May 2

“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” — Matt 26:41 BSB

Entering into temptation is different from facing temptation itself. Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you don’t enter into temptation.” Temptation might come near us, or we might approach it. If our conscience warns us, and we stay on guard, we are safe for the time being. Temptation is like a dangerous coast with shipwrecks and the bones of drowned sailors. If we steer clear of temptation, we can avoid disaster. But if we neglect our spiritual defenses, we may drift into danger.

David and Joseph both faced temptation. David entered into it and fell, but Joseph resisted and stood firm. Think of walking along a path through a field. As long as we stay on the path, we are safe. But we might be tempted to stray a little, to pick a flower or explore by the river. Once we leave the path, we are in danger. Few escape temptation without falling. A fly hovering near a spider’s web may escape, but once it touches the web, it’s trapped. The same goes for the bird near a snare or the moth drawn to the flame.

Jesus didn’t say, “Watch and pray against temptation,” but “Watch and pray so that you don’t enter into temptation.” Once someone enters, they rarely escape unscathed. James explains this well—he says, “Blessed is the one who endures temptation.” The one who endures sees temptation on all sides but isn’t drawn into it. When tested, that person will receive the crown of life.

James also says, “Let no one say when they are tempted, ‘I am tempted by God.’” God doesn’t tempt us. We are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. There is no sin in being tempted, for even Jesus was tempted, yet without sin. Sin is born when temptation and our desires meet, and we choose to follow them, silencing the voice of God and conscience. James concludes, “Sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death”—guilt, condemnation, and the deadening of spiritual life.