Why did the devil tempt Jesus in the wilderness? Some people believe Jesus did have the choice to give into the temptation if he chose to (which makes no sense for several reasons- since Jesus has the same nature as the other members of the Trinity-the possibility that Jesus could have sinned made no sense). I'd say that the least likely explanation, but if you take over factors into consideration, it still doesnt make sense why the devil would tempt him. Why would he believe God would give into his temptation?
Why did the devil choose to tempt Jesus?
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BryanW92
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Remember that Jesus was not half man and half God. He was the mathematical impossibility of 100% man and 100% God. Satan did not understand exactly who Jesus was and tried to appeal to the man.
But Jesus could have sinned. If he was incapable of sinning, then his perfect life would not be a proper sacrifice. The works of Jesus were indeed works and not some inescapable conclusion to a staged drama.
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Do you think its possible the devil tempted Jesus for a symbolic reason and didnt really expect him to give into temptation? By "symbolic" I dont mean the story was allegoric and the Bible isnt literal, I mean "symbolic" as in the temptation was just to make a statement and wasnt a real attempt by the devil to tempt Jesus to sin.
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BryanW92
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Not at all. That was Satan's serious attempt to thwart God's plan of using this man to save mankind. Satan didn't understand the full nature of Jesus any more than most Christians do. Satan (not by coincidence) thought Jesus was exactly what Muslims think he is: the greatest of human prophets and a vessel for power that would manifest later. He had to corrupt that man before his destiny was fully unveiled. Basically, he didn't know who he was messing with.
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But why do you think Jesus could have sinned? Is it because, since he was God, he had free will, or because his human nature allowed him to have the possibility to sin?
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BryanW92
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He was supposed to be the Messiah, a great conqueror of God's enemies. Yet, he walked around as a homeless itinerant preacher, loved by some and despised by the Jewish leaders. Everyone who followed him assumed that he would return later with great powers to smite those enemies.
In Islam, he is supposed to return to judge those who blasphemed against God by claiming that he is God. These are all examples of how people assumed that he had powers that would manifest later.
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This wasn't gunfight at the OK Coral. The great standoff; the fate of mankind hanging in the balance, as the prince of the world and the Son of God did battle. It was God anointing his Son to do great works, that we would believe on him. The anointing took him into the wilderness.
I see the wilderness as a proving ground, for the Israelites delivered from Egypt's bondage, for John the Baptist, for Jesus and for us who follow him. It's a place where the flesh suffers, and where the devil loses his power over us. As we know he had no power over Jesus, but he doesn't take defeat lying down, neither gives up until he's out of time. He attacked Jesus in his flesh through hunger, through self glory, and to tempt God. I think the devil tempting Jesus was par for the course.
Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
What intrigues me is how Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit after overcoming.
I see the wilderness as a proving ground, for the Israelites delivered from Egypt's bondage, for John the Baptist, for Jesus and for us who follow him. It's a place where the flesh suffers, and where the devil loses his power over us. As we know he had no power over Jesus, but he doesn't take defeat lying down, neither gives up until he's out of time. He attacked Jesus in his flesh through hunger, through self glory, and to tempt God. I think the devil tempting Jesus was par for the course.
Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
What intrigues me is how Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit after overcoming.
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Because had deceived himself into thinking he stood a chance of getting Jesus to give in to temptation since his body was weak due to lack of food. Satan always tries to attack us where he believes we are weak.
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kristina411
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My assumption would be the above. Jesus is 100% God but was also 100% man. A mans body NEEDS food after 40 days for sure. My guess is Satan hoprdthe bodily weakness would play to his advantage, but it of course did not.
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Why in the world do Muslims claim they believe in Jesus, if the person they call Jesus has almost no similarities with the biblical Jesus? They dont believe in Joseph or the 12 apostles-and they totally changed the story of his birth, life, teachings, and miracles. Of all the religions in the world, what they claim believe is the most contradictory.
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BryanW92
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Because Satan knows the power of Jesus. To claim that he never existed would have doomed Islam from the start because then even weak Christians would resist it. But, by taking the bible and rewriting it in a corrupted manner, they can claim that they worship the same God and weak minds will believe that.
Satan is the greatest deceiver and the best deceptions have a basis in truth.
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Brandonspapa
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Satan hoped that Jesus would be so hungry and tired from the 40 days that he would call upon the Father to return to His Divine nature, thereby thwarting the plan of GOD for Christ to be a living sacrifice for mankind. Satan continues to try and thwart GOD's plan, now by trying to wipe out the Jews so that they cannot call for GOD's return to complete the final 7 years of Daniel.
