Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted... and the tempter came...-- Matthew 4:1,3
The life of faith is not necessarily an easy one. Some might propose it to be. Their doctrine is Christianity-light. Worse, they may expound that the true person of faith should not know pain, sickness, loss, or crisis of belief. And if he or she experiences these, it is due to lack of faith. This is not the real world. And this is not true Christianity. Some feel-good prophets go as far to claim they are above (or beyond) temptation; and that this is a goal of the Spirit-filled life.
Only one whose feet have touched the dust of this earth has lived perfectly. Yet none has more deeply known rejection, slander, or loneliness.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
-- Isaiah 53:3
And none who has come since (or before) has known temptation to the degree that Jesus was tempted. His ministry began with temptation - in a lonely wilderness; and it ended with temptation in a garden. (I don't think I am reading too much into the spiritual, emotional and physical battle that produced bloody sweat drops.)
Jesus taught us to pray that we not be led into temptation (Matthew 6:13). Yet he was. Why? He didn't, with his wilderness victory, win the right to be Messiah. That is who he was. He was the Word become flesh, the Creator become creation. He had nothing to prove. No, I believe his temptation was for our benefit.
Through Jesus' temptation we understand:
- Temptation is not a mark of failure. It is not sin to be tempted. We all, he included, know temptation. As long as we breathe we will face temptation's subtle allure.
- He understands our weakness. We have a ...high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses... (Hebrews 4:15). And though he never failed, he loves us in the midst of our failures.
- We too can overcome. We can overcome because Jesus overcame - not just temptation, but death, sin and hell. And the Great Overcomer stands with us in every circumstance.
Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee. --James 4:7
That is exactly what Jesus did in the desolate wilderness. And it is what he calls us and empowers us to do still.
Temptation is inevitable. And that is a good thing. It means we are alive. It means our spirit is alive and struggling daily to follow our Creator.
Two final thoughts:
- Though temptation is inevitable, failure is not.
- However, when we do fail, we never fail beyond the reach of God's grace.
God, lead me away from temptation. But I won't fear it when it comes. You are with me. And you have overcome.
For now...
D
