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. V : 3. What did the devil say ? Why did he attempt to insinuate doubt concern ing the deity of Christ? What did he ask our Lord to do? Could He have commanded the stones to become bread? V. 4. What did Jesus answer? From what Old Testament book did He quote? Why did He meet the temptation with a quotation from Scripture? Is it necessary for every Christian to be familiar with the Bible if he would be strong to endure temptation ? V. 5. To what place did the devil lead Jesus? What did he show Him? How did this temptation differ from the first? V. 6. What offer did the devil make? Did he have authority over the kingdoms, or was he>showing himself “the father of lies” ? In what limited sense is he. “the prince of this world” ? V. 7. On what condition did Satan o f fer to yield the kingdoms to Christ? If Christ had accepted the terms, would He have transferred allegiance from the Fath er to Satan? Would that have been a very serious matter ? V. 8. Whit weapon did Jesus use against the enemy (cf. Eph. 6:17)? From what Old Testament scripture did He quote? Did He positively refuse the en emy’s terms ? V. 9; To what place was Jesus led? What temptation to doubt was suggested? What did Satan ask Jesus to do? Vs. 10, 11. What scripture did Satan quote? Did he quote it correctly? What was. omitted? What difference does the omission make in the meaning and inter pretation? V. 12. What scripture did our Lord quote? What does it mean to “make trial of the Lord” ? Can we expect to be pro tected when we presumptuously run into danger ? V. 13. How many forms of temptation had the devil used? Why did he cease tempting on this occasion? Did he never tempt Jesus thereafter?. Was the vic tory of Jesus in the wilderness final and complete ? Did His victory mean any thing of value to us (Heb. 2:17, 18) ? * * * P ractical P oints 1. Jesus “received hot the Spirit by measure” (John 3:34). In this He dif fered from other men. In the power of the Spirit He wrought His miracles, He conquered Satan, He faced suffering and death. 2. Jesus did not seek temptation, nor should we do so. When led by the Spirit into our “wilderness,” we are safe if we know how to handle “the sword of the Spirit.” 3. The desire for food is perfectly legitimate. It would not have been right for Jesus to take Himself out of God’s hands by providing food for Himself through a miracle. 4. If the devil can insinuate a doubt into the mind of a tempted Christian, the first big step toward defeat has been tak en. 5. The temptation to worldly ambition , has caused many to fall. The Lord Jesus looked beyond Calvary and saw the glory that was to be His in the kingdom. Like- wisfe, He taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom.come.” The Christian has his Cross before he receives the crown (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17, 18). -
BLACKBOARD LESSON J e s u s Tempted fP)y SATAN a s ioas Lee.
food was natural and blameless. The dev il made an appeal to Him to satisfy His hunger by a method that would make Him assert His self-will and take Himself out of the hands of His Father. This temp tation was very similar to the serpent’s first assault upon man in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-15). V. 4. Jesus answered. Our Lord met each temptation with the Word o f God. From His youth, He had been taught the Scriptures, and in the emergency He had a ready weapon (Eph. 6:17). It is writ ten. More accurately, “it has been, writ ten” or “it stands written as an eternal lesson.” Not live by bread alone. This is quoted from Deut. 8 :3. Matthew (4: 4) gives a more complete quotation, add ing, “but by every word that proceedeth out o f the mouth of God.” Note that Jesus here met the tempter as a man, con quering for man. He put Himself, by His own choice, in the place of subjection to the Father (Phil. 2:6). V. 5. He. led him up. Matthew adds, “unto an exceeding high mountain” (Matt. 4 :8). Showed him all the kingdoms. This was a temptation to yield to “the lust of the eyes.” The kingdoms were His by right. The tempter urged Him to sieze the crown at once. Satan continued to suggest this temptation to Jestis during His public ministry. In a moment of time. The vision came like a flash. It suggested an easy and swift way to have all Messianic promises fulfilled. ; V. 6. To thee will I give. The devil i's always a liar.- The kingdoms did not belong to him, and, therefore, he could -not give them to any one. His grip upon the world is only partial and temporary. This authority, and the glory. The Lord Jesus came to take the kingdom and the glory. But, according to God’s plan, there must come first the suffering of the cross. Satan’s method was to leave out the cross. Hath been delivered unto me: The per fect tense implies “hath been given and is permanently mine.” In a limited sense, Satan is a world ruler (Eph. 6:12). A similar idea occurs in the expressions “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30) and “the prince o f the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). But Satan went too far when he implied that God had given him this world power as a permanent possession. To whomsoever I will. Here again the devil exaggerated. He has power and great authority (cf. Rev. 13:2), but there is One who is stronger than be (Lk. 11: 21 ). : > . . V. 7. I f thou therefore wilt worship. The word “worship” is perhaps used in the sense of paying homage and recog nizing allegiance to a superior. It would have meant for Jesus, had He yielded, an exchange of masters. 11 shall all be thine. The devil suggested an easy way to accomplish all that He had come to do. V. 8. It is written. Again He falls back upon the Word of God. Matthew inserts Christ’s command, “Get thee be hind me, Satan” (Matt. 4:10). Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God. This is quoted from Deut. 6:13. Note that Jesus did not argue with Satan. V. 9. On the pinnacle o f the temple. The exact spot cannot be known. I f thou art the Son of God. Another suggestion to doubt and a challenge to take Himself out of the Father’s will. Cast thyself down. This was a temptation to yield to “ the vain-glory of life.” Jesus was
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asked to show His trust in God by fling ing Himself down, with the implication that, if He alighted unharmed in the midst of the temple worshipers, He would at once be recognized and welcomed as the Messiah. V. 10. For it is written. Satan was quick to use for his own purpose the Word of God (Psa. 91:11, 12). H e shall give his angels charge. The tempter very shrewdly omitted the words, “in all thy Ways.” There is no protection promised to any who are not abiding “under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psa. 91:1). V. 11. On their hands they shall bear thee up. To have yielded to this tempta tion Would have meant a step not o f faith, but o f presumption. V. 12. Jesus answering. Our Lord did not refer to the devil’s perversion of Scripture, nor did He argue with him. Thou shalt not. make trial of the Lord. God has given assurance that He will guard His own when they are on His ter ritory; but He will not protect those who are on the enemy’s ground. Jesus was tempted many times to perform miracles in order to astonish the multitudes and increase His own popularity, but He stead fastly refused to do so (cf. Matt. 16:1-4). V. 13. The devil had completed every temptation. As Bengel puts it: “He had shot his last dart.” He had appealed to the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the vain-glory of life (1 John 2: 16) ; and he knew nothing else to do. De parted from him for a season. Or, “until an opportunity.” On many later occa sions, Jesus endured temptation (cf. Heb. 4:15). Satan never gives up, but he changes his tactics to suit the conditions. jc s|s s|e L esson Q uestions V. 1. In what unique sense was Jesus “ full o f the Holy Spirit” (cf. John 3: 34) ? What had occured at the Jordan just before this time? To what place was Jesus led? By whom was He led? V. 2. How long was Jesus tempted? Does the number forty have any special symbolic meaning in Scripture (cf. Ex. 34:18; Num. 14:34)? What does this temptation indicate about the personality of the devil? What form did the first temptation take ?
No Other Just Like It T he K ing ’ s B usiness fills a place in my life as a Christian that no other paper ever has. —From Grand Rapids, Mich.
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