Title Matthew 4:1-11
However, we can challenge this idea, which may be taken for granted. Why did Jesus, the Son of God, have to be tempted by the devil? Are you saying that if Jesus did not go through the temptation with the devil, he would not have enough power to save mankind? Does it mean that God had not been satisfied with Jesus without testing him beforehand?
Here we are forced to reconsider the meaning of the fact that Jesus was tempted by the devil. Because Jesus did not need to be tempted. Jesus was a human being just like us, but without sin. He did not fall into the temptations of the devil or sin against God. Therefore, it can be thought that Jesus was tempted by the devil with some other intention.
This act of Jesus has a significant symbolism. This is clearly revealed when we look at what the devil tempted Jesus with. We can see that the devil used the temptation Jesus used to overthrow the first man, Adam and Eve. But to the devil who overcame the first man, Adam and Eve, Jesus gave defeat through the same temptation.
When the second attempt also failed, the devil made a final attempt to overthrow Jesus. Look at verses 8-9: "And the devil took him to the highest mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms under the heavens and their glory, saying, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." When the attempt to put the word of God first failed, the devil made a very bold and outright temptation this time. It is to tempt them to forsake God with the bait of "All the kingdoms of the world and their glory": "All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me." This is to create another being like God by making the worship that should be attributed only to God be attributed to beings other than God. This is the pride that deceives Adam and Eve by deceiving Adam and Eve by saying, “In the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). It has to do with the tricks of the devil that made us fall into the sins of God. What was Jesus' response to this? As we see in verse 10, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
Jesus was tempted by the devil and was victorious in this way, not before the beginning of his public life, but at the very beginning of his public life. He was not preparing to train himself for the ministry of his public life, but was foretelling to the devil what his public life would accomplish. In other words, it was a declaration of war against the devil and his evil powers, and it was a very symbolic event that foreshadowed the destruction of the devil and the restoration and arrival of the kingdom of God. And what do we confirm here once again through Jesus being tempted by the devil? What is the cause of our loss of the kingdom of God, and what is the principle of living in the right kingdom of God.
Verse 11, the last verse of the text, says, “Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came and ministered to him.” The way our lives become separated from the devil and led by angels is to obey God's Word, trust God absolutely, and worship and serve only God. Whether we eat, drink or wear, keeping our body healthy and safe, possessing the kingdom of heaven and enjoying its glory, whatever it is, it is already ours to have the same weight as God in our thoughts and lives. It means falling away from a life of obedience, trust, and worship. Unbelief, pride, and disobedience are the essence of the sin of Adam and Eve losing their blessed life in the Garden of Eden. The kingdom of God is a life of obedience, trust, and true worship. I hope that we can all possess and enjoy the kingdom of God through a life of obedience, trust, and worship in Jesus Christ.