We begin Lent with the reading of the account of Jesus temptation in the wilderness, uniting our meager fast to His own. But as we look more closely at the two accounts in St. Matthew and St. Luke, some interesting points are revealed.
It should be obvious that this account had to have come from Jesus own lips, as there were no eyewitnesses, so He is describing His experience. What is the context?
It immediately follows His baptism, at which, in St. Matthews account, the heavens were opened unto Jesus (the sure sign of a revelation from heaven, as we have in Johns Apocalypse when the heavens were opened unto him); Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him, and a voice from heaven saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
So, Jesus has just had the verification from the Father of His divine Sonship, and the Fathers pleasure. Now, He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Why not simply begin His ministry of preaching, healing and casting out demons? Why this time of testing in the wilderness? Perhaps a clue comes from St. Lukes account. Just after the voice from the Father at the baptism, St. Luke inserts his genealogical record of Jesus, which begins with the words
Jesus Himself, when He began to teach was about 30 years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph .and ends with the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Jesus is the second Adam, the second individual on earth who is a Son of God in this unique sense, of having no human father. And so what are the tempters first words? If you are the Son of God
Think of this as Jesus must have told it to His disciples. The Holy Spirit led me, after the revelation and voice at my baptism, into the wilderness, where I ate no food for 40 days. During that time, I was tempted by the devil. This is no Garden of Eden, but the wilderness which supplanted it. Here the second Adam has been fasting, not from the tree of knowledge, but from all food. And here comes the old adversary, seeking to plant his insinuations and doubts into the mind of this new one he encounters, over the whole period of 40 days as Matthew and Mark tell us.
While St. Matthews and St. Lukes order of the temptations differs slightly it is probably only an editorial device of St. Luke to place them in the order he does, to show that the three represent all the classes into which temptations may be divided: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, as they did for Eve and the first Adam. There are two references to bear in mind as we study the temptations.
The first is Genesis 3, and the other is Psalm 2. The adversarys tactics are tiresomely the same. In effect the devil says to Gods Anointed has God told you not to eat? Why not turn these stones into bread, to show your mastery over the created order? Break this fast you have that choice. How similar to the words in Eden. He is out to break the established order, as echoed in Psalm 2:
The rulers (in this case, the fallen angels, the rulers of the powers of the air) take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds asunder the bonds of creation and cast away their cords from us (the chains with which they are bound awaiting judgment.)
Then comes the vision of being on the pinnacle of the Temple, the tower of the Holy of Holies. Why not see if God will be true to His Word. Throw yourself down, for He has promised to give His angels charge over you. Or in other words Ye shall not surely die. In Psalm 2 it is the Lord who says I have set My King upon My holy Hill of Zion
There was a text known in the time of Jesus called the Life of Adam and Eve. In it is related that when Adam was created as the image of God, all the angels were commanded to worship him: Michael calls all the angels and says: Worship the image of the Lord God, as the Lord God has instructed.
Satans response is I will not worship one inferior and subsequent to me. I am prior to him in creation; he ought to worship me.
Because he refused to worship the Image, he was thrown from heaven and vowed revenge. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven Jesus declares in Luke 10. The second Adam was witness to the result of Satans refusal to worship the first Adam, and now, in revenge, the third temptation: offering all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if Jesus will fall down and worship him.
But it is God who has said: Ask of Me and I will give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Satan has quoted Scripture, but Jesus has rightly divided the word of Truth in the face of the temptations of the enemy.
In the opening scenes of His earthly ministry, He has reversed the scenes of Eden, in obedience as the Son of God and Son of Man, that in Him, we too may conquer all the fiery darts of the enemy all the subtle thoughts with which he seeks to distract and delude us. The Second Adam has shown what it is to truly be the Son of God. One who perseveres in obedience and faithfulness and trust – and the angels came and ministered unto him and as St. Luke ends his account: and when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. He isnt finished, but he is defeated.