The Second Test

5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

I remember once writing an essay called "The Test", which depicted the temptation of Jesus in a way that is graphical and real. It was English class and as of most centres of "circular" learning, I got a "yellow" light type of comment by classmates and teacher alike. I don't blame them but wouldn't change what I wrote if I do have a chance. After all, it was English Language class and language is the main medium in which something could be communicated, religion being the most important of them.

But that's beside the point. The second test in a series of 3 in the Devil's temptation to Jesus was quite unusual but really relevant. Here Jesus was literally ask to jump from a building. He refused, because to jump down from the apex of the temple would mean you need to be Man of Steel or God to survive. No man could leave unscratched. Jesus' Godship is again being tested. The Devil says "Prove to me that you are God!", and Jesus knows that He is. He has no mistake on His identity. But just to jump would certainly put God to test, and that's not the Father's Will for Him. So many times, we christians think that having the privileges of being called God's own and having "to do all things through His strength" gives us the ability and indeed the right to do things that would test God. Of course, that does not include giving a lot to the church (one thing that God does wants us to test Him). We think we could go 120 because we are protected by Him always. But hey, God's angels only has a speed of 110km/h! I think there are more of the big things that you could think of like going into sin etc., but the smaller things that we take for granted are a "test" to God as well. For exampla, God promises is that I may prosper in all that I do- and I take for granted that I can just have good health all the time by eating all sorts of junk. Or when I just feel that I can just get by with the exams without studying diligently. NO.That would be testing wouldn't it?

I guess this second test also gives us one very big error that most christians make: just choosing to focus on the scripture that suits us- not taking into consideration the entirity and the Bible as a whole. Well, yes, God will send His angels to catch you if you fall - the temptation; and no, He will not be catching you if you throw yourself in voluntarily - that's free will, and suicide.

My prayer today is that I be really careful in the "faith" that I profess to have when it comes to doing things "for God" and through God. Sometimes it may well be a trick that we play on ourselves because of our selfish ambitions and evil desire. Lest if I fail, I will blame God and others will see me "disglorifying" God.

Every Word that comes from the mouth of God

The Temptation of Jesus

1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'(*Deut 8:3)"

The Temptation of Jesus (Part One)
Ahh, I needed to drag myself to blog today. It is not like I'm too tired or anything like that, is just laziness, in which I am bitterly fighting a battle with. I must win.

Anyway, I'm starting a series of (hopefully 3) on the Lord's temptation. Today I start with the one most confusing. It is quite straightforward here that I don't find the need to retell the story in my own words. But why it made me ponder and frankly a little confused was why Jesus, who is God, refused to turn the stone into bread. Was it because it was a challenge from the devil? Was it because it was a lesson he wanted us to learn? Or was He just conceding that after 40 days, He simply didn't have the energy to do a miracle? (The God-human debate?)

I struggled with it and came to a conclusion that the whole point is about God's Will. Jesus said in another occasion that He only does what the Father wants Him to do. This is one such occassion. Ok, no doubt that if He wanted, Jesus could have turn the stones into bread. He could turn the devil into a chicken and eat him. But that was just not within God's Will. I don't think Jesus would have broken any of Moses' law by turning the stones into bread (unlike the second and third temptation), but it just wasn't what His Father willed Him to do- He only does what His Father wants, nothing more nothing less. You see, even the smallest miracle by Jesus is appointed by God the Father in His time. So Jesus' answer was absolutely precise, man does not only do what he needs (bread), he does God's Will (God's spoken Word). Sometimes, we are like Abraham and Sarah, who thinks they can accomplish the ends by their own means (by sleeping with Hagar and giving birth to Ishmael), but God said in His time- He will provide the son that will bring forth a nation. So the lesson is to do what God thinks is proper and not what we think is necessary.

Another reason why Jesus cannot turn the stones into bread could be found in another book of the New Testament. In Hebrews 4:15, it is written For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man with the intention that we might know that He is fully human while He was walking on this earth. This is entirely crucial because God came as man to show man how to live a sinless life- not that we can live a sinless life, but Jesus who was fully human, showed that man can live a holy life. By living as a man, those who came later will not be able to say that Jesus overcame sin and temptation because He was God walking this earth. No, Jesus was facing the same kind of temptation and in the same weak "shell" (flesh) as we are- yet He did not sin. Consequently, it was crucial for him that during His fasting, He remain focussed and remained man and not try to turn stones into rock acting un-humanlike. Now, Jesus faithfulness to His calling as a man is something we ought to learn, ain't it?