Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 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.’”
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.’”
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.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Jesus was both fully man and fully God. He had to battle with the false self. We can be tempted in false ways of being. We can be tempted by attachments to things. Jesus had to find himself and affirm himself. Jesus went through temptations. Jesus knew he was in God and God was in him. He resisted temptation and moved into his identity grounded in his relationship with God. Jesus’ calling came through his understanding of who he really was. We must find ourselves and affirm ourselves by putting our eyes on Jesus. We must move into a grounded relationship with God with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives in all believers.
