The Temptation of Christ

One of my favorite Henri Nouwen texts is In the Name of Jesus, a book on Christian leadership drawn from Matthew’s temptation of Christ narrative. He writes that turning stones into bread was Jesus’ temptation to be relevant—based in a need to be needed. I would call it the temptation to offer a quick fix. How often does my wife share a concern with me, desiring that I affirm her or take the time to commiserate with her, and all I do is say, “Here, I can fix that for you. Done. There you go.”

Jesus’ second temptation was to be spectacular—the parallel temptation in our culture is to be popular. As pastors, we are often guilty of wearing masks and allowing ourselves to be placed on pedestals all in the quest for popularity. Rather than donning a superhero costume, Nouwen encourages us to regularly confess our weaknesses and be willing to ask forgiveness when required. The pride of being spectacular cannot coexist with the humility of asking forgiveness.

Christ’s third temptation was power. Jesus was offered the kingdoms of the world if he would only bow down to the devil. Nouwen writes: It is easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people… He likens this to the natural sequence of events in our lives where, as children, we are dressed, fed, and led around by our parents, but upon reaching adulthood we exercise authority over ourselves and those around us. One of the most difficult things for growing Christians is to grow from independence to dependence. We must learn to say, No, to self and, Yes, to God.

A more traditional approach to Matthew’s temptation narrative is comparing Jesus to Israel. The writer of Matthew is very clearly contrasting Jesus’ wilderness obedience with Israel’s wilderness disobedience.

• Christ was tempted as we are tempted
• Where Israel was disobedient, Christ was obedient
• The point is not for us to feel defeated. As the Hebrews passage reminds us, because of Christ's temptation, we can approach his throne with confidence to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need

1. When tempted - go to the throne of grace for help - your Advocate is waiting
2. When you resist temptation - give thanks to God for his indwelling and empowering Spirit
3. When you give in to temptation - thank God that he still loves you, confess your failure and ask him to help you be better prepared for the next time