Jesus is Tempted | The Wolfe Notes

These notes follow our 7-step rhythm for Bible study. Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotes are from GOD'S WORD translation.

Jesus is Tempted

(From Luke 4:1-13)

Desert Image by Pexels at Pixabay

1. Summary

Jesus, led by the Spirit, went to the wilderness where He was tempted of Satan for forty days. During this time, He ate nothing. So, being very hungry and weak, Satan tempted Jesus with food (turn this stone to bread), power (jump from this high place and demand the angels to come down and rescue you), and with authority (worship me and I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world). To each temptation, Jesus refused by quoting scripture. Having no more tricks up His sleeve, Satan left until he could devise another strategy.

2. N/W/L Statements

1. I NOTICED that:
1. The temptations didn't begin until after Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days.
2. Satan tempted Jesus in every way he could think of. (*So probably more ways than are mentioned here.)
2. I WONDER 
1. What other temptations Jesus endured? 
2. Why are only these three mentioned? Do they represent a good sampling? Can they be tied to another place in the Bible? Are these temptations trying to cue us into something?
3. I think God wants us to LEARN that Jesus endured and triumphed over temptation by leaning on God's word. So can we!

3. Key Verse

Jesus answered him, "It has been said, 'Never tempt the Lord your God.'" Luke 4:12

Jesus' words here were few but mighty, so can our words be. This verse also serves as a reminder to never take God lightly.

4. God's Character

1. God is trustworthy even when it feels like He is not with us. (Though driven to the wilderness, Jesus knew He could rely on the words of God.)
1. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far way from helping me, so far away from the words of my groaning?...You have answered me...The LORD has not despised or been disgusted with the plight of the oppressed one. He has not hidden his face from that person. The LORD heard when that oppressed person cried out to him for help. Psalm 22:1, 21, 24
2. In all their troubles he was troubled, and he was the Messenger who saved them. In his love and compassion he reclaimed them. He always held them and carried them in the past. Isaiah 63:9 (See Isaiah 63:9 cross references.)
3. What will separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or violent death separate us from his love? As Scripture says: "We are being killed all day long because of you. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered." The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties. Romans 8:35-37 
2.  God allows us to be tempted. (Right after His baptism, Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.)
1. The LORD asked Satan, "Have you thought about my servant Job? No one in the world is like him! He is a man of integrity: He is decent, he fears God, and he stays away from evil." Satan answered the LORD, "Haven't you given Job a reason to fear God? Haven't you put a protective fence around him, his home, and everything he has? You have blessed everything he does. His cattle have spread out over the land. But now stretch out your hand, and strike everything he has. I bet he'll curse you to your face." The LORD told Satan, "Everything he has is in your power, but you must not lay a hand on him!" Then Satan left the LORD's presence. Job 1:8-12
2. Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When someone is tempted, he shouldn't say that God is tempting him. God can't be tempted by evil, and God doesn't tempt anyone. Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him. Then desire becomes pregnant and gives birth to sin. When sin grows up, it gives birth to death. James 1:12-15
3. Therefore, [Jesus] had to become like his brothers and sisters so that he could be merciful. He became like them so that he could serve as a faithful chief priest in God's presence and make peace with God for their sins. Because Jesus experienced temptation when he suffered, he is able to help others when they are tempted. Hebrews 2:17-18
3. God equips us with His word. (Jesus quoted scripture to fight against Satan's temptations.)
1. God's word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where the soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God's word judges a person's thoughts and intentions.
2. Also take salvation as your helmet and God's word as the sword that the Spirit supplies. Ephesians 6:17
3. Life is spiritual. Your physical existence doesn't contribute to that life. The words that I have spoken to you are spiritual. They are life. John 6:63

5. Pray

Father God, in my times of tempting, when I feel like life has dealt me an unfair hand, remind me of Jesus and His wilderness days. Human life is tough for everyone. But, by using Your Word as my weapon, I can make it through every temptation. I praise You for Your faithfulness which holds me steady and keeps my focus on what really matters: You

6. Act

• Learn and memorize God's word so that His weapons are ready for use.
• Accept that you will experience tough times.
• Remember, God is always faithful.

7. Annotation Notes

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, ! a connection, and italics a referenced source.

1. ? Luke 4:1 says, "Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as he left the Jordan River." Wasn't He filled with the Spirit at birth?
1. The Bible actually never does explicitly say that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. I likely inferred that because John the Baptist was (Good Question and Luke 1:15).
2. *Perhaps more to say the Spirit moved Him. Just like we're always filled with the Spirit, but sometimes the Spirit moves us to act or speak when normally we wouldn't.
2. 40 days invokes Israel's time in the wilderness. The account of Israel's wilderness days in Deuteronomy is also the source of Jesus' first response to the devil. (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible; Luke 4:1, 4)
1. x  Remember that 40 years the LORD your God led you on your journey in the desert. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know whether or not you would wholeheartedly obey his commands. So he made you suffer from hunger and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had seen before. He did this to teach you that a person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that the LORD speaks. Deuteronomy 8:2-3
2. x Moses was there with the LORD 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the promise, the ten commandments. Exodus 34:28
3. x [Elijah] got up, ate, and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled for 40 days and nights until he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. I Kings 19:8
3. The devil questions Jesus' identity as God's Son, which is a direct challenge to God's declaration at Jesus' baptism. Jesus' responses, all quoted from Israel's time in the wilderness, hint at a redefinition of God's son from Israel to Jesus.(Luke 4:3; NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible) 
1. x and the Holy Spirit came down to him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, "You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you." Luke 3:22 (See our notes on Jesus' baptism.)
2. x Learn this lesson by heart: The LORD your God was disciplining you as parents discipline their children. Deuteronomy 8:5
4. Though the devil claims ultimate authority (Luke 4:6), it really belongs to God. (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible) 
1. x Before the words came out of his mouth, a voice said from heaven, "King Nebuchadnezzar, listen to this: The kingdom has been taken from you. You will be forced away from people and live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle. And seven time periods will pass until you realize that the Most High has power over human kingdoms and that he gives them to whomever he wishes." Daniel 4:31-32
2. x "This world is being judged now. The ruler of this world will be thrown out now. When I have been lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people toward me." John 12:31-32
3. x We know that those who have been born from God don't go on sinning. Rather, the Son of God protects them, and the evil one can't harm them. We know that we are from God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. I John 5:18-19
5. The devil pulls Psalm 91:11-12 out of context. The meaning is that God will protect you if you fall, not if you jump. (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible; Luke 4:10-11)
6. ? The story of Jesus' tempting ends with "the devil left him until another time." Does that mean Jesus was tempted of Satan again? (Luke 4:13)
1. *This does leave me with a sense that Jesus was continually tempted throughout His human life. And why wouldn't He be? We are.
2. x We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn't sin. Hebrews 4:15
3. x The ruler of this world has no power over me. But he's coming, so I won't talk with you much longer. John 14:30

Sample these related posts:

• To consider methods the enemy uses to attack.
• To learn how God equips you to defend against temptation.
• To compare our armor with God's.
• For a book on using prayer to fight the enemy's attacks.
• For thoughts on using God's word as a weapon.

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