Bible Question: Jesus' 40 days and nights with Satan. Give me a commentary. |
Bible Answer: Matthew 4:1-3 Satan's temptations used against Christ are similar to those used against Eve. 1) Appeal to physical appetite (fruit vs. bread) 2) Appeal to personal arrogance (Will not die vs. Will not hurt Your foot) 3) Appeal to power and glory (be like God vs. Have all worlds kingdoms) Satan's temptation of Christ is a "Matter of comfort to all the saints. In the temptation of Christ it appears, that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and very daring in his temptations; but it appears withal, that he is not invincible. Though he is a strong man armed, yet the Captain of our salvation is stronger than he. It is some comfort to us to think that Christ suffered, being tempted; for thus it appears that temptations, if not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions onlyHenry, Matthew, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1991. Matthew 4:1 Note that Jesus is tempted immediately after a great revelation and testimony by God the Father about who He is and how the Father feels about Him. God may often allow Satan to tempt us immediately after a high point in our lives as a way of both humbling and testing our reliance upon the Spirit of God. Prhaps God was also showing us that the best inner defense against the attacks of the devil is to remember our sonship in the family of God. Jesus was tempted while he was alone in the wilderness. A place of solitude is perfect for spending time with the Lord, but it is also a perfect opportunity for Satan to attack. We must be on our guard when we are alone and Satan has opportunities to make our thoughts wander, often followed by deeds which we would NEVER do if we were in the presence of others. Even in prayer, how often have our thoughts been pulled aside to other things besides the Lord? Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted. God will never to do this to us (James 1:13). God led Jesus to this in order to show Satan that He was defeated. Jesus was not able to give into that temptation and sin. Such is not the position of believers. Our response should be to pray that we will not be lead into temptation (Matt 6:13). Cetainly God will never tempt us, only our own lusts and desires (James 1:14). God may allow us to be tempted for purpose of testing, but it is not something we should desire. If God leads us there, then we need to depend on Him, but we should not tempt Satan to tempt us, for God may very well leave us to our own strength at that point. Satan is not to be taken lightly. Matthew 4:2 Jesus only became hungry AFTER 40 days and 40 nights without food? Clearly He is no ordinary man. Matthew 4:3 Notice the timing of Satan and his temptation. He did not tempt Jesus while he was in the desert for forty days, only after. One of Satan's attacks is to attempt to take advantage of our outward condition. He watches carefully for what opportunities present themselves. What about a man whose family is starving - is it OK for him to steal to keep them from dying? What should he do? Our outward condition is no excuse to go against the commands and the will of God. As Christians, then, we must be aware of others needs around us and make sure we do what we can to help them. Note secondly the method of attack: 1) He attempts to cause Jesus to question His relationship to the Father, His Sonship. He wants Jesus to question the goodness of God in leaving Him in this position. The Spirit testifies that we are God's children (Romans 8:16), while Satan, the accuser of the brethren, constantly refutes the claim. 2) Satan uses our physical conditions and circumstances to attempt to make us believe that God has left us, does not really love us, is not really good. When a crisis arrives, we MUST work to see Satan's role and refute him. 3) The Devil aims to shake our faith in the word of God, and bring us to question the truth of that. He did it to Adam and Eve, he tries it here with Jesus. God had just said "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.", and yet Satan says "If You are the Son of God...". If we ever question any part of the Word of God, we are giving Satan an opportunity. 4) Satan wants us to act based on our own will, not that of God. Notice that he is crafty in that he tempts Jesus to do something that He has the power to do. Just because we CAN do something, does not mean that we SHOULD. How subtle it is for him to get us to do something Godly against the will of God! Satan wanted Jesus to act on His own. He does not say, Pray to your Father that he would turn them into bread; but command it to be done. We must likewise be careful not to rely on our own desires, even good ones, or our own abilities, even our spiritual gifts, to do things which are not motivated by the will of God. |