Mark 1:9-15
Ever since Eve caught sight of that juicy, ripe South Carolina peach hanging from that branch on the tree in the center of the Garden of Eden (at least for me it’s a peach; an apple wouldn’t have tempted me), temptation has been an issue for human beings. We are all tempted by something. Chocolate. Alcohol. Clothes. Cars. Books. Travel offerings. Shoes. Exercise equipment. Cookbooks. Seed packets. Attractive people. Good times. You name it. There’s someone who’s tempted by it.
Every Sunday, we pray in the name of Jesus, “Lead us not into temptation …” But how often do we think of the time that Jesus himself was led into temptation? In the Gospel of Mark, it hardly gets any mention at all. Just a couple of verses sandwiched in between a short version of his baptism and the beginning of his preaching ministry. Jesus had come from Nazareth and was baptized in the Jordan River by John. As he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Then he heard a voice from heaven say, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” And Mark says, “At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert. He was in the desert forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended him.” That doesn’t tell us very much, does it? The most important detail is that Jesus was sent out by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; this was something that was a part of God’s will for him.
We get a much more detailed account in Matthew and Luke about what transpired between Jesus and Satan over those forty days. There were three temptations that Satan presented. First, at the end of the forty days, when Jesus had been fasting and was very hungry, Satan told Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus responded that scripture says that man does not live by bread alone but by the word of God. Satan was essentially tempting Jesus to be the kind of Messiah who attracts people by feeding all those who are hungry. Wouldn’t it be something if we could provide food for everyone who needed it? If no one went to bed hungry tonight? If there was someone who had that power, wouldn’t they be sure to draw a crowd? But Jesus needed people to follow him because they believed in him and in what he taught, not because he could provide free food.
Second, Satan took Jesus up to the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem. Then he kind of dared him to throw himself off. He said, “If you really are the Son of God, then jump down, because God will command his angels to catch you before you hit the ground.” Jesus’s answer to that was, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” The real temptation here was to be the kind of Messiah who did miraculous stunts in order to impress people so that he could attract a crowd. In other words, have people follow him and believe in him because he could do such wondrous things. But that, too, was not the way Jesus needed it to be. He needed people to believe that the kingdom of God was coming on earth and that they needed to repent and believe the good news.
Finally, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their wealth, and he offered to give it all to Jesus if Jesus would just bow down and worship him. But Jesus quickly rebuked him by saying, “You are to worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” This was a temptation for Jesus to have power and wealth as great as anything the world had ever known. But Jesus had known the power and wealth of heaven and had chosen to give that up in order to come to the earth to reach human beings and draw them to God. He would never bow down to Satan to receive only earthly power and wealth. Something that Matthew, Luke and Mark all agree on is that after his temptation, Jesus was attended to by angels.
The question I have is, why was it necessary for Jesus to be led or sent into temptation? What was the purpose of it? I think part of the answer is found in the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews 2:18 it says, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” And in chapter 4 verse 15 it says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” Jesus was tempted so that he could understand what it is like for us to be tempted and can therefore help us face our temptations and overcome them.
And the other part of the answer is that Jesus was tempted at the beginning of his ministry so that he would be able to face the greater temptation that came at the end of his ministry. It was when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest. He had just finished sharing the Last Supper with his disciples and they had gone out to the garden where he spent time alone in prayer. He was apparently feeling tempted to avoid his arrest and crucifixion if at all possible. He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” He was in such distress that an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. Jesus was in anguish, and he prayed even more earnestly. And Luke tells us that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. And when he rose from his prayer and returned to where his disciples had been sleeping, he met those who had come to arrest him and he was taken into custody. He did not attempt to avoid what God had planned for him; he faced the cross with courage and conviction, knowing that it was God’s will and having overcome the temptation to take an easier path. It’s the reason we received salvation from our sins. And the reason that Jesus went on to be raised from the dead so that we might have eternal life.
Jesus was led into temptation twice in his life, and both times he was able to face it and overcome it. He knows what it is like to be tempted and he can help us when we find ourselves being tempted. He understands and he can show us the way to not give in to it. And we must be forever grateful that at the end of his ministry, Jesus was able to withstand the greatest temptation of all, the temptation to save his own life. He was willing to die for us. When I am led into temptation, I try to remember the price that Jesus paid for me, and it helps me make the choice to live for him.
