According to James 1:14, every person is tempted to sin. Hebrews 4:15 says that even Jesus was tempted in all things as we are while He walked the earth. He overcame those temptations, but we ought not to overlook that He was tempted. Some might think, “To tempt the Son of God must have required some extraordinary and unique temptations.” But the truth is, it did not take much to tempt Jesus, just as it does not take much to tempt us.
While we might infer some of the temptations Jesus faced as He lived on earth, Luke 4:1-13 notes a few of them specifically, and there is no unique quality in them. Consider the list:
In Luke 4:3, the devil tempted Jesus to misuse God’s power to fill His belly.
In Luke 4:5-7, the devil tempted Jesus to worship him.
In Luke 4:9-11, the devil tempted Jesus to test God, to force God’s hand, by jumping from the top of the temple.
While the movements and presentation are noteworthy, the temptations themselves are not unusual. One proceeded from Jesus’ hunger, another from a desire for power, and the third from a desire to dictate what God should do. When we see what tempted Jesus, we see how much like us He was. He was tempted just like us, the only difference being that He overcame those temptations and became our perfect High Priest and the Sacrifice for our sins.
Luke 4, Hebrews 4:15, and other passages that discuss Jesus’ victory over temptation encourage us. He overcame. We can overcome. And through Him, even our failings are forgiven. Let us worship and serve Him! His temptations were typical, but He is truly the only one of His kind!