His First Major Test: Luke 4:1-13

"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil" (Luke 4:1, 2).

Most if not all of the material for this blog post was lifted directly from a sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. Here is the link to the video: Jesus Without Sin.



First, it is important to remember, I think, that Jesus was not tempted only three times but was tempted continually for forty days. We should also remember that Jesus was fully tempted as we are yet without sin. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate that Jesus was as tempted as we are if not more so because he never relented. Imagine two weightlifters in a gym. One struggles to get the bar off his chest only to cry out for his spotter; the other presses the weight all the way up. Which one felt the full weight?

Isn't it interesting that two of the three recorded temptations that Satan offers are presented as questions regarding Jesus' identity? The first temptation, "If you are the son of God command these stones to become bread", doesn't even seem like a temptation at first glance. Jesus is more than capable of performing the miracle. It is his creation and he is hungry; so what is the issue? First, Satan is asking Jesus to use his power to feed himself. This is in direct contradiction to Jesus' mandate to lay down his life for his people. Second, Satan is trying to call the shots. Obviously when stated like this, the temptation should have been easy for Jesus to defeat. The opening that Satan uses to try to wedge Jesus from the truth is to question Jesus' relationship with God the Father.

After Satan promises Jesus the wealth and power of the world without having to experience pain and death on the cross, Satan returns to a variation of his first question. The third temptation, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here...", also seeks to find an opening in Jesus spiritual armor by questioning Jesus' identity. Why is this significant? Pastor Mark says it is because "identity determines biography." If we believe we are victims we will never accept accountability for our sin. If we believe we are damaged goods, we will never experience the full blessing of grace that God intends for us. Satan brings up the identity question two times in thirteen verses. It must be because he finds this as an effective line of attack.

Are you secure in your relationship as God's adopted son or daughter? Has Satan gotten you to doubt if you are a Christian? Remember that Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. He will say anything to separate you from the truth that we have in Christ. Remember that God our Father loves us and has given us a savior who can sympathize with our weaknesses.

by Adam Metcalf