Then Jesus was led up into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he became hungry. So the Tempter came and said to him……”
Matthew 4:1–3
Helen Barrett Montgomery NT, 1924 Translation
With a slight review, we can use Jesus’ testing in the wilderness as a foundation for understanding the temptations and tests we experience in life. The Apostle Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 to remember that every temptation is common to mankind, and that God is faithful to make a way of escape so that we are able to bear it.
Being led by the Spirit into the wilderness indicates the working of the purposes of God for a greater good. To be tempted by the Devil reveals the evil that is present to oppose and destroy that purpose.
God tests; Satan tempts.
The same event can contain divine purpose and testing, as well as satanic intent and temptation, without making God the author of evil.
When we reconcile ourselves to the awareness that this life will include both temptation and a process of testing, we can still be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world.
Every temptation is common to our life here and now. Every circumstance can become a test of how we are growing and conforming to Christ. We are wise when, in the moment of temptation or testing, we recognize what is happening and choose to respond in a way that pleases God and strengthens us.
Scripture tells us, “In everything give thanks.”
The First Epistle of John tells us in 2:16 about the love of the world. In the Gospels, Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters; we will love one and hate the other. We cannot serve God and mammon, or the worldly system represented by mammon.
John’s epistle tells us that all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away, along with these desires.
We understand that these things are not eternal but belong to the temporal realm. Where translations vary in their use of the word lust, we simply need to understand that it speaks of a very strong desire—an appetite of the natural man, common to us all.
Thus, Scripture warns us over and over again not to set our affection upon the things that are in the world.
When it comes to the “lust or desire of the eyes,” we see in the garden the temptation that appealed to Adam and Eve. Something they had looked upon long enough—something that was “a delight to their eyes”—began to change what they believed and eventually gave way to satisfying their desire.
Conversely, we see in Jesus’ example in the wilderness a divine submission to the instructions of His Father.
Timing is everything. Contentment is learned.
This is the danger.
I remember when I wanted a puppy. I searched the internet daily—sometimes all day—for breeders and puppies that were available. David would warn me, “Don’t look at that.”
The end of the story is that I found my “desire,” talked myself into buying my desire, and loved my desire. But my desire came with all sorts of problems. We endured the desire for five years and ultimately had to rehome my desire and move on.
You might ask, What’s wrong with having a dog? It isn’t bad. But that’s not the question. The question is always, “Is it right, and is it right now?”
The moral of that story is that what you look at long enough strengthens an appetite. And once that appetite has been strengthened, you will ultimately find a way to convince yourself that God is okay with it.
You can even tell yourself that God has made a way for you to acquire the desire. This is where we must be careful. Proverbs 27:20 tells us that the eyes of man are never satisfied. Desire is always present, and desire must be disciplined. We must learn to be content.
Contentment is the healing balm for desire.
Paul had to learn to be content. Jesus learned discipline, and we will too. It is a process of growth and conformity to the character of Christ.
Knowing that He alone satisfies my soul isn’t enough unless I go to Him and allow Him to satisfy me. I must allow Him to alter my thinking and reestablish my heart unto eternity.
The reality of God giving me the desires of my heart is not simply that God gives me what I desire. It is that He realigns my desires with His. That is a discipline found only in intimacy with Him.
It is better for the Lord to add daily to our lives the things we need than for us to continually strive to fulfill our desires. We learn, as Paul did, to be content with such things as we have. Perhaps this is one of the great lessons we learn from Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness:
We do not have to satisfy every appetite simply because we have it.
Jesus was hungry, but hunger did not determine His obedience.
He waited on His Father.
He trusted His Father.
He submitted His desire to the Father’s will.
And from Jesus’ temptation, we learn the discipline of being content and waiting on God’s timing in all things.