At the beginning of His ministry and after His baptism by John, Satan tempts Jesus in the desert. And, the angels attend His needs. This is the example Christ teaches us when we are tempted by the devil.
The fact is, Jesus came to earth as a man – just like us. So, He was open to temptation by Satan.
Christ didn’t give in to temptation. So, we can take this as an example in this reading and Bible study lesson from Mark.
We spend time in the wilderness at different eras in our lives. This is a time of wandering, not knowing exactly where to turn.
But God knows.
Deadlocked! Satan Tempts Jesus but The Angels Come
“Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.
And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.” Mark 1:12-13 NASB
Temptation of Christ
Mark gives a very short reading in this Scripture reading about Christ. But, this is really significant. When Mark wrote his gospel, he didn’t write long, drawn out passages like some of the other Apostles.
His writings were short and to the point, like this one about how Jesus was tempted by Satan and tended to by the angels.
Why was Jesus tempted? He is Christ, after all!
First, Jesus is fully God and fully man.
So, the human factor means He was not exempt from Satan’s temptations.
God did this so that He could experience everything we did and felt, good or bad.
After these ordeals on earth, God better understood our feelings, our joys and our sorrows.
What the temptation of Jesus means to us
Since Christ went through these temptations without giving in to sin, He taught us how we should respond to the situations we face every day.
The Devil’s Temptation is an Example to Us
Jesus gave us an example to follow when we are faced with sin and temptations.
The way He handled Satan (Matthew 4:5-11) is a blueprint for how we can face the same challenges and walk away – with His help.
God will help us overcome sin
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”0849938716″ locale=”US” src=”https://makingchristknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/51PUKI8Z2KL.SL160.jpg” tag=”bobpardphot-20″ width=”95″]As a result of Jesus being tempted in the desert, He knows how to help us when we ask. The key word here is to ask, and not to take it upon ourselves to act on our own.
God helps us overcome sin in our lives, if we recognize the signals and pray to God for help.
We can’t defeat Satan except through the power of Jesus Christ.
When we bring Him into our lives, the Spirit guides us in decisions – and through conflict.
Isn’t God amazing?
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like learn about the love and life-changing experience of knowing Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16.