Jesus, Example in Temptation
Jesus, Example in Temptation Matthew 4 recounts the temptation of Jesus. Of course, He certainly faced others, including the temptation to avoid the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane, but Matt. 4 is a very specific retelling of the devil attacking Jesus in order to tempt him to sin. Jesus shows us by His actions how to handle temptation and be strong to resist it. To start with, Jesus fasted. He was already practicing a discipline of self-sacrifice. He weakened the flesh to strengthen the spirit. Jesus resisted the temptations of the devil with Scripture. Note that the devil also used Scripture in the temptation. This is common. Our soul's enemy will try to confuse us with truth, facts and even Scripture used in a slightly wrong way. It may be difficult to discern the error in reasoning he uses, especially when our desire is often tied up in the misunderstanding. . . Thus the temptation. The devil has been studying human behavior since there were humans. He's well aw...