there is so much happening in chapter 4 but there is a verse that just jumps out at me.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1
i'm always a little unsettled when i read that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. but that's not the part that stands out to me.
when i decided to follow Jesus and started reading about his life i think i was missing something. we (christians) have lived so long teaching about and believing in the trinity (which i do believe in - even if the word is nowhere in the bible) and discussing what that means about Jesus and his Godhood that i didn't think much about his humanity. from what i had been taught i had created a Jesus that was much more fully God and just enough human to walk around with us. i mean, how can you be 100% God and 100% man at the same time? and with that understanding i never quite got the temptations. doesn't scripture say that God can't be tempted? why was the devil wasting his time? (that brings up a whole other discussion about what i thought and now think about the devil.)
but what if i had it backwards? what if rather than being just human enough to walk around with us, he was a 100% red-blooded jewish man? what if he went through puberty and had zits and bad breath? what if i actually trusted what paul wrote in philippians 2 that Jesus emptied himself of some of his Godness? and the author of hebrews when he writes that we have a high priest just like us who was tempted in every way but without sin?
now this might sound like i'm slow, but i know i'm not the only one who has had to deal with this. i run into believers all the time who end up saying things like... "yeah, but that was Jesus... he was God."
but if he was fully human then what does that say about me when i go through temptations and sin? but more importantly what does it say about Jesus in chapter 4? he could have taken the easy way out. he could have turned the stones to bread and passed them out, as caesar did, and showed the people that he was the king that could and would take care of their every need and want. but that's not the kind of kingdom he wanted or the kind of king he was. i can't say that i wouldn't have tried to take the easy way out. but i LOVE Jesus for being willing to do it the hard way.
1 comment:
I was thinking something similar when I was reading it. I was thinking about how God was testing another part of himself. The idea that he was led out by the Holy Spirit, one part of God and Jesus another other part struck me. But what the Devil tempted Him with all had to do with human desires, so it only makes since that he had to be more human than God to actually be tempted. If he was God there would be no temptation because God is above it all.
The other part I love about chapter 4 is that the disciples drop everything they are doing to follow Jesus. It makes me wonder if he asks me what my reaction will be. Especially if he tells me I will be fishing for people...seems like an odd statement. I just hope for the opportunity.
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