I. INTRODUCTION
A. It is impossible for God to be tempted by evil.
1. This is clearly stated in James 1:13-15 – "Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
2. Notice that the temptation of God is truly an impossibility. "God cannot be tempted by evil.” His holy nature is not in any way lured by sin.
B. However, Jesus, the Son of God, was tempted.
1. At first, this may appear to disprove the deity of Jesus. If God cannot be tempted, and Jesus was tempted, then how can Jesus be God?
2. Actually, Christ’s temptations prove His humanity. Consider a few passages of Scripture that address the Lord’s humanity:
a. John 1:1, 14 – "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
b. Philippians 2:5-8 – "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
c. Hebrews 2:14-18 – "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
3. The Son of God did not forfeit His deity when He became flesh, but He did take on the likeness of men. This likeness of men included the ability to suffer as a man, including pain, death, hunger, fatigue, and even temptation. All of this was necessary for Him to fill the role of our Savior.
II. JESUS WAS TEMPTED
A. Most notably, Jesus was tempted by Satan just before He began His ministry.
1. After forty days and nights of fasting in the wilderness, Satan came to Jesus with three series of temptations (Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).
a. First, Satan tempted Jesus to appease His physical appetite and prove Himself to be God’s Son by miraculously changing stones into bread.
b. Next, Satan tempted Jesus again to prove Himself to be the Son of God by casting Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and letting the angels save Him. Satan even quoted Scripture (Ps. 91:11-12) in his effort to tempt the Lord.
c. Finally, Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if He would fall down and worship the devil.
2. Jesus responded to each of these temptations by quoting Scripture.
a. To turn back the first temptation, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 – "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
b. When Jesus stood on the pinnacle of the temple, He answered Satan from Deuteronomy 6:16, saying, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
c. When the devil demanded His worship, Jesus answered from Deuteronomy 6:13 or 10:20, saying, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
B. Jesus was also tempted at other times.
1. Although the Bible does not record any specific events, it is likely that Jesus endured temptation during the course of His life as an ordinary man prior to His baptism by John.
2. In Luke’s account, the Bible states, "When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). This suggests that Christ’s temptations by Satan did not end at this time.
3. Later in His ministry, Jesus experienced the temptations of Satan indirectly through other sources.
a. In Matthew 16:1, we read that "the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.” Certainly, it would have been a temptation to prove Himself to His enemies by performing some great miracle, but Christ knew it was His Father’s will to prove Himself by the resurrection. See also Matthew 19:3; 22:18, 35; Mark 8:11; 10:2; 12:15; Luke 11:16; John 8:6.
b. In Matthew 16:23, when Peter denied that Jesus would suffer and die in Jerusalem, Jesus said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Peter had unwittingly become an agent of Satan, but Jesus did not give in to the temptation to indulge His human desire and avoid pain at the expense of His Father’s will.
c. In Matthew 26:53, Jesus acknowledged that He could appeal to His Father for twelve legions of angels to defend Him from His enemies, but He did not succumb to the temptation.
III. JESUS FELT WHAT WE FEEL
A. The temptations of Jesus were no less powerful or difficult than the temptations all people suffer.
1. Men have debated over the degree to which Jesus was tempted.
a. Some have denied that Christ could be tempted as other men because He is deity.
b. Some have described Christ’s temptations as being on a different level from other men’s.
c. Some are offended at the idea of Christ’s temptations because they confuse the differences between temptation to sin and actual sin.
2. However, the Scriptures are clear: Jesus was tempted in exactly the same way that we are tempted.
a. Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus "has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
b. Let each of us understand that in our most difficult moments of temptation when we must decide between righteousness and sin, Jesus had exactly the same experience.
c. If Jesus had not been capable as a man to give in to temptation, then He would not have been tempted at all. There can be no temptation when there is no choice to be made.
B. Being tempted allows Jesus to be a sympathetic high priest who understands mankind and can offer help.
1. As the Mediator and High Priest of the New Covenant, Jesus has the role of representing God to man and man to God. Only He is equipped to fill this role, for He has lived in the place of God and the place of man.
2. Suffering temptation qualified Jesus to accurately represent man and understand man’s experience. This was necessary for Him to become an effective, helpful, sympathetic High Priest for all Christians. Notice again these verses of Scripture:
a. Hebrews 2:18 – "For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
b. Hebrews 4:15 – "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
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IV. CONCLUSION
A. Let us take away from this lesson the knowledge that Jesus experienced exactly the same temptations that we suffer. His experiences were in no way different from our own.
B. Let us also take away from this lesson the determination to follow the example of Jesus in dealing with temptation. Remember, He was "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” We likewise must endure temptation, "yet without sin.”
C. Finally, let us take away from this lesson that our Lord and Savior has sympathy for us even when we sin. John wrote, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1John 2:1-2).