Life of Christ

By Atif Himadeh

Life of Christ

Lesson 7

 Temptation of Jesus: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

             After Jesus was baptized, He was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit gives one power against temptation.  There are other things that give a believer power against the temptations of Satan, such as prayer and fasting.  After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit took Him to the wilderness, where He fasted forty days and forth nights.  When he grew hungry, Satan came to tempt Him.   

            Jesus wanted to show that He was a human being, tempted like all other human beings, but without sin.  When Satan came to tempt Him, he took advantage of Jesus’ hunger, trying to cast Him into doubt by saying, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”  It was as though Satan were implying, “There is room for doubt about whether you are the Son of God.  If you are indeed the Son of God, then turn these stones into bread.”  Through this temptation, Satan aimed to trap Jesus into committing two sins; first was for Jesus to doubt what God said when the Heavens were open and a voice said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” and the second was for Jesus to turn the stones into bread, breaking the commandment that says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  Caring about fleshly desires and satisfying the flesh are the roots of the act of disobedience through which sin entered the world.  Jesus rebuked Satan because He knew of his intentions and answered him with  profound wisdom: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  Jesus thereby thwarted Satan’s attempt to entrap Jesus into his temptation.  Satan did not submit to the disappointment but continued to tempt Jesus.  He took Him to the holy city, stood Him on the wings of the temple, and said, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.”  Just as in the first temptation, Satan cast doubt about whether Jesus was the Son of God.  Also, Satan wanted to trick Jesus into thinking that what was written in Psalms applied to somebody who throws himself.  In reality, Satan misquoted Psalm 91:11, 12: “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”  Satan replaced “to keep thee in all thy ways” with “cast thyself down.”  Angels care for and protect people who walk in the way of the Lord, not those who throw themselves from the wings of a temple.  If a person happens to fall, the angels will protect him and prevent him from dashing his foot against a stone.  However, one should not tempt the Lord God.  Jesus said: “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”  Jesus thereby put Satan in his place.  This verse from the Bible was like a two-edged sword that bruised Satan and defeated him once again.  Nevertheless, Satan took Him to a high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world and their glory, hoping to win this time.  He said, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”  Imagine that - the created thing asking the Creator to worship him – simply because He came down in the flesh of a human being.  But Satan’s dreams were shattered when Jesus answered, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”  Neither the lusts of the eye nor the pride of life will cause the Lord Jesus to fall; He is tempted like us in everything, but without sin.  How could He forget that He is the Creator to worship the created Satan?  How could He forget His glory and greatness in Heaven, His supreme authority on everything, and His authority in Heaven and on earth – to worship and serve Satan?  Jesus emerged out of this battle victorious over Satan, and He had him taste the bitterness of defeat and the cup of humiliation. 

