This fall, I am teaching our high school Sunday school class and three weeks in, I am enjoying it immensely. The conversation is rich and thought-provoking, and it is making me get down to the serious truths for exactly what they are - truth. We are using one of RYM’s interactive Bible studies on justification called, Right with God. I recommend it if you are in need of some material for high school age or above students; it asks good questions and provides space for students to speak and actively participate rather than just listen.
This last week, we talked about perfect obedience. We looked at two Scripture passages, Matthew 4 and Genesis 3. In prepping for Sunday, I was just overwhelmed with a realization I knew on the surface level, but had never faced deep down. I felt compelled to share it with you all that we might grow closer to our Lord and Savior.
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.3 The 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.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand 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.’”
8 Again, 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.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
The first question the study asks is, “How do you think Jesus was feeling on the day that he was tempted?”
I read this question and chuckled. Jesus died on the cross for us, so anything besides that would have been easy, right? How do you think he would be feeling? He is fully God - bigger and greater than this situation - but it’s always been hard for humans to understand this, as Church history attests:
“After decades of exegetical and theological arguments against Arianism [the belief that denied the divinity of Christ], a church council was called in AD 381 at Constantinople. There, church leaders reaffirmed the decisions of the Council of Nicea on the deity of Christ, and the fact that the Holy Spirit is also truly God was also clarified. The end result was the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which Christians around the world confess today, usually referring to it as the Nicene Creed.” (Ligonier, 2014)
Jesus is all-knowing, so he knew what would happen; but he also knew he would not give in. He knew that He would come to crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). He knew He would have victory in the end. What an awesome God we serve that His own Son could take on Satan in the wilderness and not give into temptation! This is how Jesus as the Son of God probably felt.
But what about Jesus as fully man? What about Jesus of Nazareth who was born in a stable into a very broken world? What about Jesus who was hungry? Jesus who was tired? How would this Jesus have felt? He would have felt how we feel. Vulnerable. Exposed. Broken. Exhausted. Terrified. Lost. He would have had a really hard time at resisting the temptation put before him. Just as we would.
This is humbling. Jesus as a man was just like us. I often forget how much Jesus can relate to us. How he felt both sides as fully God and fully man, we will never fully understand, but it’s important that we try. The same Ligonier article quoted above says this about Christ’s humanity:
“Jesus' humanity is as important to our salvation as His deity. Because He was and remains truly human as well as truly divine, Jesus atoned perfectly for our sin and helps us in our temptation. He can save us and sanctify us because He is one of us without sacrificing any of His deity.” (Ligionier, 2014)
Because of his humanity, Jesus understands temptation and vulnerability and helps us overcome our sin to grow closer to our Lord and Savior. The study goes on to say,
“We often think of Jesus’ saving work as just what he did on the cross, but it was much more than that. (Actually, it continues to be much more than that). Jesus’ whole life was our salvation, not just our death. How fortunate we are to have Jesus on our side.” (RYM Study on Justification)
Thank you, Jesus, for not only your sacrifice on the cross, but for your sacrifice in the wilderness. No one should have had to endure either of those things, yet you did so willingly that we might be saved. This was a good reminder for me and I hope it was helpful for you.