In the gloom of Egypt, the chosen people turned their faces away from God. But it was not Egypt that humbled Him in Egypt. The chosen people spent forty years in the wilderness, and there they turned their faces from God. And He spent forty days in nature without food or drink, in perfect humility and obedience to God. Finally, entering the cursed land, the chosen people turned their faces away from God, against all the laws and prophets sent by God for remembrance. But some knew him to be the Messiah in that land of doom.
The Holy Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted and tested by the Devil.
Our Lord did this to show us how much He loves people. Because they are those whom He cleanses by His fasting and teaches by His parable, we may see how close His connection with His Father in heaven is and how obedient He is to Him. Behold, He does all that men say they cannot do, and he has accomplished all that the chosen people thought could not be executed.
What were Satan’s temptations to Jesus?
Having turned away from the face of God and thus becoming the prince of darkness, Satan has sought to multiply his followers, tempting the firstborn to disobedience. In this way, he increased his dominion. Since ancient times, the Church of Christ has believed that the pride of one of the most elemental spirits has been the cause of evil in both the spiritual and material world.
Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness. Therefore, Satan’s temptations to Jesus were:
- the lure of the flesh, of our lustful nature
- the lure of the mind, of our thinking nature
- the trick of the heart, of our feeling of nature
Satan has hit the will of Jesus like an insurmountable wall. Try as he might, he could not get Him to compromise. The Devil could not conceive that the Master of the whole world could have stooped to such a low level and made himself a servant, a man, a small creature.
How many times did Satan tempt Jesus in the wilderness?
Satan starts to tempt Him. To stoke His pride. If you say you’re the Son of God, show me what you can do. Show me Your power. He knew Jesus Christ was hungry. Yet here, the Lord gives us a vital lesson for our lives… something to reflect on quite deeply: Someone said to never listen to what the Devil says, whether good or bad, no matter what he says. Let us not fall into the snares of the evil one; let us not dwell on evil thoughts. Never listen to what the Devil says, no matter what he says, whether he says good or bad. Let us not enter into the snares of the evil one; let us not dwell on evil thoughts. Let us not linger contemplating evil, for if we do so, we shall unwittingly acquire from this evil.
Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness three times.
The evil spirits have forever lost all love for God and the wisdom that comes from above, which is made up of Justice, Truth, and goodness.
Key Verse related to Jesus’ temptation
From that time, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed and raised on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke³ Him, saying, God forbid it, Lord. This shall never happen to You. But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests but on man’s.
Matthew 16:21-23 (NIV)
What is the significance of Satan’s first temptation?
Seeing that Christ answered his first temptation in the wilderness with a quote from Scripture, he uses a quotation to persuade Jesus to do what he wants. The Lord doesn’t get angry, doesn’t talk badly, but remains calm and tells him that man doesn’t live by Bread and an adult can live very well and only by the Word of God. It is not by a miracle that he defeats the Devil but by patience. For example, the evil one is not defeated except by God’s help and patience. Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness.
The meaning of Satan’s first temptation was to get Jesus to fulfill his own need, to prove to himself that he could tempt Christ and that he has power over Him: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Sometimes you don’t have to do certain things just because you can. Christ was hungry, he had the power to turn stones into loaves⁴, but he was fasting. Christ does not put self-interest above the Father’s will. There is rich food for those who fast too. Christ speaks of a different kind of Bread, which has a different nature and feeds something genuinely essential: the soul.
Three ways to overcome temptation like Jesus
1. Pray for strength
Prayer is man’s relationship to God, communion, and union with Him. Prayer is not a magical practice but an act of freedom. While the magical procedure is done to satisfy the human will, whether or not it is in accord with God’s will, prayer is done by man’s free entrustment to God’s will. It is a magical practice when prayer is not done in these conditions but aims at fulfilling man’s will. So to become like Christ, we must pray and obey God.
2. Be transparent to God and others
Transparency and honesty are integral to Truth, and together with beauty, it makes up the way Truth is presented to us and the way we must communicate to be in Truth. By sincerity, we can define the pure expression of thoughts, feelings, or even deeds that are difficult to perceive by those around us. Not only in a friendship relationship is necessary but also in marriage; in the love relationship between two people.
3. Run away from dangerous spots
The Bible itself tells us: Be awake and watch! For your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him firm in the faith, and he will run away from you. Thus, we will overcome, and the angels will sing in the chorus for our success just as they did for Jesus.
