Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of His ministry. He's not even dried off from being baptized before being called into battle. Jesus will fight temptation for forty days in the wilderness. His tempter: Satan.
The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'" (Luke 4:3-4 NIV)
It's a good thing that Jesus was already learning Scripture before the ripe old age of twelve. His parents must have taken him to temple with them, worked on memory verses, sung the psalms, and practiced the proverbs. They must have given Jesus every opportunity to learn God's Word throughout the childhood and young-adult years. By the time he began ministry, Jesus was ready for battle.
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" (Luke 4:5-8 NIV)
Forty days without food wasn't enough to drive Jesus to accept food from the tempter. Authority and splendor wasn't enough to draw Jesus away from faithfulness to God. Everything Satan used to pull Jesus away from The Father was deflected by the truth of God's Word. Yes, Jesus was prepared for battle.
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered, "It is said: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Luke 4:9-12 NIV)
Even when Satan tried to trip Jesus up by quoting Scripture in a way that God didn't intend it to be understood, Jesus couldn't be tricked. He not only knew God's Word. He knew how to correctly interpret its meaning as well. Jesus knew what it meant. Every lie of Satan was deflected with the truth of God's word.
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13 NIV)
He didn't only fight temptations for those forty days in the wilderness. He fought them throughout the rest of his life. The devil didn't leave him after that day. He left Jesus until a more "opportune time" to tempt again.
Jesus fought temptation with the same tools we have available to us. All too often, we like to say that we can't do what Jesus did because He was God and we are not. The problem with that logic is that it, too, comes from the devil. Satan wants us to think we can't win against him. But we can.
Jesus' victory in the wilderness had nothing to do with his deity. His victory had everything to do with his knowledge of Scripture, understanding of Scripture, and dedication to the God revealed in Scripture. Jesus couldn't be tripped up because he had learned God's Word so well that he recognized an impostor when he saw one. Jesus used the power of God's Truth to fight off Satan's lies. The battle was tough, but victory belonged to Jesus.
How about you? Are you armed and ready to fight battles against the devil and his followers? Do you read God's Word? Do you understand it? Have you memorized it? Are you committed to following the one true God revealed in Scripture?
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