The self-consciousness of Jesus—II - Chambers, Oswald

His Temptation
Matthew 4:1–11

In the silent years our lord learned how to be; at his baptism he had revealed to him what he had to do; in the temptation what to avoid. Always remember that what is exhibited in the life of our lord is for our instruction .

When once we have been readjusted to god through the atonement. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil (Matthew 4:1). Immediately after his baptism Jesus was driven by the spirit (not by the devil) into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. The spirit submitted Jesus to the tremendous onslaught of a supernatural being next to god in power. We talk much too glibly about the devil. If our lord was led into temptation, it be hoves us not to rush into it. Resist the devil, not attack him. Our lord taught us to pray lead us not into temptation. When once we know that we are stronger through testing, the danger is real to seek it.

And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts (mark 1:13). It was not because Jesus spent forty days in solitude that he was strong, but because of the power which he matured in the wilderness of living not by earthly, but by heavenly law. Solitude is bad unless the life is driven there by god. Whosoever delighteth in solitude is a wild beast or a god (Plato). Solitude may come after gods supreme call, as it came to the apostle Paul (see Galatians 1:1516); but the main characteristic of Christianity is to drive us out of solitude; other religions earn it as a reward.

The word temptation is built on a Latin word meaning to stretch. Every nature brings the setting of its own temptation; it is the thing held that is strained. If you are not holy, you will not be tempted to be unholy, because you do not hold holiness. Temptation is no temptation at all if it is clearly to evil. God cannot be tempted with evil, says James, and he him- self tempteth no man (RV); but immediately we come to man, and in the case of our lord, the son of god incarnate as man, temptation is possible. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Temptation is the test by an alien power of the possessions held by a personality. What did Jesus hold? He held in his person his own unspotted sanctity and the fact that he was to be the king of men and the saviour of the world; and the spirit of god drove him into the wilderness to be tested and strained on these points. Steel can be tired in the process of testing, and in this way its strength is measured. Everything on earth, animate and inanimate, can be fatigued; but Satan could not begin to fatigue our lord; he retained the possessions of his personality intact. The affinities of a man after a period of temptation prove whether or not he has yielded. And behold, angels came and ministered unto him. If Jesus had failed in any degree, the angels would have had no affinity with him. It was in the temptation that Jesus met the strong man and overcame him (see Luke 11:2122). It was in the temptation that our lord bruised the head of the serpent (see genesis 3:15, cf. Romans 16:20). Every temptation of Satan is perfectly wise. The wisest, shrewdest, subtlest things are said by Satan, and they are accepted by everybody as the acme of human philosophy; but when the spirit of god is at work in a man, instantly the hollow mockery at the heart of what Satan is trying to do, is seen. When we understand the in wardness of the temptation we see how satans strategy is turned into confusion by the spirit of god.

1. The possibility of the public ministry

(Matthew 4:14)

If thou art the son of god, command that these stones become bread. (Matthew 4:3 RV)

Jesus Christ came to be the saviour of the world and the king of men; no one could ever have such an understanding of the condition of men or of their needs as he had. Now watch what satan says put mans needs first, heal their bodies, give them bread, and they will crown you king; your chance is symbolised in your own particular need, satisfy your own requirements first, and then the needs of every other man. Was Satan right? Read john 6:15. After he had fed the five thousand the temptation was repeated, but Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain him- self alone (RV). He would not realise his kingship of men along that line. What is the attitude of the church to-day? Christ on the throne of god? No, man on the throne of god! The tendency is to reverse the order of the commandments (see mark 12:2931). The temptation which beset our lord with such fascination and power is the very temptation which is besetting the modern christian heal bodies, cast out devils, feed the poor, and men will crown you king. The temptation is more powerful to-day than ever it has been in the history of the church, to put mens needs first, not god; to spell god in the term humanity; to make god an etcetera for blessing humanity. If you heal men and give them bread, what do they care about the claims of Jesus Christ? Health and happiness is what is wanted to-day and Jesus Christ is simply exploited. We who name the name of Christ, are we beginning to discern what satan is after? He is trying to fatigue out of us what god has put in, viz. , the possibility of being of value to god. Our only safety is to watch our lord and saviour. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted (hebrews 2:18).

2. The possibility of the powerful mastery

(Matthew 4:57)

If thou art the son of god, cast thyself down. . . . (Matthew 4:6 RV)

Remember that temptation, literally, is to try the strength of the thing held. Satan did not tempt Jesus to sin, as we think of sin; he knew better. The one thing Satan aims at is that we put ourselves as master instead of god (see genesis 3:5); and now he comes to the son of god and says, you are the king and the saviour of mankind, why not use your power? Use apparatus, startle people out of their wits and then say, believe in me. Could Jesus Christ have manifested his mastery over men in that way? Of course he could, but the son of god as son of man is showing what a normal holy man is like. At his baptism our lord accepted his vocation to bear away the sin of the world, and in this place of absolute loneliness he is being tested by all the powers that are against god; but he went through the temptation without fatigue.

