who led jesus into the wilderness to be tempted

#WHO LED JESUS INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE TEMPTED FREE#

This test wasn’t to determine whether Abraham would pass or fail. In Hebrews 11:17 we read that “ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.” Having considered this story earlier in our study, we know that Abraham passed the test, and God knew beforehand that he would.

It is very interesting that the same Greek word “peirazo” is also translated in the Bible as “test” or “tested.” 2 While God does not tempt anyone, He does test people.

#WHO LED JESUS INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE TEMPTED FREE#

Ultimately, the same way that a prosecuting attorney seeks to disqualify the testimony of a defendant, Satan wanted to disqualify Jesus as the Deliverer who would free mankind from Satan, sin, and death. “Tempt” (or tempted) comes from the Greek word “peirazo,” which is actually a legal term meaning “to make proof of.” 1 In light of this root definition, we could say that Satan was tempting Jesus in order to prove that He was no different than any other man that had ever lived that He was just like Adam and that He would fold under pressure. This will become even more evident as we consider the word “tempt.” That is an important distinction because the Bible also says in James 1:13 that, “God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” Satan (who is called the tempter in Matthew 4:3 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5) is the one who does the tempting.īased upon the James 1:13 passage, notice also that it was futile for Satan to tempt Jesus, for “God cannot be tempted.” In the end, the temptation of Jesus served only to further the purposes of God. Notice that the Matthew 4:1 passage says the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, but it does not say that the Spirit tempted Jesus. This temptation is described in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-2. After resisting Satan, Jesus came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit.Īfter Jesus was baptized, He was then led by the Spirit (of God) into the wilderness to be tempted. And just as a precious metal is tested to prove its nature, this test was further proof that Jesus was indeed the Son of the God come to earth to do the will of His Father. But Jesus would resist and Satan would flee. Jesus then departed to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. I don't necessarily think tithing is a commandment for the Church, but the Bible says to give cheerfully and not in response to pressure (2 Cor 9:7).Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.Īnd when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. And that was the greatest blessing I could receive because, for the most part, I was satisfied with what I had. The desire for more money no longer had a hold on me. And with that understanding began a journey of letting go of things. After that message, I not only started tithing again, but I understood why God told us to give. Growing up, I had given because I was taught I was supposed to, but I didn't really know why God cared or the blessings that came from giving. I heard a sermon on why Christians are told to tithe, and God used that message to open my eyes. I was taught to tithe growing up, but for whatever reason, I had stopped giving in college. Early in my married life, we were not tithing. Money is not bad, but the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10) and leads to the pride of life.

Who led jesus into the wilderness to be tempted