Bible Questions and Answers

Who is Jesus talking to when he was tempted? Luke 4:1-13

Satan is the transliteration of a Hebrew word which means adversary.

Jesus calls Peter Satan: Matthew 16:23Peter was an adversary because he was thinking as a man.

This was Jesus’ problem in the wilderness. He was a man, made like his brethren. Hebrews 2:17

He was tempted in all points tempted in the same way that we are. Hebrews 4:15

Temptation comes from within.Mark 7:21-23; James 1:14,15

There are three primary temptations which we all face:1 John 2:16

These are the three temptations that Eve succumbed to with the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Genesis 3:6It was this failure that made the life and sacrifice of Jesus necessary.Following his baptism and his anointing with the unlimited power of the Spirit of God, the three temptations that Jesus faced in the wilderness came from within. His own natural desires were a temptation to him.

The conversation took place in his own mind, but his adversarial thoughts are personified in the narrative.

Temptation 1 — The lust of the flesh.

• Jesus was very hungry and had the power to turn stones into bread. He was tempted to use the power of God for his own gratification.
• Answer — It is more important to obey God, than feed our fleshly desires.

Temptation 2 - The lust of the eyes

• In his mind’s eye (there are no literal mountains high enough to do this) Jesus saw the kingdoms of the world becoming subservient to him — this is his destiny. Only he had the power to make them his own. No third party called Satan has control over the kingdoms of this world — they are given into the hands of man. Jesus is tempted to take control of them with the power that he possessed and in doing so avoid crucifixion. This would amount to worshipping himself — doing his own will and not God’s.
• Answer — God is the only one to be worshipped. His will must take precedence over ours.

Temptation 3 — The pride of life

• In his mind’s eye Jesus thinks of jumping from the top of the Temple in Jerusalem and landing unharmed to convince the Jewish leaders that he is their promised Messiah. He could rely on the angels to protect him. He would demonstrate beyond doubt that he was superior to all other men.
• Answer — We are not to put God to the test for our own aggrandisement.

The downside of course is that Jesus was mortal and though he had the power to gain mastery over the whole world, it would prove temporary. He would grow old and die. His God-given mission would fail. No one would be saved including himself.

He uses scripture — the inspired words of God — and succeeds in overcoming these temptations at a point where he was at a low ebb - weak after 40 days of fasting.The temptations left him for a time, but we can easily understand that they would recur during his ministry. Luke 22:42

May I suggest that you read Do You Believe in a Devil? (please click on the title)

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn