Monday, March 14, 2011
Jesus was Tempted.
Paul says in Hebrews 4:14-16 that Jesus is our high priest in heaven. He goes on to say, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet he did not sin."
Paul says this should give us confidence before God to receive mercy and find grace.
Jesus was tempted in all things. What does this mean. Did he sometimes feel like swearing, stealing, killing? Was he tempted to go his own way apart from God?
When he was in the wilderness, Satan tempted him by showing him all the kingdoms of the world. He told Jesus he would give him all this if he would bow down and worship him. Jesus said, "Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only."
Satan's temptation was that Jesus need not die on the cross. He need not suffer. Satan himself would give the world over to Jesus if he would worship him. I would think that would be a great temptation.
Hebrews 2:18 says, "For since he himself was tempted in that which he has suffered. He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."
When Jesus was being beaten, whipped and spit upon, it must have been a temptation to get angry, to retaliate, to leave earth and go back to heaven where all is love and peace. When I go to heaven, I want to hear what it was like for Jesus to be a man. I want to know exactly how he was tempted.
"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered. And having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation." Hebrews 5:8,9
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
That would be interesting to see how he was tempted; but I'm think it had to be with everything on how we are tempted, lust, greed, arrogance, bitterness, etc because it says that he knows what we are going through because he went through it himself (talking about being tempted). He even showed us ways to avoid temptation, we just need to follow them which can be hard sometimes with our sinful natures.
betty
Yes, I think you are right on how he was tempted. When he was in the wilderness with Satan, he quoted scripture. I think this is one way to deal with temptation.
Post a Comment