TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
DR. JIM DIXON
MATTHEW 4:1-11
MAY 15. 1994
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing Prison in New York in 1953. Albert Einstein urged clemency, and Pope Pius XII did the same; but President Dwight David Eisenhower repeatedly refused to grant clemency. The Supreme Court of the United States denied all appeals. Why? The highest court of this nation had determined that the Rosenbergs had committed treason. They were traitors. They were the first U.S. civilians in American history to be executed for wartime spying. It is said that they sold atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union during World War II. They sold out their country.
They sold out, and that is what I want to talk about this morning. Selling out. That is what the devil wants everyone in the world to do. He wants everyone to sell out, spiritually speaking. That is what Satan did at the dawn of time. He sold out. That is what the devil wanted the Son of God to do in the wilderness almost 2,000 years ago. He wanted Jesus Christ to sell out. That is the purpose of the threefold temptation we find in Matthew 4.
The first temptation was this: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3). The word “if” is a rendering of the Greek, but it should be more properly rendered the word “since.” [Since] you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” The devil did not doubt that Jesus was the Son of God, and Jesus did not doubt that He was the Son of God. In fact, he had just come from the Jordan River, from His baptism, where a voice proclaimed from heaven “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17b). Jesus’s Sonship was not in question.
To understand this temptation, we need to understand the circumstances of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God had led Him into the wilderness. This was not the Sinai or even the Negev. This was the Judean wilderness between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. It was a stretch of land thirty-five miles long and fifteen miles wide. The Hebrews called it “Jeshinum,” which means “the devastation.” Our church group was there two weeks ago. We drove through the Judean wilderness and could understand why that region would be called the devastation—parched hills, barren, and hot. That is where Jesus was when the devil came to Him.
By the Spirit’s leading, Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights, and the Spirit of God had not yet led Jesus to break the fast. The devil came to Him and said, “Break the fast. Since you are the Son of God, assert yourself. Assert your will. Since you are the Son of God, use your power to satisfy your physical needs. Even if the timing is not right to meet your physical desire, assert yourself. Sell out.”
This was a very special temptation for a very special person. It is not likely that the devil will come to you and tempt you to turn stones to bread. It is not within your power, but it was within the power of Jesus, the Son of God. Satan always tempts us within our power. He knows your power, and he tempts you within your power as he tempted the Son of God.
You may have heard of Tantalus. In Greek mythology Tantalus was the person who disobeyed Zeus. Zeus was so mad that he condemned Tantalus to stand in a river forever. No food. No drink. Above Tantalus was a beautiful fruit tree. The fruit was just above his head. Whenever Tantalus would reach up for the fruit, the fruit would ascend just beyond his reach. He could not satisfy his hunger. Tantalus was also standing in a freshwater river. Whenever he would dip to drink the water, the water would recede so that it was just beyond his reach. This went on forever and ever. We get the word “tantalize” from this Greek mythological character, Tantalus.
God wants you to understand this morning that Satan rarely tantalizes. Every once in a while he might tantalize somebody just to frustrate them, but he is not really into tantalization. That is not his purpose. Satan is into temptation. He does not want things to be just beyond your reach. He wants things to be just within your reach. That is how his temptations are. Satan always tempts us just within our reach, but it is always just outside the will of God. Just within our reach but just outside the will of God. That is what it means to sell out. Satan came to the Son of God and tempted Him within His reach, “Change these stones to loaves of bread;” but outside the will of God, He had not been led to break the fast.
It would have been a miracle for Christ to turn stone to bread. In the Bible, there are three Greek words that are used for miracles. The first word is the word dunamis. Dunamis is the word from which we get our word “dynamite.” Dunamis literally means “power.” Sometimes in the Bible miracles are called powers, dunamis, because a miracle requires supernatural power. Sometimes in the Bible a miracle is called teras. The word teras means “wonder.” Sometimes in the Bible miracles are called wonders because they cause amazement to all. In the Bible the words power and wonder are rarely used expect in association with a third word, and this third word simeon is critical for us to understand.
Miracles are called simeon, a word meaning “signs,” because miracles are meant to point us to God and direct us to the truth. Every miracle that Christ performed was a sign. Every miracle that Christ performed was a sign that pointed us, that directed us to some truth or to the Father. Jesus never did a miracle selfishly. He never did it capriciously or arbitrarily. He always did it with a purpose; but the devil was coming to Him and saying, “Use your power for the gratification of self, for meeting your needs.” If Jesus had changed stone to bread in the wilderness that day, it would have been His only miracle that was not a sign, that was not pointing to the Father or directing to some proof of truth. Rather it was simply the service of self. Sell out! That is what the devil was saying to the Son of God that day. Sell out.
