A Meditation on the Testing of Jesus in the Desert

Today I wanted to write out a meditation on a famous event in the life of Jesus – the testing of Jesus by Satan in the desert.  I want us to look at each of the three temptations and exploring their meaning.

But before we do that, we need to do a bit of background on the person of Lucifer / Satan.  So… let’s go ahead and do that.


The Prophets:

The prophetic literature of the Old Testament has a tendency to skip from one subject to the next.  There are pair of instances where the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah were speaking against some ancient kings when they suddenly switched to describing Satan.

Ezekiel describes the original state of Lucifer and his fall:

“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you. Your settings and mountings were made of gold. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.  

Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” - Ezekiel 28:12–18 

So we read that Lucifer was the most glorious of the angels and he received a prominent place in the stewardship of creation.  However, Lucifer’s majestic qualities got to his head and he became proud, thus resulting in his fall.

Isaiah gives us more detail on the precise nature of Lucifer’s rebellion:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!  

You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven! I will raise my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon!  I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High!’  

But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit.” - Isaiah 14:12–15

What we see here is Lucifer becoming so conceited that he wanted to be reckoned as equal to God.

What does that mean? I will offer an idea.


The Devil’s Complaint:

The angels were not created in the state of glory they exist in now.  Like us, they were given a period of testing – a chance to choose for or against God.

Lucifer began thinking about the nature of freedom.  What does freedom consist in?  There are two options:

• Freedom is the ability to sovereignly act in whatever way you desire.
• Freedom is the ability to act in accordance with your proper nature.

In the latter option, Lucifer would fulfill his purpose as an angel.  He would enjoy the contemplation of the essence of God - praising Him forever.  And whatever role of stewardship Lucifer was given over the created order, he would govern it in accordance with God’s will.  That is one choice.

But in steps the doubt… is that really freedom?  He thinks:

“If I am always doing what God wants me to do, am I really free?  Am I not just a puppet?  Is that truly the realization of my potential as a rational creature?  Maybe that would be appropriate for lower creatures… like man… but I am the most glorious of angels!  Why can I not do whatever I think is best?  Why does God alone get to enjoy that privilege of pure freedom?”

A Neighbor, not a Son:

Lucifer wanted to relate to God in the way a man relates to his neighbor. They can be on good terms, but they are independent of one another on account of their equality.  One has no right to rule over the other – to say to him, “This is what you ought to do.”

But that is not a relationship which God can offer to His creatures on account of them being creatures.  God cannot deny His  primacy and authority over Lucifer any more than I can deny that Fulton is my son.  Likewise, Lucifer cannot rationally deny his dependence and responsibility to God any more than James can deny I’m his father.

Those relationships are not optional, they are a matter of fact.  God could offer the angels the chance to be rebellious children, but He cannot offer them the chance to not be children at all.  God cannot offer the sovereignty which Lucifer desired.

Thus, Lucifer’s mind was turned against God – seeing Him not as a loving Father, but as a selfish tyrant who was limiting his freedom.  Thus, he conclude that the only way he would prove his freedom as a rational creature was to declare himself to be just as sovereign as God.  To claim equality with God.

That is his backstory.  Now let’s look at what happened with Satan interacted with his Maker in the desert.


Two Times Three:

The exchange between Jesus and the devil takes place at the conclusion of Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert.  He offers three temptations to Jesus.

There are two ways of interpreting this event.  The first way is that Satan wasn’t sure if Jesus was the Son of God and was testing Him to figure it out.  The alternative is that Satan knew exactly who Jesus was and was tempting Him anyway.

I take the second view, so that is how I’ll analyze these tests.  As we will see, each temptation contains two prongs.  Each prong is directed at one purpose:  Getting Jesus to avoid the cross.

The First Temptation: Turn Stones into Bread

First, Satan approaches a famished Jesus and suggests he turn some of the stones into bread:

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.’   

He said in reply, ‘It is written: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'” - Matthew 4:1-4

This seems like a very weird temptation.  There is nothing immoral about turning stones into bread – and it is certain within Jesus’ power and prerogative to do it.  So why would this constitute a temptation?

Prong One:  Succumb to Pain

The first prong of this temptation is to convince Jesus to let the desire to avoid further physical discomfort override His willpower.  Why is that important?  Well, can you think of another time when Jesus was grappling with intense dread of physical pain?

“He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” – Luke 22: 41-44

The drama in that garden is Jesus overcoming the natural fear of pain and death – choosing the cross over his own comfort.  So the temptation to break the fast in the desert was a temptation to flee from Calvary… thus avoiding the cross.

