Matthew 4: 1-11
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’4 Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’5Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple. 6 ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘“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.”7 Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’10 Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Temptation, Seduction, Betrayal….
Don’t those words sound like a description of a movie or tv show? Yet, here it all is in the Bible. Jesus is alone, fasting 40 days and nights. Satan begins tempting Jesus. I love Jesus’ answer every time. “It is written”. First Satan asks Jesus to prove who he is by turning stone into bread. He wants Jesus to prove his power. I can relate, I want to “prove to others” that I have value, that I am good….
Second Satan goes to the core of Jesus’ identity…. “If you are the Son of God”… I often doubt who I am or who I should be when things don’t seem to go right….
Third Satan goes all out in a bribe… Satan actually wants Jesus to reject God and take over himself. I am tempted to take credit for things I could not do without God’s help. Satan is sly and moves in disguise making the temptation look fun, exciting, and beautiful. It is only when I am familiar with God’s Word that I can defeat him. It is then that I can also respond to temptations with “It is written.”
Jesus, help me to stay in touch with your Word, so I know what is written