There was a second temptation. The Bible tells us that Satan took Jesus to the holy city, the city of Jerusalem, sat him down on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you …lest you strike your foot against a stone'” (Matthew 4:6). Here Satan is quoting scripture. Some would say perhaps misquoting scripture. He was quoting Psalm 91, and he left out one phrase: “to guard you in all your ways.” Perhaps Satan did not want Jesus to be reminded of the ways of obedience. This much is sure. In this temptation, Satan wanted Jesus again to sell out. We can understand this when we understand that the Jewish people were looking for a messiah. They expected the messiah to be a political deliverer, and they expected that the messiah would declare his messianic reality through some great public and supernatural event.
In the book of Acts, there are three false messiahs identified. In Acts 5, the Bible speaks of a man named Theudas. Josephus, the historian, tells us that Theudas was a false messiah. He took hundreds of people to the Jordan River and told them that he would reveal his messianic power by parting the Jordan. He would split the Jordan River in two. Of course, he could not do it. Ultimately, his neck was split in two as the authorities beheaded him.
In Acts 8, the Bible mentions a man named Simon. Simon was a very impressive person. The people said that he was the power of God that is called great. And in all humility, Simon accepted their proclamations. He was enamored with the supernatural. It appears that at least outwardly he became a Christian. On one occasion he saw the apostles working miracles, and he was very impressed. Ultimately, the Bible tells us that he tried to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit with money. According to Josephus, the historian, Simon declared himself the messiah and died attempting to fly. Why was he attempting to fly? He was attempting to fly to supernaturally manifest himself to be the messiah.
In Acts 21, we read about one more messianic figure. The Bible simply calls this person “the Egyptian.” Again according to Josephus, the historian, this man called the Egyptian once led 30,000 followers to the Mount of Olives. There he told them that he would, with one word, cause the walls of the holy city to fall down. He never spoke the word; and if he did, it had no power. When the authorities came after him, he fled for his life.
I hope you understand that Jesus Christ is not a false messiah. Jesus Christ is the real deal. He is the power of God that is called great. He could split the Jordan River in two. He could cause the walls of the holy city to fall down. He could manifest himself openly and supernaturally. Satan was coming to Him and asking Him to do that very thing. “Jump down. Cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and your angels or the angels of God will bear you up.” And surely they would have.
Do you remember when in Gethsemane Peter drew his sword as the guards came to arrest Jesus? Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its place” (Matthew 26:52). Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). Sixty thousand angels Jesus could have summoned. There is no way if Jesus had jumped off the pinnacle of the temple that He would have hit the ground. There is no way, and Jesus knew that. The pinnacle of the temple, most Bible scholars believe, was the east corner of the South Wall. It rose 450 feet about the floor of the Kidron Valley. It was quite a drop.
If Jesus had jumped from the pinnacle of the temple, everyone on the Temple Mount would have seen Him jump. Down below in the Kidron Valley, all those who were traveling on the roads and paths would have seen Him. It would have been spectacular. There is no one who would have denied His Messiahship if He had jumped and the angels of God had suddenly appeared and bore Him up. Unbelievable. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, all of them would have agreed that this is the Messiah. What would have been wrong with that?
If Jesus had done that, He would not have become the Savior of the world. He would not have become your Savior or mine. He would not have become the suffering servant spoken of in Isaiah 53. He would not have walked the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrow. He would not have gone to Calvary or the cross. He would not have fulfilled the plan of His Father. He would have sold out. He would have taken the easy way.
Satan comes to us and wants us to take the easy way. But the Christian walk is generally not easy. Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). It is not an easy way.
Our church has a wonderful future. I believe that with all of my heart. God has blessed us richly in the past. As Bob told our new members’ class yesterday, we really believe the best is yet to come. We are excited about the future and what God is going to do through Cherry Hills Community Church in the decades to come. Next month we hope to break ground in Highlands Ranch. The ministry of a church is sometimes said to be as strong as the pastoral leadership. I do not agree with that. The ministry of a church is as strong as the faithfulness of its members. Our future as a church is only as bright as our faithfulness to Christ. Jesus Christ does not want us to sell out. He does not want us to take the easy way.
I am reminded of a story that has been oftentimes told. You may have heard of a pastor of a Pentecostal church who was preaching one Sunday morning to his congregation. He said, “Let the church walk.” The congregation got excited and shouted, “Amen. Let it walk.” The pastor said, “Let the church run.” The congregation responded, “Amen. Let the church run.” The pastor got really excited and said, “Let the church fly!” The congregation got really excited. They stood up and shouted, “Amen. Let it fly!” Then the pastor said, “It’s going to take money to fly.” There was silence. One person in the back stood up and said, “Let the church walk.”
As we look to our future, if Cherry Hills Community Church walks and does not fly, we will have sold out. We will not have fulfilled God’s plans for us, and that is selling out. If Jesus had jumped from the pinnacle of the temple that day into the Kidron Valley by the temptation of Satan, He would not have fulfilled God’s plans for Him. He would have sold out.