There are plenty of Christians to-day who are not appealed to on the bread line, but the signs and wonders line does appeal to them. What is the cunning thing that is rending the church to-day? Where it is not socialism, it is supernaturalism. Ask god for manifestations to prove you are a child of his. Satans one aim is to thwart gods purpose, and he can easily do it if he succeeds in making us take this line now that i am baptised with the holy ghost, there must be marvellous manifestations so that people will be amazed at what god has done for me. Jesus said, when the holy ghost is come, he shall glorify me, not glorify you. The error of the signs and wonders movement is that the eye is fixed not on jesus, but on our own whiteness, or on the amazing of those around us because of what god has done. Jesus Christ never went on that line, and the unobtrusive kind of life he lived is exactly the type of life the saints are to live. There was no show business with the son of god, and there is to be no show business with the saints. Thinkest thou that i cannot beseech my father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53 RV). Why did Jesus refuse the supernatural intervention? It was not his fathers will for him. That is the only reason. How then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? (RV). He was crucified through weaknessthe strongest being who ever trod this earth, because he knew what he could do and did not do it. He saved oth- ers, himself he cannot save. Think of the miserable little struts we exhibiti must insist on my rights. Then take them! But if you are a saint, you have a glorious opportunity of following the example of Jesus and being strong enough to decline to exercise your rights. An infallible sign of error spiritually is when all you can say about a man or woman of god is that they are so sweet, so beautiful, so gentle; they have never been true to the lord. If the holy ghost is indwelling a man or woman, no matter how sweet, how beautiful, how christ like they are, the lasting thought you go away with is what a wonderful being the lord Jesus Christ is.

3. The possibility of political messiah ship

(Matthew 4:811)

All these things will i give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:9)

This is the most subtle temptation of all you are the son of god, you are here to fulfill all the promises of god, and you know perfectly well that if you compromise judiciously with the powers of evil, you can easily overcome them and will pull the whole world round to your flag. Is Satan right? He certainly is. The first sign of the dethronement of god is the apparent absence of the devil and the peaceful propaganda that is spread abroad. The great cry to- day is be broad; accommodate yourself with evil so diplomatically that the line of demarcation is gone. Run up the white flag, say to the prince of this world, we have been too puritanical in the past, there has been too clear a division between us, now we will go arm-in-arm. Is that the order? Never! And the devil said unto him, to thee will i give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever i will i give it (Luke 4:6 RV). Satan is the prince of this world, and during this dispensation he has power to give authority to those who will yield to him and compromise. We are here to stand true to god, not to attack men. No prophet ever lived by his message; immediately he tries to, he must accommodate his message to the standards of the people. The messenger of god has to stand where Jesus Christ stood, steadfast in obedience to god first. One of the most curious phases to-day is that people are expecting the devil to do things. Let us keep our eyes on god, and remember that behind the devil is god, and that the son of god has bruised satans head. There is a wonderful symbolism about the place of the crucifixion; Jesus was crucified at a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull. That is where he has always been put to shame, in the thinking part of man, and only when the thinking part of a man is swayed by the holy ghost will he find an answer to every one of the temptations that Satan brings. The temptation to the first adam was to ignore the supremacy of god over the individual, to make man his own god. What was it Satan tried to make the last adam do? To do gods will according to his own discernmentyou are the son of god, assert your prerogative of son ship. Jesus was led into the wilderness to see whether what he held in his person, viz. , his unique saviourhood and his unspotted sanctity, would stand the test. The first Adam did not stand the strain for very long; but the last Adam did not begin to give way under the strain. Adam was innocent, not holy; that is, he had no wrong disposition in him, yet he was tempted. Jesus was holy, yet he was tempted. It was impossible to tempt Jesus with evil. The first obedience of jesus was not to the needs of man but to the will of his father, and at the heart of every one of our lords answers is this i came to do gods work in his way, not in my own way, though i am the son of god.

When we are sanctified we get our first introduction into what god calls temptation, viz. , the temptation of his son. We imagine that when we are sanctified we are delivered from temptation; we are not, we are loosened into it; we are not free enough before to be tempted. Immediately we are sanctified, we are free, and all these subtleties begin to work. God does not shield us from any requirements of a full- grown man or woman, because his aim is to bring many sons unto glory; not emotional, hysterical people, but men and women who can withstand and overcome and manifest not only innocence, but holiness. We cannot be innocent in the sense that the first Adam was until we are re-made by regeneration; and we cannot be holy in the sense that the last Adam was holy until we are made one with him, then the same temptations that betook our lord will betake us when we have become his brethren (see Hebrews 2:11).