Matthew 4:1-11 - Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness - Life Application Analysis
This is my review and analysis of Matthew 4:1-11, from the perspective of life application. It is the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Chronologically it happens after Jesus was baptized but before He begins his ministry. Read the story here.
To start, I believe Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be alone, as God wanted to gauge his readiness for what was next. He was tempted by the devil with things that were of value/importance to Jesus (otherwise they wouldn’t have been effective). Similarly, our spiritual journey is one unique to us. Other people cannot help us pass these tests. The temptations we face will be unique to us, as they will be the things most likely to get us off track.
Prior to being tempted Jesus started fasting. I think Jesus did this in an attempt to grow closer to God, to understand what God’s plan was for Him. If true, even for Jesus it was hard to connect with God, to understand his plan. Thus we must really dedicate ourselves to understanding God’s calling for us, free ourselves from distractions if we are to hear from Him.
Then in the first temptation the devil asked Jesus to prove he was God by changing stones into bread, which had the added benefit of addressing Jesus’s hunger from fasting for 40 days. I believe this was an attempt by the devil to get Jesus off mission, not just by satisfying his hunger but by getting Jesus to prove himself. For us, we need to be on the lookout for distractions that pull us away from trying to connect with and understand God. We can get so wrapped up into meeting our daily needs that there isn’t any time left for God. Worse, we can get caught up in proving ourselves to the world, when it adds no value to our journey.
It took quite a bit for me to get a grasp on the difference between the first and second temptation. The best I can make of it, the second temptation was primarily meant to weaken Jesus’s faith. To question whether or not God was with Him. So if the devil can’t distract you, he’s going to make you question God and His love for you.
In the final temptation the devil tries to entice Jesus with an alternate path, one in which He gets everything he (presumably) wants. The errors here are that it assumes we know our needs and wants better than God. It puts what we want ahead of God and his plan. This can become incredibly tricky, as just because you want something doesn’t mean you are moving against God’s will. For example if Jesus ruled the world couldn’t He have made it a better place? Perhaps, or maybe that journey would have corrupted Him, and had Him step away from God altogether. Or maybe He would have done good, but not as much good as he ended up doing by following God’s path. Simply put, God’s path is the best path for God’s kingdom (but maybe not for you in this life, as things didn’t turn out great for Jesus).
My biggest takeaway from these stories is that our spiritual paths are unique, as are our tests/temptations. It sheds light on how the devil will look to distract us, make us doubt, and put ourselves before God. So if we are to become better versions of ourselves, we must be dedicated to learning/growing in God, we must trust in God, and listen to God.
To start, I believe Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be alone, as God wanted to gauge his readiness for what was next. He was tempted by the devil with things that were of value/importance to Jesus (otherwise they wouldn’t have been effective). Similarly, our spiritual journey is one unique to us. Other people cannot help us pass these tests. The temptations we face will be unique to us, as they will be the things most likely to get us off track.
Prior to being tempted Jesus started fasting. I think Jesus did this in an attempt to grow closer to God, to understand what God’s plan was for Him. If true, even for Jesus it was hard to connect with God, to understand his plan. Thus we must really dedicate ourselves to understanding God’s calling for us, free ourselves from distractions if we are to hear from Him.
Then in the first temptation the devil asked Jesus to prove he was God by changing stones into bread, which had the added benefit of addressing Jesus’s hunger from fasting for 40 days. I believe this was an attempt by the devil to get Jesus off mission, not just by satisfying his hunger but by getting Jesus to prove himself. For us, we need to be on the lookout for distractions that pull us away from trying to connect with and understand God. We can get so wrapped up into meeting our daily needs that there isn’t any time left for God. Worse, we can get caught up in proving ourselves to the world, when it adds no value to our journey.
It took quite a bit for me to get a grasp on the difference between the first and second temptation. The best I can make of it, the second temptation was primarily meant to weaken Jesus’s faith. To question whether or not God was with Him. So if the devil can’t distract you, he’s going to make you question God and His love for you.
In the final temptation the devil tries to entice Jesus with an alternate path, one in which He gets everything he (presumably) wants. The errors here are that it assumes we know our needs and wants better than God. It puts what we want ahead of God and his plan. This can become incredibly tricky, as just because you want something doesn’t mean you are moving against God’s will. For example if Jesus ruled the world couldn’t He have made it a better place? Perhaps, or maybe that journey would have corrupted Him, and had Him step away from God altogether. Or maybe He would have done good, but not as much good as he ended up doing by following God’s path. Simply put, God’s path is the best path for God’s kingdom (but maybe not for you in this life, as things didn’t turn out great for Jesus).
My biggest takeaway from these stories is that our spiritual paths are unique, as are our tests/temptations. It sheds light on how the devil will look to distract us, make us doubt, and put ourselves before God. So if we are to become better versions of ourselves, we must be dedicated to learning/growing in God, we must trust in God, and listen to God.
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