Covered in Dust: Jesus Was Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus was tempted. That fact alone gives me relief when I am going through the ringer day in and day out. There is nothing that I will go through that Jesus didn't go through also, and He did it without sin. We've all been in the desert; in fact we live in the desert (Arizona, get it!?). It's how we respond when our lives are in the desert that shows what we are made of. Jesus was tempted three times by Satan in the desert. He was there for forty days. In Jewish culture the time frame 40 days was symbolic. It meant a really long period of time. Can you imagine not eating, drinking, playing xbox360 for six weeks?! The idea of being denied some of these things we depend on, is too much to bare for some of us. This is where the celebration of Lent comes from; Jesus was tempted and was in the desert for 40 days, so during Lent people are challenged to fast or give something up for those six weeks. What would you give up if you were fasting?

The first temptation involved turning stones into bread. Jesus knew that God provides and He responded by stating that He gets His nourishment from every word that comes from God. The second temptation involved Jesus throwing himself off of the top of the temple and having angels rescue Him. Jesus said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." The third temptation of Satan was for Jesus to worship Him, and he would give Him control of everything He could see. But Jesus commanded Satan away because we are to worship the Lord our God alone. Jesus did not cave to temptation for basic human needs such as food and water; Jesus did not cave to temptation to test God and be spectacular; and Jesus did not cave to temptation to have power and glory from worshiping Satan. Jesus knew that our purpose, and our acceptance comes through and by God and God alone.