 The First Disciples: John 1:35-46; Matthew 3:18-20 

            When John the Baptist’s disciples heard what their teacher told them about Jesus Christ, they left John and followed Jesus.  They were the first disciples: Andrew and John the Beloved.  It is certain that Andrew was one of them because John 1:40 mentions that Andrew was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.  As for the other disciple, his name is not actually mentioned, but since the writer of the Gospel of John is the only one who recorded this story in detail, it is probable that he (John the beloved) was the second one.  When Jesus saw them following Him, He said, “What seek ye?”  This was probably the first sentence that Jesus uttered in His ministry.  Jesus wanted to test the intentions of the two disciples, even though He knew their hearts.  They asked, “Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where dwellest thou?”  It was thus clear that the two disciples had confessed that Jesus was initially only a teacher to them.  They were ready to listen to His teachings.  Their question “Where dwellest thou?” showed that they wanted to go to His place of residence, where they would have the opportunity to spend time asking the questions that occupied their thoughts.  As a result of this time with Jesus, Andrew was so influenced that he spoke to his brother Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”  This was proof that Andrew had been completely convinced that Jesus was the Awaited Christ Who had come to save all of humanity from their sins.  Jesus surprised Peter when He came to him and said, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona.”  How great is our Lord Jesus Christ; He knows all of our names!  The Bible does not record that Jesus knows all of our names; neither does the Bible record that Andrew told Jesus that he had a brother named Simon or that he introduced Simon to Jesus as his brother.  Nevertheless, we see that Jesus looked at Simon and knew his name.  He also gave him another name, Cephas, which means Peter.  The word cephas meant “rock” in the language that Jesus spoke; the word peter is the same word in Greek.  Christ wanted to inform Peter of his position in the Church right from the first time they met.  Here we see Jesus’ predictive knowledge; first, He knew that Peter would believe in Him, and second, He knew that Peter would be enthusiastic in his service of Christ.  Who can know things before they happen besides Jesus the Son of God?  Jesus knew that Peter would one day stand and preach to multitudes, being filled with the Holy Spirit.  He would win 3,000 souls who would form the basis of the first church.  After this the disciples began to attract their friends to Jesus.  Peter found Philip, who found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  Nathaniel replied, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”  Philip said, “Come and see” (John 1:45-46).  Everybody thought that Jesus was the son of Joseph and that He had been born in Nazareth.  However, people’s opinions are not always correct.  They did not know that Jesus had been conceived of the Holy Spirit or that He had been born in Bethlehem, where it had been predicted that the Messiah would be born.  Nevertheless, Philip did not yield to Nathaniel’s opinions because He had met Jesus, believed in Him, and had been convinced that He was the Messiah.  That is why he said to Nathaniel, “Come and see.”  We can attract people in our present age in the same way that Philip used.  We can tell someone, “Come to Jesus. Jesus, Who died did not remain the tomb but rose victorious over death and is sitting at the right hand of the Great Throne.  If you believe on Him, you can have eternal life.  Come, my brother, to Jesus and see what He can do for you.”  This chapter was crowned with Jesus’ predictive knowledge about the disciples that had been brought to Him.  Truly, Jesus knew all who followed Him and all who believed on Him, without exception.  In John’s first chapter, he mentions very little about Jesus’ predictive knowledge.  Neither does he tell us much about His knowledge of what happens in other places, like when He told Nathaniel, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”  Nathaniel was surprised and asked Him, “Whence knowest thou me?”  Jesus said, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”  This was the incontrovertible piece of evidence that convinced Nathaniel.  He said, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”  Human beings are limited in their vision.  Nathaniel was extremely distant in the wilderness under the fig tree.  The Bible does not record what he was doing, but there must have been many thoughts running through his mind.  He must have thought, “Here I am in the wilderness.  Nobody can see me except for God.”  Later, after Jesus had spoken to him, he must have thought, “Jesus saw me under the fig tree, knew my name, and knew my heart.  He must be the Messiah, the Son of God.”  After that, Jesus answered Nathaniel and said to him, Thou shalt see greater things than these.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”  Did Nathaniel, when he was under the fig tree, think of Jacob, who saw a ladder leading to Heaven with angels ascending and descending it?  Did he wish to see in a dream what Jacob saw?  Whether Nathaniel had these thoughts or not, his eyes did see the true ladder, the only one between Heaven and earth.  Nobody can ascend to Heaven except through Jesus Christ.  As Jesus said, “Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”  The God of Heaven came in the flesh of a human being to be the ladder, the only mediator between God and men.  Paul the apostle said, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5).   

            Come with me today to Jesus; believe that He is the Son of God Who came to this world in flesh to die on the cross and shed His blood for the world, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  Believe that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men, and you will reach the Father.  Confess Jesus before people and Jesus will confess you before the Father in Heaven.  “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).  Did you seek out your brother after believing in Jesus, to tell him that you had found a Savior Who was able to forgive all of your sins?  Do you realize that whoever is certain that his sins have been forgiven and that he has received God’s mercy wants his brother and all of his loved ones to also receive free salvation, which is presented freely by God’s grace through faith and not through works?  Who brought Peter the apostle to Christ?  It was Andrew the apostle.  People have forgotten Andrew.  Jesus, however, will never forget what Andrew did.  What have you done since you believed on Christ?  Did you do what Philip did, who searched until he found his friend Nathaniel and brought him to Jesus, so that he could believe on Him?  You might say, “Jesus is not living on earth today; I cannot bring my friend to Him.”  You are wrong, my friend.  Jesus is present with us here; His words are in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of believers.  He is present wherever two or three gather in His name.  Do you desire to meet Jesus?  Go wherever two, three, or more are gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, and Jesus will be there.  You can hear the voice of Jesus telling you, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  If you believe on Him you will have eternal life.  Has one of your friends or family members believed because you told him or her about Jesus? 