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Brandonspapa
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I found this article on the net that is very informative about this question. I have linked the entire article at the bottom.
Heb.4:15: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin."
The scriptures are very careful to present Jesus as sinless at all times 2 Cor.5:2; 1 Pt. 2:22; 1 Jn.3:5.
The question that comes up and has been wrestled with through the centuries is if Jesus could not sin how could he be truly human? On the other side if Jesus could have sinned, how could he be truly God. This is why 1 Tim. 3:16 states, "Great is the mystery of Godliness, God was manifested in the flesh." Since Jesus did not come through the normal means of conception he had no sin nature. Yet he was fully human, feeling the emotions we do, his body got tired, he became hungry and needed sleep just like anyone else. Jesus although fully human was not in the same category as man with a sin nature, although he looked like any other He alone was without sin. At his baptism he was anointed with the fullness of the Holy Spirit and was immediately led into the wilderness. [FONT="]The Temptation was God's idea, not the devils for it was the Holy Spirit that lead him into the wilderness and to fast. [/FONT]He was then tempted by the devil to keep him from the cross. his purpose in the temptation was to cause him to sin and offer him a short cut to his goal as the Messiah. God's purpose was prove he was indeed the Son of God.[FONT="] [/FONT]The devil tempted him in three frontal attacks to disqualify him from being the savior. Each time he questioned Jesus "if you are the son of God."
These three areas are the same areas we are all tempted in today. (we can have the same victory that Jesus did.)
1 Jn.2:16 The lust of the flesh- This temptation was focused on the human need for survival. The devil tempting him to use His ability to satisfy his hunger after 40 days of fasting by turning stones into bread (Mt.4:3-4) Being at his weakest moment he came to have Him do something to feed his flesh. He certainly had the ability to accomplish this however He would have acted upon His immediate need and would have broken His position of being in subjection to his Fathers will. While it is God's will to provide for His needs it was not for Him to use his divine power independently. Jesus' answer is that the word is the bread He is sustained on.
The pride of life-The devil next asked him to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple. here he could prove who he was without any suffering, he could have achieved a shortcut to glory without being trained and perfected in suffering. His dependence on God the father was tested. There are right and wrong ways to depend on God. If he had have jumped he would have tested God to keep His promises, as the devil himself quoted the scripture as assurance of God's protection. Jesus would have tempted his Father to do something in the wrong time and way. He rebukes the devil by saying it is written you shall not tempt the Lord your God. " Showing his dependence on the word of truth and his Father.
The lust of the eyes- The devil took him up to a high Mountain and then showed him all the kingdoms of the world Offering them to him in exchange for worship. This was an appeal to not worship God the creator and worship the creature. It was also to have him submit to the devils will of immediate rulership, again discounting the way of suffering to the cross.
All the world was the devils to give and he was trying to have Jesus violate the timing of having the kingdom under his rulership. Much like Esau he would have traded his birthright for the immediacy of what was being offered. Jesus chose God's way of suffering in patience and not looking to an immediate result that was offered.
Jesus again refers to the truth of the word "you shall worship the Lord your God and him only will you serve." Jesus successfully deterred Satan showing his sinlessness and that He is the Son of God.
All these temptations instigate a response from the sin nature in man of which Jesus had none. The first Adam became a sinner by sinning, after him the whole human race had no choice, it was passed on as our nature. Jesus as the 2nd Adam had the same choice to become a sinner by sinning. This was the purpose of Satan to have him sin and disqualify him from being the messiah.
Could Jesus have sinned in his humanity while being God in the flesh. We need to understand that he was one person. If his humanity was separate it could have willed to do just as Adam did. While He had the choice to sin He did not have the ability. The humanity of Christ could never be separate from or unsupported from His deity. With Adam there was only one nature with Christ he was supported by and anointed by deity as the Son of God.
In our fallen humanity we cannot act apart from our nature. Jesus however did not have the sin nature that we have. He was free to act perfectly in all situations. He acted upon his sinless nature obeying another's will, that of his Father. He was not able to go against God's will because He did not have the nature of sin to have that possibility. He knew no sin (2 Cor.5:21) meaning He gained no knowledge of sin through experience. He came like a man (Rom.8:3) looking like anyone else yet without the sinful nature, there was nothing of himself on the outside that attracted people. As Jesus took upon himself another nature of humanity it did not have the indwelling of sin that marred man (Phil.2:5-8). Could Christ have sinned
Heb.4:15: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin."
