For years, I have marveled at the face to face encounter Jesus had with Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). Like many, I have studied this account since my youth. Yet every time I revisit it I am amazed at the spiritual strength of our Savior during a time of what must have been extreme physical weakness. Thus, when given the opportunity to provide food for Himself by His new found power (which I believe He received at His baptism); it must have been a real and difficult temptation. Thankfully, unlike Esau of old, our Savior was able to look past His own physical interests and see the big picture.
In reality, when we fail to overcome temptation it is usually because we fail to see the big picture. Consider the big picture that Christ saw when tempted to use His powers for selfish interests.
- He saw that character was more important than reputation. Satan’s initial statement called into question the very deity of Jesus Christ. There was a challenge in the very first word — the word “if.” In essence, Satan was saying, “Prove it to me! Prove to me you are the Son of God!” Christ would have seen this as a challenge to His reputation. Yet, He knew that answering this challenge would have been an abuse of His power and would have revealed a lack of trust in His Father. In short, Christ saw His character was more important than His reputation. We would do well to see the same.
- He saw that commands were more important than circumstances. The fact that Jesus had been fasting for forty days and that He was severely hungry did not change the commands of God. Nor did these circumstances change Christ’s approach to the commands of God. He could have gone another forty days without food and the principle of Deuteronomy 8:3 would have still been the same. For many in our current society, circumstances serve as the deciding factors for moral decisions. That is why things once considered wrong are now socially acceptable. The fickleness of situational morality or situation ethics is both illogical and unbiblical.
- He saw that the eternal was more important than the temporal. Again, taking this approach means seeing beyond today or next week or next year. Have you ever finished a big piece of lemon ice box pie only to regret the indulgence because you were on a diet? Just ten minutes before it seemed like the right thing to do. But with clear reflection (and a satisfied appetite) it is much easier to see that it was not the wisest choice. For many people, such is the case with sin. A moment, evening, or life of pleasure can satisfy for now, but eventually there will be regret and remorse. Christ had the ability to see His true purpose for coming to earth and how that purpose could have been nullified by one moment of self-indulgence.
One man has called the temptation of turning stones into bread the “temptation of provisions.” Overcoming this type of temptation boils down to answering this question — How much do I trust God? Paul reasoned that if God gave us His own Son, then He will also freely give us all that we need (Rom. 8:32). Do you trust God enough to put character over reputation, commands over circumstances, and the eternal over the temporal?
Let’s all keep our eyes on Him!
Wayne
