Desert Temptations - Part 5

(See parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 also.)

We've been discussing Jesus' temptations in the desert. They seem to be fundamental to his work here and to Israel as a whole. They seem to reflect the temptations that Israel faced in their exodus from Egypt. The importance of this event took root in our hearts when we looked at the writings of Jesus' three closest talmidim, Peter, James, and John.

Peter talks about trials and temptations often in his first letter. Consider I Peter 5:8-9:

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Was Peter equating the evil one to the lion that will be trampled in Psalm 91? Peter definitely points us in these verses to Jesus' temptations and how He overcame them.

Who can forget how James begins his epistle (James 1:2-4)?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I have yet to consider temptations as "pure joy" but maybe Jesus did after he came through them. Maybe that is a key to getting through them and growing during the process. Sounds brutal.

Look at James 1:13-15:

¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

He describes a three part process to temptation and sin: conception, birth, and death. Three parts of Jesus' temptation are highlighted in Matthew. Are these related?

And then John, in his first letter, says it profoundly:

¹⁶For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Again, three parts to sin: the lust of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life (see the KJV and the 77's). These are reflected in Matthew's recollection of Jesus' temptations.

We wondered if this process played out with Eve, with Samson, with David, with others and with us. And then we finally moved on to the beginning of Jesus' ministry in the rest of Matthew chapter 4.