Scripture tells us that Jesus faced 3 temptations. In Matthew 3, Jesus was baptized. Immediately, in Matthew 4, Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted.

Matthew 4:1-11 tells us about 3 temptations from the devil. Satan didn’t come with horns and fiery eyes. His struggle was in His mind. Temptation came through His thoughts.

Luke 4 talks about the same occasion. But in Luke, the order of the temptations is different than in Matthew 4. We know by this that Satan didn’t come in bodily form, but in Jesus’ mind.

If Satan tempted us by coming in bodily form with fiery eyes and horns and scary teeth, we would never fall for his temptations. That’s not how he works. He comes with tempting thoughts.

Tested with His Human Nature

Jesus’ first test was about food: bread, money, and provision. Jesus fasted for 40 days. He was very hungry. When He went through these tests, He did not go through them as God, but as a human. He wasn’t able to overcome because He was God. He overcame as a human. He had flesh; He was hungry.

God can never feel hungry because He’s a Spirit. But Jesus was weak and hungry, like us. He went through this temptation and trial as a human.

Jesus overcame the devil by the spoken Word of God. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. The Word that Jesus spoke was already written in the book of Deuteronomy.

Tested with His Assignment

The second test that the devil spoke to Jesus was to tell him that if He jumped from the pinnacle of the Temple that God would give His angels to take charge over Jesus and protect Him. He told Him that He didn’t have to worry about getting hurt because the angels would catch Him if He was the Son of God. He quoted scripture and twisted it, trying to put doubt into Jesus’ mind.

Psalm 91:11-12 shows us that God’s angels were there with Jesus. That part was true. They are always there, next to us in times of trials and testing. But Jesus told the devil that He would not test God (Deuteronomy 6:16).

Jesus used words that were already written in the Bible.

Tested with His Divine Nature

The third test was for Jesus to worship the devil. He was tempting Him, telling Him that if He worshipped Him that He wouldn’t have to die on the cross. He didn’t have to pay the price to receive all things; Satan could give it to Him.

Satan does the same thing to us. He tells us that we don’t have to be holy and pure and be separated from this world. He tells us that we don’t have to pay the price. He tells us that we should live like everyone else, that we should have an easy life. Satan promises everything in this world if we will serve him. When you live for this world, you lose eternal life.

Satan is the king of this world; he had the authority to give Jesus everything in this world. But Jesus was the King of Kings. If He had failed this test, He would have given up His eternal throne for a position in this world. That would have been very foolish.

Jesus again used the Word of God to fight the devil (Deuteronomy 6:13).

To overcome temptation, we must speak the Word of God.

God bless you,
Pastor Sun Hui East