The Temptation

["Click here for Matthew's account"]
["Click here for Mark's account"]
["Click here for Luke's account"]

Notice the time of the temptation. It occurred immediately after the Father had raised Him to the high level of Sonship. Notice:

Divine favor will not keep us from being tempted.
Usually when great honors are put upon us, we can expect to be tempted, or at least experience something very humbling.
But we can rest in the assurance that God usually prepares us for temptation before we are called upon to face it.
After we have accepted Christ and have been baptized, we can expect to be doubly tempted by the Devil.

Notice He retired to the Wilderness after His honoring experience. Two reasons are given for this location, both predicated on the wilderness being unoccupied.

Jesus was led by the Spirit to be in communion with God and to meditate. This He did for 40 days and nights without food.
While this close communion with God gave Him spiritual strength, He was human and the lack of food left Him physically weak, therefore, giving the advantage to the Devil.

Christ submitted to the temptation because He wanted to humble Himself in all things to be like we are. We must believe that Christ was sincerely tempted, there is little advantage in a victory where there is no contest. Divinely speaking, Satan was no match for Christ, humanly speaking, He was tempted as we are tempted. This should offer much encouragement to us, for we can have the same victory over the Devil if we are in Christ and truly want a victory. Notice what the Devil's plan or goal was, he wanted to get Christ to sin against God and therefore render Him unfit for being the sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
TEMPTATION #1
The first temptation was food. This was as far as the Devil had to go in his first temptation of man. Man fell by eating not because he was hungry for food but because he was hungry for power. Certainly Jesus was hungry.
Notice the Devil appeared to Christ in a visible way. He appearance was recognizable to Christ and Christ knew that he was able to grant the things of this world that he offered. Note how he poses his first temptation: "If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread." He obviously knew who Christ was but he was not sure if Jesus knew who He was. Jesus was hungry, here was a logical answer to his need. Satan's temptations are always logical.
Notice Jesus used scripture to resist him, God's word from the Book of Deuteronomy. "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Even though this temptation seemed justifiable sense Jesus had not eaten for 40 days, He refused, not because He could not turn stones to bread, but because of the seemingly harmlessness of the request. The more harmless a temptation appears, the more dangerous it is. In Deuteronomy this statement is used to explain why God only fed the Israelites manna, not steak.
TEMPTATION #2
The second temptation imposed upon God's power and protection. Notice he took Christ, not by force but by suggestion, to Jerusalem and there he was set upon a tower or steeple of the Temple. We cannot help but notice that Christ gave Satan every advantage in each of these temptations. Here, on the center point of His people, where all eyes would be upon Him, was an opportunity to prove to all that He was the Son of God. It is worth remembering that "high points" in our lives are times of greatest temptation. The higher you are the harder you fall.
Notice how Satan poses his second temptation: "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down." Now is your opportunity to show the whole world. Suppose for a moment, Christ had done just that, landed unharmed as was within His power to do, do you believe that the people would have accepted Him as the Christ?
Notice that the Devil did not cast Him down nor demand that He cast Himself down. The power of Satan is limited in Christ. We, who are in Christ, are tempted only by the Devil, and the decision still rests with us. Then to further tempt Christ, he backs up his suggestion by scripture concerning the Angels whom God has watching over Him. Notice how the Devil mis-applied the truth, as we often do, there is a difference between predestination and fatalism. We must never tempt God or wittingly test His care. Christ replied, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 6:16. Satan was here tempting Christ to do two things. One, require further proof from the Father of His Sonship and two, demonstrate to the people the fact of His Sonship.
TEMPTATION #3
The third temptation was the one we most fail, the worshipping of the things of this world. Notice Satan showed Him all the Kingdoms of this world, He was making his last stand, he was going to give Christ all that he had. They went onto an exceedingly high mountain. Here the Devil promised to give it all to Him if He would just fall down and worship him. Wasn't it ironical that the Devil was trying to tempt Christ with things that were already His, for the Messiah had long ago been promised the nations of the earth.
Notice the "detest" in the answer that Christ gives him, "Begone Satan, get thee behind me." from Deuteronomy 6:13. "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve." Satan is now forced to leave by the command of Christ, which He could have voiced long before this. We, in Christ, have the power, but we don't always have the will.

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