New Member
Why would Satan dare try to tempt Jesus?
This story always puzzled me. How could the devil even dare disrespect Jesus by attemting to tempt him and offer him the worthless kingdoms of this world? So odd...after getting his butt whooped out of heaven with 1/3 of the angels, how could he dare attempt this. Knowing that jesus is God the Son...was he out of his mind? This story dont seem right?....any suggestions?
Rapture Practice
over-inflated self image perhaps?
Regular Member
Originally Posted by corvus1972
Why would he attempt to usurp God in the first place? What makes him think he even has a chance to pull that off? Something tells me that answer is the same. Ego. Apparently he believes his own lies.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19-21 ~
Standing with Israel Mod
I believe satan wanted to distract Jesus from His purpose of coming to earth to die for man's sins. Also, to try to give Him the kingdoms of the earth the *easy way*, without going by way of the cross.
"...earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Jude 1:3b
Jesus + something = nothing
Jesus + nothing = Everything
New Member
The gall....what an ego. I guess it's that simple.
New Member
I guess the devil was not thinking realistically...what a poor fellow :/ lol
ScribblerMod
You have to remember that the Devil is not omniscient, nor omnipresent. He knows more than we do, but less than God. He is prideful, and truly believes he can ascend higher than God. He has power here on earth, and had more before Jesus' death. He did offer Jesus something he could turn over to him. Also, Jesus could be tempted, as He was truly human as well as being truly God; however, in His perfection He did not give in to the tempting of the Devil, nor anything or anyone else. The story lines up exactly with what we know of Satan.
Thanks to sweeetlilgurlie on Narniaweb for the sig
Wondering?
RO 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Mod Squad
Question: "What was the meaning and purpose of Jesus' temptations?"
Answer: The three temptations by Satan in the wilderness were not the only temptations our Lord ever suffered on Earth. We read in Luke 4:2 that He was tempted by the devil for forty days, but He was undoubtedly tempted at other times (Luke 4:13; Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 22:42), and yet in all this He was without sin or compromise. Although some have suggested that the Lord’s period of fasting compares with that of both Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), the main point is how the Lord deals with temptation in the light of His humanity.
It is because He was human, and made like us in every way, that He could do three vital things: 1) destroy the devil’s power and free those who were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:15); 2) become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God and atone for our sins (Hebrews 2:17); and 3) be the One who is able to sympathize with us in all our weaknesses and infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). Our Lord’s human nature enables Him to sympathize with our own weaknesses, just as He was subjected to weakness, too. More importantly, we have a High Priest who is able to intercede on our behalf and provide the grace of forgiveness.
Temptation is never as great as when one has made a public declaration of faith as did our Lord when He was baptized in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17). However, we also note that during this time of exhaustive testing, our Lord was also ministered to by angels, a mystery indeed that the omnipotent One should condescend to receive such help from lesser beings! Here is a beautiful description of the ministry that His people also benefit from. During times of testing and trial, we too are aided by angels who are ministering spirits sent to those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).
Jesus’ temptations follow three patterns that are common to all men. The first temptation concerns the lusts of the flesh (Matthew 4:3-4). Our Lord is hungry and the devil tempts Him to convert stones into bread, but He replies with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. The second temptation concerns the pride of life (Matthew 4:5-7), and here the devil uses a verse of Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12), but the Lord replies again with Scripture to the contrary (Deuteronomy 6:16), stating that it is wrong for Him to abuse His own powers. The third temptation concerns the lusts of the eyes (Matthew 4:8-10), and if any quick route to the Messiahship could be attained, bypassing the passion and crucifixion for which He had originally come, this was the way. The devil already had control over the kingdoms of the world (Ephesians 2:2) but was now ready to give everything to Christ in return for His allegiance. But the mere thought almost causes the Lord’s divine nature to shudder at such a concept and He replies sharply, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Deuteronomy 6:13).
