Matthew 4:1–4 (ESV) —
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he
was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are
the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of
God.’ ”
NOTE: Satan says,
"if you are the son of God" -- did he think to cause doubt? Was the
question intended to cause pride? Did he think that Jesus' fleshly hunger could
overcome his holiness? I suppose all those things were on Satan's mind, but to
think that God might be susceptible to sin, does seem foolish. But we are also
told that Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. So,
there must have been a chance for the holy one to sin, but then he could not be
God. He could experience the temptation, but I can't imagine him sinning. When
we think of heaven and wonder how we can exist without sin when we have been so
susceptible over the years, Jesus' example stands out. Not that we will be God,
but rather we will not have the flesh to battle, but will have new bodies. Our
minds will be renewed. And we will be able to tap into the power to say no to
evil. Jesus lived on earth. He had a ministry. He interacted with people. He
enjoyed food and beauty. He showed us what heaven can be like for a holy
creature. Someday, we will shed this body of sin and receive the promised new
bodies, our resurrected bodies, and we will experience the joy of living
without the taint of sin. Oh, how I look forward to that day.
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