Tempting, Isn’t It?

Robert Meischke. Trowel & Sword, July 1993

Preamble: When we think, and ministers/pastors preach about the Easter story, one aspect that may be overlooked is that of the temptation of Jesus. In this article Robert brings it to the fore, reminding us that we have a saviour who knows what we experience because He too has been there and done that. Many books have been written on the subject, but in this short article Robert absolutely nails it.

Tempting, Isn’t It?

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’  (Hebrews 4:14-16) 

The bite happens.
It happens when you see someone drop a twenty dollar note.
It happens when you walk past an empty car with its engine running.
It happens when you see the plastic covered magazines on the top shelf in the news agency.
It happens when you realise that sticking to the speed limit will make you ten minutes late.
It happens when someone asks you if you have heard the latest gossip.
It happens every time you start wanting something that know you shouldn't have. In fact, when we really sit down and think about it, it happens quite a lot.
We are tempted.

I have just given a few examples of how some of us might be tempted. You probably have a few things in your own mind that could replace some items on this list or even add to it.

The problem is that we seem to run into all sorts of temptations practically every day. Sometimes they are sexual. Sometimes they are financial. Sometimes they come at a time when our relationship or family life is at a low point. They come from many different sides and they vary in subtlety from a tickling feather to train smash.

We need to remember, though, that each and every temptation we face is spiritual. They all tease and hassle our relationship with God.

Mind you, most of us already know this. How many times have you said in your mind, ‘Don’t look now God, I’m about to give in again.’

Every time we struggle with a temptation, we are actually struggling with whether or not our relationship with God is the most important thing in our lives. No matter how big or how small the temptation might be, it all boils down to saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to God Himself. That is why James said, ‘whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it’ (James 2:10).

Dealing with temptation is a serious matter. In fact, without the grace of God in Christ, the ‘Hungry Jacks’ slogan, “Resistance is Useless,” would be true. Without the grace of God we simply would not be able to resist or fight any temptation at all, not even the little ones.

Now, perhaps you think that no other Christian struggles with a particular temptation as much as you do. Sometimes you might feel very lonely and guilty because your sin is too big or horrible to talk about with somebody else.

Or perhaps you think that your sin is one that God will not forgive you for or help you to overcome because it is too bad.

Every now and then we need to remember just how much our God understands our sinfulness and our need for His love and grace. We need to realise this so that we may have the confidence to trust Him when we really need Him to help us deal with temptation.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, the one high priest who stands in the presence of almighty God on our behalf, understands us better than we understand ourselves. He knows our thoughts. He knows our feelings and our struggles. He knows how strong and how subtle Satan’s temptations really are. He knows that Satan will try to lead us to hell and make us think that we are going to heaven.

Jesus knows that Satan will try to convince us that bad is good and that good is bad. Each temptation is designed to make us think that hell is really not such a bad place after all, if it really exists.

Jesus knows all this because He has experienced it. Every possible type of temptation that you could think of, Jesus has faced it. That is what this passage is saying. There is no temptation to sin that we face that Jesus has not already faced.

Have a look at the story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the desert in Luke 4. Satan wanted Jesus to turn His back on God and His own mission. He wanted Jesus to believe that if He did what Satan suggested then He would be doing the right thing. He even had the audacity to say, ‘If you worship me, it will all (the kingdoms of the world) be yours.’

Our Lord Jesus has been hit by every temptation in the book and He has defeated all of them. Not once did He give in and take what looked like the easy path, not even when He was called to come down from the cross to save Himself. He stayed on the cross and died so that we might be saved. He beat the power of the devil into a powerless pulp. Our Lord Jesus knows what we go through when we are tempted.

That is why we are now able to trust Him completely. What would be the point of turning to Jesus if we could not be sure that He could actually strengthen us to resist temptation. We know that He can because He has already done it.

So why not take God at His word? Why not stand and be counted as one who trusts God to give all the help and grace you need right now, no matter how trivial or how terrible your situation might be?

God is calling on us to approach Him with confidence and boldness because of what Jesus Christ has done. He is calling on us to pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation’, and really mean it. The devil is tempting us not to pray, trying to convince us that Jesus is not worth trusting. But thanks to Jesus, even that temptation has no power over us.

Rob Meischke

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