Last week, we read the incredible, powerful story of Jesus’ baptism. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and God spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” What a wonderful affirmation that was for Jesus as He marked the beginning of His public ministry.
Immediately after that remarkably special moment, Jesus faced a very dark and difficult test.
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
I want to pause here and point out a few important ideas.
First, the peaks of our spiritual highs are often followed by difficult lows. Life has its ups & downs. Make peace with it. Soak it up and savior the highs. And understand the lows won’t last forever. Be faithful and cling to your faith. Things will improve & there are more incredible victories coming. Don’t give up. Keep the faith.
Right after the high of Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted. And it specifically says it was the Spirit who led Him there. It was important for Jesus to be tested. A person’s real character is not revealed unless it’s tested. That’s true for everyone—even Jesus. People can dress up and look good on the outside, but when pressure squeezes a person, the juice comes out. That’s when you find out who they really are inside.
Third, I want to say Jesus understands what we go through because He went through it too. Jesus didn’t live a sheltered life. He faced all the same life struggles we all face. He even met the Devil face to face and it was awful. That’s why He told us to pray about it in the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” Even though temptation and evil are an inevitable part of our experience from time to time, Jesus encourages us to pray that God would protect us from them as much as possible. But for Jesus, in this chapter of His life, it was important for Him to face the Devil. And He did.
Matthew 4:2-112 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem,
to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If
you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You
must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high
mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I
will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told
him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[e]”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took
care of Jesus.
You may wonder, “Why did Jesus need to be tempted?” One reason is because we are. Hebrews 4:15 says of Jesus, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”
Another reason is explained in Romans 5:18-19. Jesus is the second Adam. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve were tempted and ate the forbidden
fruit. Their disobedience caused everything in creation to fall apart. That is why there is sin and suffering and
death and corruption in our world. It is
why the world and people are so broken. But Jesus is the second Adam. He
is obedient where Adam and all of Adam’s offspring (us) fail. Jesus’ obedience takes the place of our sin—fulfilling God’s original intent
for humankind.
Jesus’ response to Satan also shows us how we can resist the Devil too.
First, understand Satan’s plan. The Devil often tempts us the same ways he tempted Jesus: with physical needs (bread), power (control), and testing God (pride). Satan takes good things and twist and corrupts them. Food is a good thing, but if we overindulge it is bad for us. Power and influence can be used for good, but not if they require us to compromise godly values. And we can certainly rely on God to help us through our trials, but it is sinful pride to expect God to protect us when we do something stupid.
And notice, Satan’s strategy is often to come quoting Scripture to back up His evil temptations. (He tries to trick Jesus to jump off the highest point of the Temple by quoting Psalm 91.) But Jesus doesn’t fall for it because Jesus doesn’t just pick Scriptures to prove his own points. He knows the over-arching meaning of the whole Word of God. And we must know it too so that neither Satan (or anyone) can lead us to sin by quoting the Bible to us.
As Jesus said in John 8:44, “[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” So listen to 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”,
Second, Use the 5 Finger Defense
Technique.
1. Thumb – Stay Close to God through Prayer & Submission – The thumb is closest to you, reminding you to stay connected to God. Do this through Prayer and Submission. You will never be able to resist the Devil on your own. You need God’s help. And a life of prayer is the most important way to stay close to God where Satan cannot overcome you. Develop a strong, vibrant, regular prayer life.
2. Index Finger – Know & Use Scripture to Point to the Truth – Just like you use this finger to point, use God’s Word to point out the lies Satan tells you. But it’s important to KNOW the whole truth—not just over-simplistic random quotes from the Bible. Even Satan quotes Scripture. So ask yourself, “What is God really saying in Scripture? What is the whole Truth Jesus reveals?” Know Jesus’ Truth and live it!
3. Middle Finger – Guard Your Mind and Stay Pure – The tallest finger reminds you to rise above sin and keep your mind focused on God. Thoughts lead to actions. Heed the Apostle Paul’s advise in Philippians 4:8 – “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
4. Ring Finger – Avoid Triggers and Be Committed – Just like a wedding ring symbolizes commitment, commit to avoiding temptation. Examine the times you failed and fell to sin. Learn from your mistakes. What triggered you? How can you avoid those triggers in the future? Learn to be content with what God has already given you. Then, Satan’s temptations won’t entice you.
5. Pinky – Stay Faithful in Small
Things – The
smallest finger reminds you that even small, daily acts of obedience give you
strength to resist the devil. Satan
often starts eroding your faithfulness to God through little things. He’s not going to ask you to rob a bank right
from the start. He’ll start with
stealing a pencil. He won’s start by
asking you to cheat on your wife. He’ll
start by tempting you to lust after someone you see on TV. If you stand firm in the small things, Satan won’t be able to get through your defense and hit you with something bigger.
Remember: Jesus faced every temptation we do, yet He remained faithful. Through Him, we have the strength to resist the devil and walk in righteousness too. This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season where we refocus spiritually, just as Jesus did during His 40 days in the wilderness. It's a time for prayer and fasting, reflection, and drawing closer to God, resisting the distractions and temptations of this world. What will you do during the 40 days of Lent from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday to help you grow in faith?
