Temptation, By Sarah Tummey.

This is the fourth instalment in Sarah’s excellent series of lent devotionals.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve considered what Jesus gave up. Now let’s look at some of the things He suffered. Though He lived a blameless life, He did experience temptation. “Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. After this, He was very hungry. The devil came to Jesus to tempt Him, saying, ’If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.’

“Jesus answered, ’It is written in the Scriptures, “A person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.”’

“Then the devil led Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and put Him on a high place of the Temple. The devil said, ’If you are the Son of God, jump down, because it is written in the Scriptures: “He has put His angels in charge of you. They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.”’

“Jesus answered him, ’It also says in the Scriptures, “Do not test the Lord your God”’” (Matthew 4:2-7).

The key thing for us to remember is Jesus’ promise that no student is above his teacher (Matthew 10:24). If Jesus had to overcome temptation, so will we, and it’s not enough just to know our Bibles. We see here that even the devil can recite Scripture. Don’t get me wrong; knowing the Bible is very important for Christians. Paul encourages us to let God’s Word dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16). We can’t have God’s Word living inside us without reading and committing it to memory, but Jesus didn’t just know the Scriptures; He knew God.

Here’s an example. I might tell one person: “I don’t like that song,” but to someone else, a closer friend perhaps, I might say: “I don’t like hearing that song because there’s a line in it I just don’t think is true.” Both of them would know I didn’t like the song, but the second person would know something of my character – the reason behind me not liking it.

As Christians, when we read our Bibles, it’s a way of getting to know God. We don’t have to accept what our culture deems acceptable; we can look in God’s Word to find His thoughts on the matter. If someone tries to use a verse of Scripture for their own ends, like the devil when he told Jesus to jump down from the temple, we don’t have to be guided by them. God’s Word is our guide, and perhaps there’s another verse somewhere else that clarifies the issue.

When faced with temptation, let’s combine our knowledge of Scripture with our devotion to God. If we love Jesus, we’ll obey His commands (John 14:21).

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