Tempted But Sinless

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted “in every respect” just as we are tempted. The Bible only records three examples of the temptations Jesus faced, but I think we can assume that as a man walking the earth Jesus felt temptations many times. The Bible hints at this in Luke 4:13. The difference is that, unlike us, he never gave in to temptation.

We can imagine before his chess match with the devil in the desert that Jesus faced the same temptations any teenager and young man would face. And then as an adult he was not immune to temptation.

In the Desert

The three examples we have of Satan tempting Jesus come to us right after Jesus’ ministry began, when he went into the desert and fasted for 40 days.

The account in Matthew makes it sound as if he was tempted after fasting 40 days, while the account in Luke makes it sound as if he was tempted for 40 days while he was fasting. That is not really important, either way we are given three examples and what is important is what we can learn from the three temptations we know for certain he faced during his lifetime

I believe there are three things we can learn from these temptations. First we will look briefly at the three temptations, and what they represent, and then we will discuss the three lessons we can learn from this.

The First Temptation

 ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”¹

After fasting for 40 days Satan knew that Jesus was weak and hungry, so it is understandable that this would be the first temptation. He was tempting Jesus with a desire of the flesh.

Jesus was in a weakened state and vulnerable to the desire to appease the body so this is the temptation Satan probably thought was the most powerful while Jesus was at his weakest.

Temptations of the flesh are probably the ones many people struggle with most today. I believe this one temptation of the flesh can be considered representative of all struggles of the flesh we face today.

The Second Tempatation

Having failed to allure Jesus with the fulfillment of the flesh, Satan turned to the next temptation:

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”²

This second temptation could be considered representative of pride. Satan knew who Jesus was, he did not need to see proof, but he knew that if Jesus succumbed to this temptation it would have been a prideful action. Jesus would have been using his position in a boastful and lofty way.

Pride comes in many forms and sometimes it can be benign, such as the pride you feel as a parent when your child accomplishes something. But pride is dangerous. It can cause you to push your child beyond his or her capabilities, or pride can become the motivating factor in your life.

When pride becomes your motivation it can lead to envy and jealousy. It can bring a person to the point where he or she does not care who gets hurt or what they had to do to get what they wanted.

The Third Temptation

Having failed at getting Jesus to be prideful, Satan turned to the third temptation:

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”³

This is the temptation of power. Satan was asking Jesus to sell his soul, for lack of a better term, for power over all the kingdoms in the world. All Jesus had to do was bow down to a false god and Satan promised he would have all the riches and power in the world.

Power is another potent temptation and it comes in many forms. Power over coworkers or employees, power over spouses, power over family and friends, power over businesses, and even power over other countries.

Many people want to feel powerful. Sometimes it’s just the feeling of being superior to somebody else that motivates a person. Sometimes it is the feeling that you have the power and the position to do whatever you want that motivates a person into sin.

Some people will do anything to feel this power.

Lesson One

The Three Types of Temptation

The first lesson we learn is that these three examples are representative of three different categories of sins. Here we have temptations of the flesh, of pride, and of power. These are probably the most alluring of all the temptations we face, and I believe they are representative of the three types of sins man struggles with the most.

We may not be tempted with these exact scenarios, but we all have to deal with these temptations on some level. Whether it is lust, or drunkenness, or gluttony, or greed, or pride (and its cousins envy and jealousy), or power, we all face these temptations during our journey through this life.

So while the Bible only gives us three examples, they alone are enough to show us that Jesus was able to remain sinless despite being tempted with the sins none of us are able to resist on a regular basis.

These three categories of temptations probably lead to most of the sin in the world today. I believe that is why these are the three temptations of Jesus that were recorded in the Bible.

Lesson Two

Satan Knows Scripture

The second thing we can learn from this is that Satan knows scripture. Sometimes he will twist it and use it to accomplish his own ungodly goals, and he is still doing this today. When we read scripture out of context we can succumb to this. We can justify almost anything we want to, even if we don’t realize this is what we are doing. Satan whispers in our ear at this time.

But there are those who realize what they are doing. There are people who intentionally twist scripture to fit their own agenda and to lead others astray. Satan is using these people to accomplish his goal.

There is only one way to make sure we are not accidentally twisting scripture, and there is only one way to defend ourselves against somebody who is intentionally twisting the scripture.

And that leads us to the third thing we can learn from the temptations Jesus faced in the desert.

Lesson Three

Jesus Used Scripture to Counter Satan

Jesus knew scripture (technically as the Word Jesus is scripture) and he used it to counter the attacks of the devil. This is why it is important for us to know the scriptures. We need to know scripture so we can protect and defend ourselves when the devil, or one of his willing accomplices, tempts us by twisting scripture.

We have to constantly be on guard because Satan is always on the attack and he still is able to recruit the help of willing accomplices. When Satan twists scripture it can be convincing so we must be able to recognize when somebody is not using scripture in context.

This is how Jesus won his chess match in the desert with the devil, and it gives us the best chance to win when we find ourselves playing chess with the devil in our lives.

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1. Matthew 4:2-4 ESV ↩︎
2. Matthew 4:5-7 ESV ↩︎
3. Matthew 4:8-10 ESV ↩︎