May 12

You are the ones who have stood by Me in My trials. — Luke 22:28 BSB

Satan brought all his power against the Son of God. He was allowed to test Jesus to the fullest extent. It was God’s purpose that His beloved Son would be tempted just as we are, and if you belong to God, every temptation that has come to you also came to the Lord of life and glory. Do we sometimes doubt God’s providence? Jesus faced the same temptation when Satan said to Him, “Command these stones to become bread.” Are we tempted to rely on ourselves or act presumptuously? Jesus was tempted in the same way when Satan said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.” Do we struggle with doubts about being God’s children, sometimes fearing that our faith is mere profession without real power in our hearts? Satan brought the same temptation to Jesus when he said, “If You are the Son of God”—as poet William Deer put it, “Oh, what an IF was there!” Are we tempted to turn away from God for the fleeting pleasures of the world? Jesus faced this when Satan offered Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship him. Are we ever tempted to worship false idols instead of the true God? Even Jesus was tempted to do so when Satan, with infernal pride, dared to suggest that He worship him. Imagine the Son of God worshiping Satan!

But some may wonder, “How could Jesus be tempted like me? He was pure, spotless, and holy, while I am full of corruption from head to toe. His nature was unfallen, holy, and in union with Deity, while my nature is fallen, defiled, and polluted. Can there really be any resemblance in our temptations?” I ask, what is it in you that feels the burden of temptation when Satan injects his blasphemies into your mind? Isn’t there something within you that is grieved, even tormented, by these fiery darts? Isn’t it the new nature within you, born of God, holy and pure?

In the same way that your holy, new nature is distressed by Satan’s fiery darts, so was the holy soul of Jesus grieved and tortured by the temptations Satan threw at Him—far more intensely, given His pure and spotless mind. The disciples, though they faced temptations, did not forsake their Lord, despite the severe trials. In fact, they shared in His suffering to some degree, enduring temptation and feeling the sting of Satan’s arrows, though to a lesser extent.

In the same way, Jesus’ disciples today share in His temptations by walking through daily trials and sorrows, being tempted by Satan, the world, and their own hearts. They are tempted to do everything their spiritual nature recoils from, and day after day, they fight against things that are detestable to them and to God.