The scriptures are very careful to present Jesus as sinless at all times 2 Cor.5:2; 1 Pt. 2:22; 1 Jn.3:5.
The question that comes up and has been wrestled with through the centuries is if Jesus could not sin how could he be truly human? On the other side if Jesus could have sinned, how could he be truly God. This is why 1 Tim. 3:16 states, "Great is the mystery of Godliness, God was manifested in the flesh." Since Jesus did not come through the normal means of conception he had no sin nature. Yet he was fully human, feeling the emotions we do, his body got tired, he became hungry and needed sleep just like anyone else. Jesus although fully human was not in the same category as man with a sin nature, although he looked like any other He alone was without sin. At his baptism he was anointed with the fullness of the Holy Spirit and was immediately led into the wilderness. [FONT="]The Temptation was God's idea, not the devils for it was the Holy Spirit that lead him into the wilderness and to fast. [/FONT]He was then tempted by the devil to keep him from the cross. his purpose in the temptation was to cause him to sin and offer him a short cut to his goal as the Messiah. God's purpose was prove he was indeed the Son of God.[FONT="] [/FONT]The devil tempted him in three frontal attacks to disqualify him from being the savior. Each time he questioned Jesus "if you are the son of God."
These three areas are the same areas we are all tempted in today. (we can have the same victory that Jesus did.)
1 Jn.2:16 The lust of the flesh- This temptation was focused on the human need for survival. The devil tempting him to use His ability to satisfy his hunger after 40 days of fasting by turning stones into bread (Mt.4:3-4) Being at his weakest moment he came to have Him do something to feed his flesh. He certainly had the ability to accomplish this however He would have acted upon His immediate need and would have broken His position of being in subjection to his Fathers will. While it is God's will to provide for His needs it was not for Him to use his divine power independently. Jesus' answer is that the word is the bread He is sustained on.
The pride of life-The devil next asked him to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple. here he could prove who he was without any suffering, he could have achieved a shortcut to glory without being trained and perfected in suffering. His dependence on God the father was tested. There are right and wrong ways to depend on God. If he had have jumped he would have tested God to keep His promises, as the devil himself quoted the scripture as assurance of God's protection. Jesus would have tempted his Father to do something in the wrong time and way. He rebukes the devil by saying it is written you shall not tempt the Lord your God. " Showing his dependence on the word of truth and his Father.
The lust of the eyes- The devil took him up to a high Mountain and then showed him all the kingdoms of the world Offering them to him in exchange for worship. This was an appeal to not worship God the creator and worship the creature. It was also to have him submit to the devils will of immediate rulership, again discounting the way of suffering to the cross.
All the world was the devils to give and he was trying to have Jesus violate the timing of having the kingdom under his rulership. Much like Esau he would have traded his birthright for the immediacy of what was being offered. Jesus chose God's way of suffering in patience and not looking to an immediate result that was offered.
Jesus again refers to the truth of the word "you shall worship the Lord your God and him only will you serve." Jesus successfully deterred Satan showing his sinlessness and that He is the Son of God.
All these temptations instigate a response from the sin nature in man of which Jesus had none. The first Adam became a sinner by sinning, after him the whole human race had no choice, it was passed on as our nature. Jesus as the 2nd Adam had the same choice to become a sinner by sinning. This was the purpose of Satan to have him sin and disqualify him from being the messiah.
Could Jesus have sinned in his humanity while being God in the flesh. We need to understand that he was one person. If his humanity was separate it could have willed to do just as Adam did. While He had the choice to sin He did not have the ability. The humanity of Christ could never be separate from or unsupported from His deity. With Adam there was only one nature with Christ he was supported by and anointed by deity as the Son of God.
In our fallen humanity we cannot act apart from our nature. Jesus however did not have the sin nature that we have. He was free to act perfectly in all situations. He acted upon his sinless nature obeying another's will, that of his Father. He was not able to go against God's will because He did not have the nature of sin to have that possibility. He knew no sin (2 Cor.5:21) meaning He gained no knowledge of sin through experience. He came like a man (Rom.8:3) looking like anyone else yet without the sinful nature, there was nothing of himself on the outside that attracted people. As Jesus took upon himself another nature of humanity it did not have the indwelling of sin that marred man (Phil.2:5-8). Could Christ have sinned
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