            Even today Satan continues to use Psalms to tempt believers.  Because he knows that everybody likes Psalms, he likes to counterfeit them to cause them to fall into temptation and to tempt the Lord God, Creator of Heaven and earth.  Satan’s goal when he is tempting believers with Psalms is always to remove a part of the verse or chapter in order to let a person fall into sin and disobedience.  Psalms in our present age are used by magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers to deceive people into believing that magic is accepted by God.  Satan still imitates Jesus by saying “It is written;” all false teachers use the Bible as a cloak to cover up the falsity of their teachings.  They take a verse and interpret it in a way contrary to another verse.  However, Jesus said, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

             I once met some people who were spinning a key suspended on a lanyard and reading the Psalms to find out if they would pass their final examinations.  They read the Psalm and the key spun.  The girl was happy because she thought she would pass.  However, she was crushed to find out after taking the test that she had failed.  Satan continues to lie to people and lead them astray.  Do not listen to his voice, but to God’s voice.  God did not write the Psalms for purposes of magic.  God did not write the Bible to be used in witchcraft, sorcery, or magic.  God says that magicians will go to the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8). 

             Jesus came to this earth to save the world.  He did not come to rule on earth; He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and does not need to rule on earth.  He is not of this world.  His disciples are not of this world: “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”  Therefore, every one of Jesus’ disciples needs to refuse to worship Satan, even if Satan were to give him all of the kingdoms of the world.  Some of Jesus’ disciples in the Middle Ages did worship Satan, who gave them the kingdoms of this world.  They ruled those kingdoms in the name of Christ, who had nothing to do with their exploits.  Jesus did not come to rule over the kingdoms of the earth.  He came to rule over the hearts of people.  The true disciple of Christ is the one that fights with the word of the Lord Jesus, not with sword or rifle.  The true disciple of Christ does not have a right to religious or civil authority.  His duties are cut out for him: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”  Satan needed to worship Jesus Christ because God ordered all of the angels to worship Him: “And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6).  When Satan refused to worship Jesus, he disobeyed God.  Not only did he not worship Jesus, but he tempted Him by saying, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”  Satan thought that Jesus would fall into sin.  He is standing before God asking Him, “How do you want me to worship a sinful human being?”  When he was unable to make Jesus sin, he told Him, “All [the kingdoms of the world] will I give thee, if thou wilt…worship me.”  However, Jesus rules over the entire universe; everything in Heaven and earth was created by Him and for Him.  The kingdoms of Satan are not his; they belong to Jesus.  Jesus is the Son of Man who is present on earth; He is also in Heaven and rules over all of the kingdoms.  Jesus said to Satan, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”  Jesus was telling Satan, “You have been commanded to worship Me but you have come to ask me to worship you.  How sly you are.”  Satan fled and told his followers, “God is the deceiver of deceivers.  He asked me to worship Adam, who is a human being made of dust, while I am an angel made of fire.  How could God order me to worship Adam when He said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve”?  Satan did not tell the truth because God ordered Lucifer (Satan) to worship the second Adam, Jesus Christ – Son of God, God in flesh.  Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God, but he dreamed and hoped that God in flesh would fall into sin so that he could lift his throne above God’s.  However, when he failed to cause Jesus to fall into sin, he began to feed fictitious stores to his followers through his prophets.  The first lie that he invented so that people would stop reading the Word of God, was that the Word of God is not correct, that it has been counterfeited.  Who can believe this when Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).  Satan continues to this day to try to deceive people’s hearts so that they believe him.  He always tempts people so do not listen to his voice. 

 Questions 

1. How many days did Jesus fast?
2. How did Satan tempt Jesus?
3. How many times did Satan tempt Jesus?
4. Did Satan use the Psalms?
5. Did Jesus doubt that He was the Son of God?
6. Did Jesus worship Satan?
7. Did God command all angels to worship Jesus?
8. If worship is to God alone, then why did God order worship to Jesus?
9. Who was the first disciple who followed Jesus to be mentioned in the Gospel of John?
10. What did Jesus say to Simon when He saw him for the first time?
11. What was Simon named Cephas?
12. Who preached to and won 3,000 souls on the Day of Pentecost?
13. Whom did Philip look for, find, and bring to Jesus?
14. What did Nathaniel say about Jesus?
15. What did Jesus say to Nathaniel about Himself? 

Lesson 6