The Temptations Of Jesus Christ
This article examines the Biblical account of Jesus's temptations in the wilderness, as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-12. The analysis focuses on how these encounters reveal important theological insights about Jesus's identity, particularly regarding His relationship with God the Father. While the devil attacked Jesus's identity, this interaction confirmed that He was truly the Son of God.
The Biblical Account
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 Jesus was hungry.
And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command His angels concerning you,’ (Psalm 91:11)
and
‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (Psalm 91:12)
Jesus said to him, "Again it is written,
'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Deuteronomy 6:16)
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" (Matthew 4:10; cf. Deuteronomy 6:13)
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
— Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV); Luke 4:1-12
The Nature of the Temptations
The devil's temptations challenged:
- Jesus's identity: "if you are the Son of God..."
- Jesus's faith in God's provision: instead of waiting for God, "command these stones to become loaves of bread"
- Jesus's faith in God's protection: "throw yourself down ... they will bear you"
- Jesus's faith in God's plan: "all these I will give you" (for an easier calling)
Theological Implications
These temptations indicate that Jesus was not God Himself. Yet the devil did not make a mistake, but knew exactly who God was (James 2:19).
If Jesus was God, He would have led, yet Jesus was led by another Spirit (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1).
God cannot be tempted (James 1:13), this would have been a pointless exercise for the devil (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15) if Jesus was God.
If Jesus was God, the devil would have requested Jesus to prove that, but instead the devil only asked Jesus to prove that He is the Son of God (Luke 4:3, 9).
In the same context Jesus defended Himself with Deuteronomy 8:3 which teaches that mankind should rather obey God than to satisfy hunger. Jesus applies that scripture to His own situation (Luke 4:4) which implies:
- Jesus is part of mankind, because the scripture applied to Him,
- Jesus would not make His own plans to survive, but trust that whatever God told Him would come true.
If Jesus was truly tempted, as written in Matthew 4:1 and Luke 4:2, then it would mean that Jesus did not have all authority at that moment, otherwise the devil's offer for more kingdoms (Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:5-6) would not have been a temptation to Jesus, because God already owns everything (Psalm 24:1).
Jesus referred to God as Someone distinct from Himself (Matthew 4:6-7; Luke 4:12).
If Jesus was God, it would not have made sense for the devil to even try to ask Jesus to worship him (Luke 4:7) because God would have had no motivation to worship anything. But if Jesus was a human who knew that He would be crucified, then this temptation could have been a convenient shortcut to bypass the suffering He knew He would endure and instantly receive power and glory with very little effort and still "save" His people.
Jesus never told the devil that the devil should worship Him, but instead warned the devil that only God should be worshipped as another party. This implies that both He and the devil knew that He is not God. (Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8)
The devil quotes a scripture of God commanding His angels to protect Jesus (Matthew 4:5-7; Luke 4:9-11). If Jesus was God then the devil would have quoted the wrong scripture and Jesus would have had no need to respond. Yet, the devil knew exactly who and what God was (James 2:19).
Conclusion
The wilderness temptations provide significant theological evidence regarding Jesus's identity. The nature of the temptations, Jesus's responses, and the devil's approach all indicate that Jesus functioned as the Son of God rather than as God Himself during this encounter. This understanding is supported by multiple scriptural references and the logical consistency of the temptation narrative itself. The fact that Jesus was led by the Spirit, could be genuinely tempted, referred to God as distinct from Himself, and was offered kingdoms He did not already possess all affirm His identity as the Son of God in relationship with God the Father.