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. (Luke 4:1,2)
The passages that follow these are the three temptations of Jesus that we all know of: Satan telling Him to turn the stone to bread, to bow and worship him, and to jump off the temple so the angels could rescue Him. But what got my attention today about the Scripture above is that it says Jesus was tempted for the full forty days before He became hungry and faced the more widely known temptations.
I have always heard and believed that Jesus knew and suffered the same temptations that I face. But I honestly thought, "I've never suffered hunger to that degree, I've never considered bowing to Satan, and I've certainly never stood on the pinnacle of the temple and wanted to jump off."
But now I understand that these were just three of probably dozens of things that Satan used to try to get Jesus to give in. Who knows what other things Jesus faced in that time of temptation? Well, we know. Because we suffer them daily, or at least sometime in our life. And that is what makes Him the Perfect Sacrifice. He faced those trials and never gave in.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
This, dear friends, is why we can identify with God. Because He came down, limited Himself, just for us. Just to redeem us to Himself. And the fact that He had our same weaknesses, but overcame them, is why we can rely on Him to see us through. But, more importantly, this is why He can identify with us. He isn't just an observer. He's a player/manager.
And if you think being close to God and strong in Him is relief from temptation, notice that this occurred when Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. Does that mean He was full of Himself?
