“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Summary: Sometimes our behavior is predictable, and when that happens the devil can use our natural instincts against us.
At the end of forty days without food, Jesus is tempted with an easy meal. All he has to do is allow his flesh, sometimes called the “natural man,” to take control of his divine power and turn rocks into bread. Jesus’ response is to point out that man is more than a stomach of flesh. We also have spiritual needs, and they take precedence.
Next, Satan tempts Jesus’ ego. The easy way to “prove” his divinity is to demonstrate how divine he is by demanding that his Father intervene to save him from hurting himself. Jesus points out that we are not to put God to the test.
The third temptation speaks to greed. The flesh, the “natural man,” wants it all. He wants what he has and what everyone else has, too.
If you watch small children play with toys, it is common to see them want what someone else has. Two little kids can be playing in a room full of toys, and one kid invariably will ignore all the toys except the one the other kid is playing with. One child wants what the other has, reaches out, and takes it, and tears, crying, and sometimes a fight ensues.
Why is that?
Recently my mother passed away, and my three brothers and our families had to divvy up all her belongings. For the most part, this process has gone smoothly, but I have noticed that the “natural child” in me still wants what others have. I can be standing in a room full of things I don’t want until someone else finds a treasure and says, “Oh look! Mom’s such and such!”
Boom!
No sooner are the words out of their mouth than I can feel the “want” well up in me.
Why?
What is it about us that causes that to happen?
Whatever it is, the devil was counting on that instinct to entrap Jesus.
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4: 8-9)
Hey Jesus, look at all the shiny kingdoms I have. They can all be yours … (the devil waits for greed to kick in) … if you bow down and worship me.
Here we see the inner Jesus revealed fully. Jesus summarized “all the Law and the Prophets” with the Greatest Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
Heart, soul, and mind.
Through all these temptations, Jesus’ mind is focused like a laser on God.
Through all three temptations, his spirit, or soul, remains devoted to his heavenly Father.
The heart is the center of everything. It is where our wants, needs, desires, dreams, and hopes all overlap. When it comes to Jesus, his heart, too, is completely devoted to God the Father.
Did Jesus feel tempted? His flesh wouldn’t have been “flesh” if he hadn’t. What kept Jesus from sin was his complete devotion to his Father in heaven.
Application: Love God as Jesus loves the Father.
Food for Thought: How can we become more aware of the difference between our spiritual nature and our “natural” inclinations?
Very true for all of us! 🙏
What? You, too??!!
🙂
I think that is a good question. One fruit of the spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). I find that my natural inclinations tend to lack that. Sometimes it is evident in the things I do, sometimes that lack of self-control takes place all my mind. I also find my natural inclinations tend to center around me. I think it is important to ask yourself what your are really trying to accomplish. Does this feeling glorify God and help me love my neighbor, or will it create distance? God created us and our natural inclinations, it is a part of who we are. But, God also wants us to use our inclinations to seek His Will. If you find yourself not glorifying God or loving your neighbor, then I would say your inclinations are not spiritual.
James 3:4 And look at ships! They are so big that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the helmsman directs.
So I think you have to ask: who has control of your rudder?
Chris,
Great analogy! A rudder has a handle on it so people can steer it. When our emotions get out of hand we say that we need to get a “handle” on them. What we really need though is for our spirit, led by God’s Word and Spirit, to get a handle on our emotions. There is a difference.
I love Chris’s question regarding who has control of your rudder.
I think a primary difference is stated very well in your devotion. We need to ask ourselves: Am I acting the way I am because I want to get what I want? In other words, is this all about me. Am I satisfying my desires while ignorant of others?
If I am operating in the Spirit, then I will be suppressing my desires to serve others and honor the Lord. We are told to be like Jesus in this attitude – to follow Him and model Him. Philippians 2: 3 – 8. Luke 9: 23.
Rich,
Great verse references (as always!). I think Philippians 2:5 sums it up well:
“ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”
If we can achieve that, everything else falls into place.
How can we become more aware of the difference between our spiritual nature and our “natural” inclinations?
By realizing that it is all Gods, it all belongs to our Perfect Father in Heaven.
By noticing the difference between immediate reaction and a thoughtful reaction. Often times my immediate reaction is the fleshy one. I’m more surprised by the times the Spirit gets the first say. My immediate reaction when dinner is set is to grab all I want first, but is that the kind thing to do? My initial reaction when someone doesn’t take on their responsibility, is…. well…. many nasty thoughts that I should never ever act on. It’s the things I think through that get the Holy Spirit’s input.
“By noticing the difference between immediate reaction and a thoughtful reaction.”
Great point! It does seem like the “flesh” has a shortcut when it comes to getting to the controls of our emotional responses. If we can train ourselves to let the Spirit intervene we are miles and miles ahead.
01-19-2023, How can we become more aware of the difference between our spiritual nature and our “natural” inclinations?
Spend time with God!
I was in an RV park, eating breakfast one morning, watching an older man as he struggled to tie a tarp down over ( as I was to learn ) all his worldly belongings in the back of his pick-up. He was stopping often to catch his breath, and I could tell from a distance, he was wasting a lot of rope. As I watched, I heard a voice “ GET OUT THERE AND HELP THAT MAN!!!” I immediately got up, told my wife I would be back and went out to help the man.
I asked if I could help, he said yes, so I took over. He was doing everything wrong and began to protest as I undid what he had been doing, so I began a conversation with the man as I took over tying the load properly. He was a believer with a tragically sad story which he revealed to me in great detail. One event after another had taken all he had. In the end, his wife and daughter, took what money was remained and left him, he turned his back on God and now a year later was moving out of his tiny travel trailer to live with a friend. The load was secure so we went deep into his relationship with God, swapped stories of our lives, and he made a decision to turn back to God. I heard his truck start the next morning and went out to say goodby. He Gave be a huge hug, tearfully thanked me and again told me he would be going beck to church.
The distance between a persons physical existence and spiritual Life is so great that only God can span it. Our physical is simply our bodies and our surroundings. The spiritual reaches beyond anything we can see or imagine, into eternity which has no limits.
The spiritual life comes by humble submission to God’s Will over our own, leading to a life in faith. It is eternal and enters into its greatest glory after physical death. The Christian’s primary desire is to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the message of redemption and transformation to all through us.
It is only through the Holy Spirit that we come to a knowledge of and surrender to God. Unless the Spirit draws us, we do not come to God. Unless the Spirit instructs and enlightens us, we remain in ignorance.
“The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14
Ron,
That is a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing it with us. 🙂