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LESSON VII.—SABBATH, FEBRUARY 18, 1899

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 1, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 5.

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LESSON VII.—SABBATH, FEBRUARY 18, 1899.

TEMPTATION OF JESUS.

In the Wilderness of Judea, A.D. 27.
1 "THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to 2 be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days 3 and forty nights, He afterward hungered. And the tempter came and said unto Him, If Thou art the Son of God, command 4 that these stones become bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 5 word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh Him into the holy city; and he set Him on the 6 pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written,
He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee; And on their hands they shall bear Thee up, Lest haply Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not tempt 8 the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh Him into an ex-ceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms 9 of the world, and the glory of them; and he said unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and 10 worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, 11 and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him."
12 "And straightway the Spirit driveth Him forth into the 13 wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and He was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto Him."
6 "And the devil said unto Him, To Thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them; for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it."
NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. Immediately following His baptism, where did the Spirit lead Jesus? Matt. 4: 1. Note 1. (Luke 4: 1.)
  2. What was the object of taking Him there? Note 2. (Deut. 8: 2; Mark 6: 30, 31; Heb. 4: 15.)
  3. Who were His companions there? Mark 1: 13.
  4. How long did Jesus fast before He felt the pangs of hunger? Matt. 4: 2, Note 3. (Mark 1: 13; Luke 4: 2; Isa. 52: 14.)
  5. When Satan approached Christ in His extreme hunger, with what words did he assail Him? Verse 3. Note 4. (Matt. 3: 17; 27: 40; 2 Cor. 11: 14.)
  6. With what answer did Christ meet Satan's insinuation? Verse 4. (Deut. 8: 3.)
  7. What was then done with the Saviour? Verse 5.
  8. What did Satan then ask Christ to do? Verse 6.
  9. What reason did he give for asking this test? Note 5. (Ps. 91: 11, 12.)
  10. How did Christ meet this plausible statement? Verse 7. Note 6. (Deut. 6: 16.)
  11. Where was the Saviour next taken? Verse 8.
  12. From that vantage spot, what was pointed out to Christ?
  13. To whom did Satan say these belonged? Luke 4: 6. (John 12: 31.)
  14. On what condition did Satan promise all these to Christ? Matt. 4: 9.
  15. What reply was made to this offer? and what was its effect? Verses 10, 11. Note 7. (Deut. 10: 20; 1 Sam. 7: 3.)
  16. Who then came to minister to the Saviour? (Luke 22: 39-44.)
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," pp. 114-131; "Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 2, pp. 85-98.

NOTES.

1. Led up of the Spirit.—Every movement of Christ was controlled by the Spirit, of which He was "full." John 1: 16. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Luke 1: 35. The Spirit was not given to Him by measure. John 3: 34. The Holy Spirit was the source of His power. Acts 10: 38. Through this He was spotless. Heb. 9: 14. By the same He gave directions to His apostles concerning their work, after His resurrection. Acts 1: 2.
2. To be tempted.—The object must have been twofold: (1) He must undergo temptation in its most direct and potent way, in order that He might reach the depth of human suffering in that line, and so know how to sympathise with those whom He came to save. (2) These days were also to serve for Him as a season of meditation and preparation for the great work before Him. It proved to be a season of triumph, not only over Satan in his direct attacks, but also a triumph over the flesh, by absorbing, elevating communion with God—a lesson for all who have been intrusted with responsibilities in the work of salvation.
3. An hungered.—He was probably so absorbed by His devotions in the face of a persistent enemy, that He did not feel the need of food. It will be noticed that both Mark and Luke imply that the Saviour was being tempted at every stage of the forty days' fast. It may be that during that time the question was being revolved, from His human side, as to whether He was really having God's protection, while being left in so desolate a place. This is suggested by the attack of Satan after Christ became so sensible to hunger.
4. If thou be.—Forty days before, at His baptism, a voice from heaven had said, "Thou art My beloved Son." Now, in the solitude of the wilderness, with only wild beasts for companions, pale and emaciated from a long fast, with the pangs of hunger gnawing at His vitals, will His faith rest on that Word spoken to Him a few days before? Satan seizes the opportunity to insinuate a doubt of the truthfulness of that statement, hoping thereby to cause a failure of the plan of salvation. To doubt would be to disprove His Sonship. If this plan does not carry, Christ may attempt to prove His Sonship by obeying the dictates of Satan, and so take Himself out of the keeping power of God. He feels quite sure that on one or the other of these lines Christ will fail.
5. It is written.—Satan virtually said to Christ: Now You have assumed to depend on God's Word for support and protection; let me, and all these worshipers in the court below, see God care for You when you cast Yourself out into space; then all will believe You are the Messiah. Has not God said, He shall give His angels charge over You, to bear You up in their hands, to preserve You from being dashed against the stones? Now trust this part of the Word if You depend so much on it.
6. Again it is written.—Christ does not in this case attempt to argue the matter. That would be to step down on a level with His tormentor. He quietly said, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." It is one thing to trust Him while doing His will, another to try Him while presumptuously taking a course He has not prescribed. God can rescue me from this position, and I still trust Him.
7. Get thee hence.—These words, spoken by way of command to Satan, when he openly revealed himself, gave him the evidence he pretended to be disinterestedly seeking for. In them was manifested the power which he feigned to doubt was with Christ. The effect of their power was quickly felt by Satan, and he slunk away without another attack upon the Son of God.