There are many temptations that we sadly fall into because our flesh is naturally weak, but we have a God who will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear; He will provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). We can therefore be victorious and then will thank the Lord for deliverance from temptation. Jesus’ experience in the desert helps us to see these common temptations that keep us from serving God effectively. Furthermore, we learn from Jesus’ response to the temptations exactly how we are to respond—with Scripture. The forces of evil come to us with a myriad of temptations, but all have the same three things at their core: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. We can only recognize and combat these temptations by saturating our hearts and minds with the Truth. The armour of a Christian solider in the spiritual battle of life includes only one offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Knowing the Bible intimately will put the Sword in our hands and enable us to be victorious over temptations. http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-temptations.html
Come soon Lord Jesus - Take us Safely Home
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
dead in Christ rise first
Satan tried appealing to Jesus' flesh in order to overcome the Spirit, same as it happens with us.
But it's the Spirit who overcomes the flesh, and Jesus never failed in this in His obedience to the Father.
Rom. 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
Rom. 8:28 God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Keep Looking Up!
From the context of Scripture it seems:
satan really did not know Who Jesus Is.
Perhaps all he could see was human flesh, a man, a promised Savior.
And even though versed in Scripture, he was completely blind to Emanuel.
he even knew where the baby was, but only succeeded in fulfilling Scripture.
Maybe he saw only God's power in a man, not God's nature and presense, and thus his temptations were to get The Father to violate some higher rule of Truth and seize His power.
Remember satan's goal is to make God fail. Just one jot or tittle, and Israel is the best target.
The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.
One Nation, under GOD, with liberty for All
and justice for those who threaten Liberty
John 1:1-3 NKJV --- Luke 22:42 NKJV --Romans 3:23 NKJV, Rom 5:8 NKJV, Rom 8:28 NKJV, Rom 8:31 NKJV, Rom8:38-39 NKJV, ---Titus 1:2 NKJV - Heb 6:18 NKJV --- John 14:6 NKJV --- 1 John 5:13 NKJV --- Acts 16:29-31 NKJV ... John 6:28-29 NKJV... 1John 2:22 NKJV... Heb 10:11-13 NKJV
“Oh Look,... an Atheist........I Don't believe it....”
Regular Member
This is my opinion also. Satan did not know if Jesus was 'the One', and so was trying to find out. I think that when Satan found that Jesus could not be tempted and even used scripture to respond to Satan's attempts to tempt him, he learned what he wanted/needed to know.
Ph 3:15 (paraphrased):...And if on some point you and I think differently, that too God will make clear to us. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Jr. Member
Satan is more than smart. He is more than genius. The problem Satan has is what any of us have when we are unplugged from God, we are blind to truth.Why would Satan dare try to tempt Jesus?
God is the source of truth, wisdom, and love. If we are detached from this, all we have left is self.
Standing with Israel Mod
But this was after Jesus' baptism...the Father claimed His Sonship, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, His conversation with John. If satan didn't witness that himself surely one of his minions did and reported to him. I believe that's why his temptation of Jesus was so intense.
"...earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Jude 1:3b
Jesus + something = nothing
Jesus + nothing = Everything
New Member
I believe Jesus was faced with every temptation that man could possibly be subjected to in order to emphasize His purity and His guiltless state. Otherwise, there would have been questions as to His immortality and His totally sinless nature.
Member
Satan is arrogant, and arrogance blinds even the most intelligent of God's creatures.
Jr. Member
satan would do anything he could to keep the Savior from going to the cross and completing the plan of salvation. He is doing the same thing with replacement theology in the church. If he can convince people that the Bible is not true, then he can gain small victories in gaining souls for himself. But because of the cross and the empty tomb he can never gain total and complete victory. Throughout history he did everything he could to keep redemption's story from coming to fulfilment. And he's still doing the same today to try to best God. But it won't happen.
Mod Squad
As a mere Messiah, Jesus posed no serious threat to Satan's schemes. As our Kinsman Redeemer, Satan only became aware of his error and inevitable defeat when Jesus announced "It is finished!" Up until that moment, Satan had no clue Jesus came to save mankind in the manner in which He did so. If Satan had known Jesus was not merely the promised Messiah but also mankind's Redeemer, Satan would have assigned demonic bodyguards to Jesus all the while instructing them to slay anyone who attempted Him any harm whatsoever.
Come soon Lord Jesus - Take us Safely Home
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
crazy cat lady
Hmmm, I always thought satan knew who Jesus was, especially since the demons said specifically who He was.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:34
Mod Squad
Satan knew who Jesus was alright - The thing is Satan failed to understand what Jesus came to do and how He was going to accomplish His task.
Come soon Lord Jesus - Take us Safely Home
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
