The story of Jesus temptation is taken from the books Matthew, Mark and Luke. I am a firm believer that every word in the bible is the word of God, and is 100% true. If the bible says that Jesus was tempted, then he was tempted. But the story of Jesus temptation really provoked my thinking: Jesus is both God and Man. God cannot be tempted (James 1:13), but Man can choose to sin. So with that said, could Jesus have chosen to sin if he wanted to? Here's what it looks like...
Jesus Temptation Fasting For 40 Days
The story begins with Jesus' baptism. Although his baptism marked something very special in history, the "celebration" didn't last long. The holy spirit "drove" him into the wilderness. This was not him just deciding to go; he needed to go immediately (Mark 1:12). He was lead by the holy spirit into the wilderness, where he fasted for 40 days and nights. This was all done before he began his public ministries, probably to mentally prepare himself for what was to come.
Jesus Temptation Satan Appears
At the end of the 40 days and nights, Satan appeared to Jesus, attacking him when he was most venerable. "If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread". Jesus quoted scripture, saying "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds the mouth of God".
Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to sin, it would be the biggest victory he could ever achieve. Satan took Jesus to a very high mountaintop, and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth. "All this will be yours if you just fall down and worship me." Satan said. This is an example of Satan lying, trying to offer something he doesn't own. He is very articulate and manipulative. "Away with you, Satan! It is written 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and worship only him.'" Jesus told him. Then Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem to the top of a temple and told him to throw himself down. Satan then quoted scripture, misapplying it to deceive Jesus. "'He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you.' & 'In their hands they will lift you up, if you dash your foot against a stone'". Jesus then quoted scripture and correctly applied it, saying "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." Satan knew he failed and left Jesus, who was then ministered to by angels.
Jesus Temptation Was Jesus Really Tempted?
I believe the temptation of Jesus really happened, but one question still boggles my mind; It is almost impossible to fathom. Could Jesus have sinned if he wanted to?
We know God cannot be tempted, so in theory, Jesus was never tempted in the first place. But if that was true, Jesus "resisting" temptation his whole life really wouldn't have any significance. His perfect faith would not be strong faith if it wasn't tested. So let's assume when God came into the world as a human, he was stripped of his ability to ignore temptation. So now, assuming that Jesus could have sinned if he wanted to, what does that mean?
Jesus Temptation Conclusion
We've determined that the temptation of Jesus Christ means nothing if he was unable to sin. So that must mean that God put his perfect son from his Trinity in a position where he could have chosen to sin. The story of Jesus temptation appears in the bible because it holds significance: Jesus resisted temptation with 2 tools - Scripture and Heart. So with that said, we've determined that Jesus must have been capable of sinning. Could you imagine what would've happened if he did sin? What does that mean? That means God took a HUGE risk sending his son to earth. And he did this all for us!
Stumble It!