Jesus Tested in the Wilderness
by Owen Borville
April 29, 2019
Bible
The account of Jesus Christ being tested in the wilderness as described in the Gospel of Matthew gives strong lessons for all of us. Being the promised Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of Man, the account of Jesus being tested for his faith in the wilderness is an important part of his humanity. The acknowledgement of the humanity of Jesus is a very important part of the Christian faith, as God sent Jesus into the world inside a human body to fulfill his mission and plan for humanity and to experience the life of a human being. Jesus is clearly the "God-man" and represents God in flesh as described by Christian scholars while also being the mediator between God and man. Jesus Christ is the best representation of God in human form and he is the closest one to God. Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Matthew (verses 1-11) describes three instances where Jesus was tested for his faith.
The first test came when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and Satan urges Jesus to turn some stones into bread and eat them. Jesus answers:
It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4.
This statement by Jesus is also a fulfillment of the law written in the Book of Deuteronomy as the Israelites were living in the wilderness after being delivered from Egypt:
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3.
The message is that while we need bread or food to survive, bread alone cannot completely fulfill our well-being, including our spiritual and emotional well-being. Anyone who claims that we do not need God is in error and is in sin. The temptation of Satan is that we do not need God in our lives and that we can live life successfully without any need for God. However, this belief is a strong mistake and will lead to a path of destruction and ultimately an eternity apart from God and his blessings. Just as the Israelites were tested for their faith in the wilderness after being delivered out of Egypt, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, Son of God, and the promised Messiah for both the Jewish nation and of all humanity was also tested in the wilderness for his faith.
The second test came when Satan encouraged Jesus to throw himself from the Temple high point and God would save him. Jesus replied:
It is also written: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Matthew 4:7.
This statement is also a fulfillment of the law written in the Book of Deuteronomy:
Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Deuteronomy 6:16.
God often tests our faith but we cannot test God because He is the Creator and has the supreme authority. We are his creation and must respect his authority and cannot question his ways or put him to the test. This is simply part of the nature of God and is a fundamental characteristic of the nature of God. He is the Creator and demands respect from his creation. However, He is also a God of love and he will bless those who love him and respect his authority.
Satan even references a scripture verse to test Jesus' faith:
He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Matthew 4:6, Psalm 91:11-12.
However Jesus was not tempted to fall into Satan's deceptive trap. While God does promise to protect his faithful servants just as he did in Psalm 91, we are taught not to put God to the test. God will protect his faithful followers, however we are not to purposefully test God in such a manner as Satan attempted to convince Jesus to do.
The third test came when Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all of the kingdoms of the world and their splendor promised to give Jesus all of this if he would bow down and worship him. Jesus replied:
Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Matthew 4:10.
This statement is also referenced from the Book of Deuteronomy and a fulfillment of the law:
Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 6:13.
The temptation of Satan is that we would have more success if we would not follow God's commandments and follow non-Biblical ideas and worldviews. However, God's word clearly teaches that His blessings come only from obedience and following His words and commandments. If we want God's blessings, we must follow his commandments and not follow and other contradictory laws or ideas. There are many ideas and philosophies in this world today that contradict God's commandments and we must not be tempted to pursue any of these ideas that contradict God's teachings. Non-Biblical ideas may lead to temporary success, however God is the ultimate authority and those who go against God's teachings will not be fully blessed and place their eternal salvation in jeopardy.
by Owen Borville
April 29, 2019
Bible
The account of Jesus Christ being tested in the wilderness as described in the Gospel of Matthew gives strong lessons for all of us. Being the promised Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of Man, the account of Jesus being tested for his faith in the wilderness is an important part of his humanity. The acknowledgement of the humanity of Jesus is a very important part of the Christian faith, as God sent Jesus into the world inside a human body to fulfill his mission and plan for humanity and to experience the life of a human being. Jesus is clearly the "God-man" and represents God in flesh as described by Christian scholars while also being the mediator between God and man. Jesus Christ is the best representation of God in human form and he is the closest one to God. Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Matthew (verses 1-11) describes three instances where Jesus was tested for his faith.
The first test came when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and Satan urges Jesus to turn some stones into bread and eat them. Jesus answers:
It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4.
This statement by Jesus is also a fulfillment of the law written in the Book of Deuteronomy as the Israelites were living in the wilderness after being delivered from Egypt:
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3.
The message is that while we need bread or food to survive, bread alone cannot completely fulfill our well-being, including our spiritual and emotional well-being. Anyone who claims that we do not need God is in error and is in sin. The temptation of Satan is that we do not need God in our lives and that we can live life successfully without any need for God. However, this belief is a strong mistake and will lead to a path of destruction and ultimately an eternity apart from God and his blessings. Just as the Israelites were tested for their faith in the wilderness after being delivered out of Egypt, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, Son of God, and the promised Messiah for both the Jewish nation and of all humanity was also tested in the wilderness for his faith.
The second test came when Satan encouraged Jesus to throw himself from the Temple high point and God would save him. Jesus replied:
It is also written: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Matthew 4:7.
This statement is also a fulfillment of the law written in the Book of Deuteronomy:
Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Deuteronomy 6:16.
God often tests our faith but we cannot test God because He is the Creator and has the supreme authority. We are his creation and must respect his authority and cannot question his ways or put him to the test. This is simply part of the nature of God and is a fundamental characteristic of the nature of God. He is the Creator and demands respect from his creation. However, He is also a God of love and he will bless those who love him and respect his authority.
Satan even references a scripture verse to test Jesus' faith:
He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Matthew 4:6, Psalm 91:11-12.
However Jesus was not tempted to fall into Satan's deceptive trap. While God does promise to protect his faithful servants just as he did in Psalm 91, we are taught not to put God to the test. God will protect his faithful followers, however we are not to purposefully test God in such a manner as Satan attempted to convince Jesus to do.
The third test came when Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all of the kingdoms of the world and their splendor promised to give Jesus all of this if he would bow down and worship him. Jesus replied:
Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Matthew 4:10.
This statement is also referenced from the Book of Deuteronomy and a fulfillment of the law:
Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 6:13.
The temptation of Satan is that we would have more success if we would not follow God's commandments and follow non-Biblical ideas and worldviews. However, God's word clearly teaches that His blessings come only from obedience and following His words and commandments. If we want God's blessings, we must follow his commandments and not follow and other contradictory laws or ideas. There are many ideas and philosophies in this world today that contradict God's commandments and we must not be tempted to pursue any of these ideas that contradict God's teachings. Non-Biblical ideas may lead to temporary success, however God is the ultimate authority and those who go against God's teachings will not be fully blessed and place their eternal salvation in jeopardy.
