Why would Satan try and tempt him? Would that not be the same as attempting to temp a rich man with pocket change? What would be the point?
2007-10-05 08:27:50 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Mark simply states that Jesus was tempted by Satan (1:13) but Matthew (4:1-11) and Luke (4:1-13) elaborate the story. It is claimed that during Jesus' alleged forty days' sojourn in the desert, following his baptism by John, Satan tempted him with promises of an earthly kingdom if Jesus would only worship him.
If Jesus is part of God, how could he possibly sin, and how could Satan possibly hope to tempt him? Satan's words would be absolutely meaningless. Surely, even the earthly Jesus was incapable of committing as sinful an act as the worshipping of Satan. Indeed, unlike a mere mortal, it was decreed that the Gospels' Jesus follow exactly the life outlined for his earthly existence by the very godhead of which he was an integral part.
In assuming a human body, the Jesus of Christian theology knew what God's purpose for the future of mankind was and what was expected of him in order to bring this about. Did Jesus, the perfect god-man, have free will to sin while on earth? Obviously not! Had he failed to carry out God's plan, the entire timetable would have been eternally disrupted. Lacking free will to do as he pleased, Jesus could not truly have been tempted.
Neither could Satan, as one of God's creations, promise Jesus, who was already divine and in control of the universe, a mere kingdom as a reward for worshipping him. As puffed up with pride as one might envision Satan to be, he is certainly not stupid. In the Gospel narrative Satan knew Jesus was not a mere human, given to flattery and subject to the temptations of the flesh. Jesus was not one who would accept worthless promises.
Even if we suppose that Satan did make Jesus the most extravagant of offers, as reported by the New Testament, it would not in the least have been a temptation to the divine Jesus of Christianity. In view of the claim by Christian theology that Jesus was offered an earthly kingdom by God: "Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession" (Psalms 2:8), can anyone believe that a member of the Trinity would have difficulty in choosing between the two opposing offers? Certainly Satan would not have wasted his time on such a futile endeavor. It is obvious that the account of Satan's attempt to tempt Jesus cannot be reconciled with the overall view of Jesus as held by Christians.
Of Jesus it is said: "For because he himself has suffered and has been tempted, he is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:18). But if Jesus was God as well as man at the time of his temptation by Satan, how is this verse, and indeed the entire temptation episode, to be reconciled with the belief expressed by the author of James? He states: "Let no one say when he is tempted: 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone" (James 1:13). If according to James "God cannot be tempted by evil," then the Jesus who Christians claim is God cannot have been tempted by Satan. The entire Gospel episode of Satan's temptation of Jesus must therefore have not occurred.
2007-10-05 08:34:15 · answer #1 · answered by Primary Format Of Display 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
So...Jesus could be tempted, because He was fully human as well. Jesus could get hungry, could be sleep deprived, had to deal with hormones, and all that stuff.
Why try to tempt Jesus? If Jesus sinned, Satan wins an important battle. Nobody could be reconciled with God, because Jesus' sacrifice would be worthless.
It's interesting to compare Jesus' and Adam's temptations. Both involved food and power and stuff like that. Adam's temptation was relatively easy. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and worn out.
2007-10-05 08:52:13 · answer #2 · answered by MikeM 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jesus is God in the flesh.
"...CHRIST JESUS...being in the FORM OF GOD, thought it not robbery to be EQUAL WITH GOD: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
--Philippians 2:5-8
When on the earth He became God's Son, a human man. Satan tempted Jesus' from the view point of fleshly appetites.
Here is also a great lesson for us. Satan would have us believe that the things with which he tempts us are for our own good. Sadly, there are many who fall for it hook, line, and sinker. However, we must look beyond the immediate benefits of such temptation and see the thing for what it really is; Satan’s effort to ensnare us in his web of deceit.
2007-10-06 07:53:27 · answer #3 · answered by 4HIM- Christians love 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
JC and wirenut are correct:
Jesus is both True God AND TRUE MAN. Both Divine AND Human aspects exist within his person. While He was on Earth as Human Flesh, He was absolutely vulnerable to temptation, and COULD theoretically have fallen into sin. If He would have sinned, that would signify the ULTIMATE victory for Satan. So naturally, Satan tried!! Just the mere possibility of Jesus succumbing to his temptations made it a valid pursuit for Satan.
And just imagine if Satan had succeeded in his torment of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (during the "Agony in the Garden"): all Jesus had to do was say "No way am I gonna let these people torture and kill me!", and Humankind would have been in Satan's grasp forever.
So it makes a lot of sense that Satan would tempt Christ with all the power he could muster! And the fact that Christ withstood that can be attributed to His Divinity much more than his humanity, IMO...
BTW, whenever WE resist temptation, perhaps we are exercising a little bit of our OWN share in God's Divinity, allowing it to rule over our human weakness. :)
Peace.
ETA: happylife, well done! Addiction is one of the most intense temptations known to humanity; it is my opinion that the only way we overcome such a powerful attack is through reliance on God or on share of His Divinity residing within us. As I look back myself, definitely the hardest battle I can fathom...
2007-10-05 08:42:00 · answer #4 · answered by rose-dancer 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Satan tempted Jesus, because he knew that Jesus is the son of God, not God himself.
This is one of the main problems created by the trinity doctrine.
If Jesus WAS God, then the temptation-to be real-would have to mean that it is possible for God to sin or, rebel against himself.
If the temptation was not real, then the Bible record is a lie.
Yet, if Jesus, is a created person (like it says at Col.1:15) then it is possible for the temptation to be real, for just as Satan BECAME Satan by his ability to CHOOSE to rebel, so it would be possible for Jesus to have rebelled.
SO, if Jesus IS GOD, then the trinitarians are worshiping a God that can sin, and if not, then the Bible they have put all their faith in, is lying.
The trinity is one of the mains doctrines that takes the simple and clear truth of the Bible, and locks away the understanding for billions of readers.
2007-10-05 08:30:58 · answer #5 · answered by Tim 47 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Satan took advantage of Jesus`s human side ( since he took a human form he really , teological talking, had one) .That is if you accept the biblical story without doubt the autenticity of such facts .For a believer almost all are true . For a rational person .... well that`s a different story
2007-10-05 08:37:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
When God put on human skin, he became like a human. Jesus had to deal with all the temptations and desires that we have to face. Satan tempted him hoping that those temptations and desires would cause him to be weak (like we are weak). By resisting those temptations, Jesus showed us that we are capable of doing the same thing...with his help of course.
2007-10-05 08:34:53 · answer #7 · answered by KAL 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Satan tried to tempt him from carrying out the will of the father.
Satan also knew the plan of God
The book of Job gives us clues to that fact
2007-10-05 08:34:06 · answer #8 · answered by Tommiecat 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Jesus was in human form and satan tempts humans;but thank God Jesus was wise enough and strong enough to not succomb to the devils temptation.
2007-10-05 08:33:11 · answer #9 · answered by Maurice H 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Satan Didn't know! He thought maybe, but wasn't sure. He would have tried to heap honors on Him instead of crusifying Him if he knew that Jesus was God.
2007-10-05 08:33:03 · answer #10 · answered by carmel 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