There was a third temptation that the devil brought to Christ. Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them in a moment in time. And Satan said, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Here the temptation is no longer subtle. It is very blatant. “Sell out. Fall down, and worship me.” In this passage we get a graphic glimpse of the mind and heart of the devil.
If you look at Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, most Bible scholars believe you get a glimpse of the devil before his fall. We are told that before Satan fell, he was the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He was perhaps a very high-ranking angel. Perhaps he was an archangel. Perhaps he was cherubim or seraphim. We do not know, but he was great in the counsels of God. The Bible tells us that he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. He became proud in his beauty. He said in his heart, “I shall ascend above the stars of God. I shall set my throne on high. I will make myself like the most high God” (Isaiah 14:13, 14). That is the mind and heart of Satan. He wants to be God.
There he is on a very high mountain saying to the Son of God, “Bow down and worship me.” Do you not see the mind and heart of Satan? His mind and heart have permeated our world from Antiochus Epiphanes to the Roman Caesars, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Adolph Hitler. Humankind has sought worship. The truth is there is a little corner deep within us that in some measure wants worship. Perhaps it is hidden even from us, but it is there. A little corner that in some measure wants worship.
Satan is a power broker. He tries to entice with power. He says to Jesus, “All this, all the kingdoms of the world I will give you.” Jesus said, “You know that I have the authority to give it,” and the Bible does tell us that Satan is now the ruler of the world. But God is the owner of all. The Bible says the Son of God is the heir of all. Jesus said, “All that the Father has is mine” (John 16:15). The Bible tells us that the day is coming when Jesus Christ will rule the heavens above the earth beneath. “In him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). We have that beautiful passage in scripture where the Father speaks to the Son, and the Father says, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8). That is what the Father says to the Son.
Jesus knew His destiny. But Satan comes and says, “Why wait? You can have it now if you but fall and worship me.” No Via Dolorosa. No cross. You can have it now. Why wait? With respect to sex and marriage, what does Satan say to the world? “Why wait? Sell out. Sell out. You can have it now.”
God wants us to resist temptation. He wants us to be as faithful as His Son was that day in the wilderness. It is a very important truth as we look at this passage of scripture that we see time and again that Jesus responds to the devil with quotes from the Bible. Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'” A second time Jesus said, “It is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” A third time Jesus said, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). It is written. It is written. It is written. God would not have us leave this morning without the understanding that we can never resist temptation without being rooted in the word of God. We need to know what is written.
I would like to conclude by making a few statements about what the world calls the conscience. Perhaps some of you have heard of a man who lived long ago whose name was Aeschylus. Aeschylus was a famous Greek playwright who wrote the tragedy The Eumenides in the fifth century before Christ. In Greek thinking Eumenides were terrible goddesses who tortured people from within when they sinned. They were the equivalent to the Roman world’s concept of the Furies. In the Greek and Roman world, people believed in the concept of the conscience. The Eumenides and the Furies were the personification of conscience. When people sinned, they felt guilty.
This was not only true in the Greek and Roman world. It was also true of the Egyptians and the Babylonians. They all believed in the conscience, that inward part, that innate faculty, which enabled people to know right and wrong, that encouraged them to the right and to feel guilty when they did wrong. That was the conscience.
Some people have said that the Bible does not teach the existence of the conscience. That is not true. Thirty times in the New Testament the Greek word conscience is used. The Apostle Paul, more than a dozen times, refers to the conscience. But the Bible has a different view of the conscience. Biblically, we see that the conscience can be distorted. The human conscience is not always accurate. It is influenced by culture. It is influenced by society. Your conscience might not be healthy. Your conscience might have reached a point where you think what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. Therefore, when you do what is wrong, you might not feel guilty. When you do what is right, you might feel guilty. All because your conscience is not right.
The Bible tells us that if our conscience is to be healthy we need to immerse ourselves in the word of God. In the Old Testament, the equivalent of conscience is the word “heart.” Sometimes in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek word for conscience is used to translate the Hebrew word heart. The Bible says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). If you want your conscience to accurately discern what is right and what is wrong, you need to be rooted in the word because the word tells us what is right and what is wrong. If you want to have power to do what is right, God wants you to know you need to be rooted and immersed in the word of God. If you want to feel guilty when you do wrong so that you might repent and find cleansing, you need to be rooted in the word of God. You need to know what is written.
If you are not humbled before God, if you do not really have a desire to serve God, even knowledge of the scripture will not be helpful. But if you have a desire to serve God, a longing to please Him, then knowledge of His word will be power in your life; and you will not sell out.
Satan wanted Jesus to sell out. That is why he said, “Command these stones to become bread.” That is why he said, “Cast yourself down.” That is why he said, “Fall down and worship me.” Satan wants you to sell out today, too. But my hope and prayer this morning is that by the grace of God in some measure you might feel strongly encouraged to be faithful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us close with a word of prayer.