Prong Two:  Gifts and Goodwill 

The second prong focused on the act of making bread. Ask yourself:  What type of messiah was Jesus going to be?

Was Jesus going to be a suffering messiah… or could he instead gather all people to Himself by offering them an easy life?  Could he win the heart of humanity by winning their stomach?

This becomes relevant in John’s Gospel when Jesus does indeed perform a miraculous feeding of the multitudes.  This earns him more disciples than He’d ever had before.  But He notes with dissatisfaction that the people are only following him because they want their bellies to be full – not because they desire holiness.

“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.’” – John 6:26-27

In any event, this temptation entailed winning over the world by becoming a one-man NGO.  Thus avoiding the cross.


The Second Temptation: Leap From the Temple 

Next the devil takes Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem (somehow) and gives Him the following challenge:

“Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'  

Jesus answered him, ‘Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” - Matthew 4:5-7

Prong 1: High Esteem

To understand this temptation, we have to ask ourselves this question: How were the Hebrew people expecting the Messiah to announce himself?

Most were not expecting the Messiah to be a poor, itinerant preacher from the boonies … who repeatedly instructs people to NOT announce that He is the Messiah [Mark 8:30].  This is shown in a somewhat comical exchange in John’s Gospel:

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." 

Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come from Nazareth?'" - John 1:45-46

But imagine if the Messiah descended from the parapet of the temple held aloft by angles?  Yeah, that would fit the bill.  Such a display would have been unmistakable to the crowds in Jerusalem – and most notably to the temple authorities.

Why is that important?  Because those were the people who would ultimately demand His death.  So the thrust of this temptation was to get Jesus to make his identity unmistakable to everyone - thus avoiding the cross.

Prong 2: Divine Protection

Note also that this temptation involved the protection of angels against harm.  Can we think of another time when it may have crossed Jesus’ mind to use angels to protect him?

“With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.  ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” - Matthew 26:51-53

Jesus, who was lord over the angelic hosts would have been within His right to have an angelic army come and slaughter the whole human race.  All he had to do was desire it and Jesus could protect himself by divine prerogative… thus avoiding the cross.


The Third Temptation: Power

In the final temptation the devil shows Jesus all the nations of the world (somehow) and offers them in exchange for worship:

“Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.’ 

At this, Jesus said to him, ‘Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’  

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.” - Matthew 4:8-11

Prong One: Political power

A political and military Messiah was just the type of savior the people of Israel were expecting at the time.  The Hebrew people wanted someone to come and free them from the tyranny of the Romans and usher in a golden age for Israel.  We can see this in the words of the disciples themselves:

“They said to him, ‘The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.” – Luke 24:20-21     

“When they had gathered together they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’" – Acts 1:6

The devil offers Jesus the chance to be crowned king rather than be crowned with thorns.  To usher in this golden age for Israel.  To be the Messiah everyone wants.  And to avoid the cross.

Prong Two:  Acquiesce to the Devil’s Complaint

It has always seemed bizarre to me that Satan just flat-out demanded to be worshipped.  The other temptations were subtle mind-games, but this one stands out from the others in its crassness.  Is there something else going on here?

Yeah… I think so.

First, let’s think about the nature of worship.  Worship is the honor given to God on account of His unique majesty, power, and sovereignty.   But if you recall, these are precisely the attributes which Lucifer claimed for himself.  Thus, the request for worship was, in essence, Lucifer asking Jesus to recognize his ancient claim to equality with God.

And in return for what?  Perhaps the devil wasn’t just offering the kingdoms, but the people in those kingdoms.  I propose that the devil was saying:

“You love these people?  You want to save these people?  You can have them all.  No more tempting people, no more clouding people’s minds.  I’ll stop.  All you have to do is admit I was right.  You just acknowledge my claim of independence … and you can have all these people’s souls.  But if you don’t, I will never relent.  So… how much do you love them, Messiah?”    

So the devil offered Jesus the souls of humanity if only He’d acquiesce to the ancient complaint … thus avoiding the cross.


The Complaint, Answered:     

Let’s think back to the Lucifer’s frame of mind at the rebellion.  He saw God as a petty, selfish tyrant.  But how does that play out?

Satan came offering Jesus ways to save humanity that fit the skewed image he had of God.  Comfort, fame, power, and so on.  The reason why Satan desperately wanted Jesus to avoid the cross is because it is the ultimate refutation of his accusations.

God, who was accused of tyranny, insisted on being the Suffering Servant.  He demanded to be the One came not to be served, but to serve.  The devil’s complaint is answered by God’s act of total abandonment and love:

“Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:7-8