Tempted by Our Enemy

Day 3: Matthew 3: 7-17, 4: 1-11

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." - Matthew 4: 1-2 ESV

The reality of temptation is something with which we all grapple daily. What makes it especially difficult is that the Devil custom fits it to our existing weaknesses.

At the age of 30, Jesus bursts onto the scene to be baptized by John, sees the Holy Spirit, and hears the confirming voice of His Father. We see that account, and we are encouraged, uplifted even. Then in the very next verse, we see that this same Holy Spirit will lead him into the wilderness to be tempted by our enemy, our accuser. To top that off, Jesus goes without food for forty days to set up the time of testing.

Jesus could not have been weaker physically.

Have you ever felt so weak that it seemed like you stood no chance at resisting temptation?

The difference between Jesus and us, at this moment, was that he was ready. He had three passages from Deuteronomy that were locked and loaded (8: 3, 6: 16, 6: 13). This was important because the Devil also had one ready to twist (Psalm 91: 11-12).

What scriptures are you currently working on memorizing? Maybe take one a week? Think about having 52 at the end of this year to use as you head into times of testing. May we let God help us!

"Jesus had to be tested and overcome the tester before he could do anything else. Disciples are destined for testing, but Jesus their forerunner has gone before them and shown them how to overcome." - Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (p. 139)