Temptation

[HKHaugan]

Matt.4:1 “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”

Here begins the single most important process in the history of human experience. It is the process God gave man to discover who he is, why is here and where he is headed. Given by God, it is a spiritual process that takes place within. It is an invisible spiritual process that defines us by our visible behavior. Through it we know God, we know ourselves and we know each other. It also defines the nature of good and evil, what is right, what is wrong and the blocks that keep us from being fully human.

The process is choice, decision-making and it starts within, in the mind, in the heart and in our spirit. It is a spiritual process given by God to enjoy Him, one another, our environment and us. It is the choices and decisions made apart from God and His Word that have led to the world being so broken in fear, pride, greed, hostility and division on every level. We have to realize it didn’t just get that way without direction. It started coming unglued at a specific identifiable point in an identifiable way through an identifiable force. The process of decision-making became flawed by Adam and Eve when, tempted by the devil, chose to think and decided to act apart from God.

In becoming human Jesus used this process perfectly. Every moment of His life on earth was absorbed in choosing to obey His Father’s will and deciding to act in the Spirit as the Word informed Him. What Jesus did in facing temptation was to identify and expose the perpetrator and strategy that flawed the process. He revealed and defined the nature of spiritual reality. He revealed the way to make choices and decisions that heal and restore the individual heart to God, to others and to self.

In the three temptations recorded in Matthew we see the basic dynamics the devil has used since Eden to destroy God’s people and His world. In those temptations we can see how they are the basis for all the subtleties the devil has in his arsenal. Remember, the devil has been around for a long time. He has a lot of experience, a lot of hate for God and a lot of hate for each one of us. That is why he remains aloof and hides in the darkness. He hates to be seen and does his best shift blame, reflect guilt and get our eyes away from God any way he can. He is the father of lies, son of perdition and his spirit is sin, the unholy trinity. The restlessness, guilt and inner turmoil in humanity can be traced to him. He is the anti-way, the anti-truth and the anti-life.

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or letter. (2Thess.2:13-15)."