crazy temptations

Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

You know, sometimes I think we give Jesus a bad rap. I know for a long time I did. Because he is the Son of God, I assumed that he had it easy while he lived on earth. After all, he is God’s Son how hard can it be to resist temptations. Easy - peasy, right? But, unpack the verse above and you’ll get a different sense for how difficult life must have been for him. What’s more, knowing he suffered when he was tempted should give us hope and comfort. The same Spirit that gave Jesus the ability to stay strong lives in us, too.  

First, let’s unpack that verse. Here’s the deal. Jesus had just been baptized. He had fulfilled his Father’s will. After he was baptized, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, descended on him in the form of a dove and his Father spoke from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)

Figuratively speaking, I suppose Jesus was on the mountaintop. So where does God lead him next? He sends him to the desert, to be tempted. Nothing mountaintop-ish about that experience. He ate nothing. Nothing, for forty days, and, sorry to state the obvious, but he was probably hungry - really hungry. I don’t know about you, but I miss breakfast and I’m hungry by mid-morning. Hungry and grouchy.

This is what Jesus was up against. He was in the valley now. No mountaintop experience here. He was probably as low as low could be, and, at a moment when he was weakest, the tempter was ready. Ready to knock God’s Son off his feet. After all, Satan knew what he was doing. They don’t call him crafty for nothing. This was one of his best shots to bring Jesus down.

Maybe it’s the way Jesus responded to the devil. It all seemed to come so easy. And maybe because the account in Luke sounds so simple and matter-of fact, I’m led to believe that Jesus had it easy. But he didn’t. Not even close. He suffered. He really did. In fact, the book of Hebrews gives us an inside look at what Jesus was really going through.

Because [Jesus] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18

Did you catch that word, that one important word? Suffered. Jesus suffered. It was no picnic. He may not have even expected it. He had come from the mountaintop, and, in a matter of days, found himself in one of life’s deepest valleys.

 You see, Jesus understands. He really does. He knows what it’s like to face some of life’s greatest temptations. He knows how hard it is to resist, to just say, “No.”  Next time you’re facing some of your greatest temptations remember this, the same Spirit that lives in Jesus, by faith, lives in us, too. Don’t make the mistake I made for so long. Jesus didn’t have it easy. Life was hard. Go to him, bring him your pain, and, remember, he’s suffered. He’s been there, too.

The Big Three

John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “if you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

You know what I’ve realized about myself? I’m a fretter and a stewer. Mostly about mistakes or bad decisions I’ve made or unfortunate circumstances that I find myself in. These are all feelings that have led me down a path I really don’t want to be on with thoughts that have never done me any good - fear, guilt, and regret. Yup, the Big Three. The three that can stop me in my tracks. Lock me in a prison of despair. Immobilize me. If there was ever a person who has been led down the path of misery too many times by these treacherous feelings, it would have to be me.

I have felt guilty about entirely too many things, dwelt entirely too much on my mistakes, shortcomings, screw-ups. And you know what I’ve found? That as good and pious as it might seem to grovel at the feet of God, begging forgiveness for my poor sinful condition, it isn’t really what He wants. In fact, I think carrying around a load of guilt is exactly the opposite of what He wants. I think He wants me to believe.

Believe what? Believe that His Son paid the full price for all of my sins, all of them. And holding on to guilt is kind of a slap in the face to Him when you think about it. It’s like I’m telling Him, ‘Yes, I know that Jesus loves me. Yes, I know that He died for my sins, but I think I need to add something to all of that by groveling on my knees to show just how sorry I am.’ And, while I think it’s vitally important that we are repentant, that we are sorry, I think once the mercy is asked for, God wants us to stand up and keep moving in the right direction.

Proverbs 24:16 [F]or though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.

You see, I think the Big Three are feelings God never meant for us to carry around. Think about it. If you had a child who had broken your favorite vase or golf clubs or whatever, a child who was truly sorry and admitted that they’d done wrong, you’d punish them. But afterward, after all was said and done, would you want your child to carry around a load of guilt for the rest of their childhood? Of course not. 

So the big question is, why do we? If Jesus came to do what He truly wanted to do – set us free, why would we remain behind bars of guilt when the door to the cell has already been cracked wide open? You see, Jesus did come to set us free. Set us free to run in the path of His commands. So let’s try something shall we? A New Year’s Resolution that might just revolutionize our relationship with God. Believe the truth – the truth that God has removed our sins and our guilt -  as far away from us as the east is from the west. I don’t know about you, but this is one New Year’s resolution that I’m looking forward to keeping – maybe even for a lifetime.