracle Giver?
Satan is very smart but as we see in this reading from Matthew he is not smart enough to tempt Jesus.
He offered Christ the world (which he already owned) and, on the surface having all these possessions looks good.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we just offered a quick prayer and became instantly rich, famous, powerful – or whatever else could give us personal satisfaction for a while?
But, in reality we cannot just snap our fingers, say; “God give me this.” and expect it to happen outside of his will.
God is not our magician in the sky ready to perform on request. Many others throughout the Bible have tried to test God but He works in His own way and in His own time; not ours.
How Did Christ Respond to Temptation?
Jesus responded to Satan’s temptations by saying not to put God to a test (Deuteronomy 6:16). He knew all the tricks and schemes the devil could muster so was able to overcome them.
Testing God
We are by design people of little faith and we like to see proof of every situation that happens on this earth – and in the skies.
You and I might want to ask God to do something to prove his existence or his love for us. But, God wants us to walk by faith so most likely will not respond to requests for signs just to prove He is alive.
Seeing Is Not Always Believing
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”141438050X” locale=”US” src=”https://makingchristknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/51fbaoKqML.SL160.jpg” tag=”bobpardphot-20″ width=”107″]Jesus once taught through a parable that people who don’t believe what is written in the Bible won’t believe even if someone were to come back from the dead to warn them (Luke 16:31)!
God wants us to live by faith, not by magic. Don’t try to manipulate God by asking for signs. And, when temptations of life come (and they will), remember what Christ did.
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like to learn more about the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16 and get more information.
Read All Verses Here:
New American Standard Bible
New King James Version