Temptation

Luke 4:13 (NASB)

When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

The story of Jesus being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4) is well-known in Christian circles.  In the Matthew story, after Jesus told Satan to go away, he did as Matthew 4:11 says: “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”  However, in the Luke story, you read verse 13 that the devil left Jesus “until an opportune time”.  Have you ever thought about what “an opportune time” means?  Was there another time later when Satan returned to tempt, harass, and perhaps harm Jesus? 

Scripture does not record another direct communication between Satan and Jesus again.  However, Jesus spoke about Satan several times in the gospels (Matthew 12:24-28, Matthew 13:19, Matthew 13:36-43, Luke 10:18, John 12:31-32, John 12:43-44).  Jesus always spoke about Satan being the enemy of Christians and always attempting to turn people’s hearts away from Jesus.  The parable of the sower in one example where in Matthew 13:19 and Mark 4:15 Jesus described the seed planted by the road as people who hear the Word of God but do not understand it and “the evil one” comes and snatches away what was sown in that person’s heart.  Luke 8:12 goes further and writes that the devil takes away the Word of God from people’s heart so that they will not believe and be saved. 

When Jesus was speaking about His death and resurrection in Matthew 16:21, Peter rebuked Jesus in verse 22 and what was Jesus’ response?  “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me”.  So Satan chooses an opportune time to oppose Jesus any chance he can get where he will oppose Jesus’ words and keep people from following Jesus.  He did this with Judas as you read in Luke 22:1-6.  

Luke 22:39-46 records Jesus’ time at the Mount of Olives right before He was betrayed and arrested.  While Scripture does not record any direct conversation Jesus might have had with Satan, Luke twice uses the phrase “enter into temptation” (verses 40 and 46).  This was in reference to His disciples that they pray not to enter into temptation.  Who is the tempter?  Satan.  When Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42 that His Father “remove this cup from Me”, isn’t it logical to believe that Satan was tempting Jesus right then?  Satan had many opportune times during Jesus’ waiting to be arrested, during His sufferings and being crucified, yet like the temptation in the desert, Jesus prevailed and did not allow Satan to have his way.  Such triumph over Satan demonstrated Jesus’ indescribable love for people more than any fear He might have had of pain and death.  

Satan looks for opportune times every day to tempt you and me.  He is the great deceiver (Genesis 3:1-7, Revelation 12:9), the father of lies (John 8:44), and a prowler seeking to devour you (I Peter 5:8).  Satan even disguises himself as “an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14) which is a common method for him to deceive people and pull them away from following the Lord.  He deceives people as an angel of light imposter by false teaching; that is, teaching that is contrary to the Word of God.  So many people who call themselves Christians do not know the Bible and, therefore, are easily deceived.  Two very common ways that Satan deceives people as an angel of light is through human pride, often manifested through sex and money.  It’s okay to be greedy, it’s okay to commit sexual immorality, it’s okay to be selfish and self-centered, etc.  That’s how Satan distorts the truth of God.

As Peter warns in I Peter 5:8, you must always “be of sober spirit, be on the alert” because Satan always looking for an opportune time to “devour” you so that you question your faith, you question the Bible, you think that your way is the right way (Isaiah 53:6).  The only ways that you can resist these satanic opportune times to destroy your faith and testimony are (1) to stay away from whatever you know tempts you in the first place and (2) use Scripture as Jesus did to counter attack any assault you feel Satan is aiming at you.  If you resist Satan through quoting God’s Word, he will flee from you (James 4:7). 

“Thanks be to God who gives us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ” — I Corinthians 15:57