The Temptation of Jesus

 The Temptation of Jesus

MK 1:12-13 (NRSV)

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

The Temptation of Jesus

MT 4:1-11 (NRSV)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But he answered, “It is written,

    ‘One does not live by bread alone,

    But by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,

saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written

    ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

    So that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written,

    ‘Worship the Lord your God,

    and serve only him.’”

The the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The Temptation of Jesus

LK 4:1-13 (NRSV)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then will worship me, it will be all yours.”

Jesus answered him, “It is written,

    ‘Worship the Lord your God,

    and serve only him.’”

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle fo the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

    for it is written,

        ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

        to protect you’

and

        ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

        so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

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(1) This pericope is found only in the Synoptic Gospels (GMark, GMatt, and GLuke). 

(2) GMark has only two short verses. It tells us that after his baptism by John the Baptist, the Spirit “drove” Jesus out to the wilderness. There he was tempted for forty days by Satan. He spent time with wild beasts. And he was attended by angels.

GMatt and GLuke include the Spirit but they are more gentle in that instead of driving Jesus to the wilderness it leads him there. They agree on the forty days he spends there (although GMatt adds “and forty nights” for dramatic effect). They go into a great deal of depth on exactly how Satan tempts Jesus (presumably this comes from a source GMark did not have access to). And finally, GMatt says that after Satan’s tests, angels served Jesus. GLuke makes no mention of angels.

(3) GMatt and GLuke agree on much of the specifics of Satan’s temptations. He fasted during the forty days (and nights; GMatt) he was there. It was after the fast that Satan tempted Jesus. He is given three “temptations” (1) an exhortation to turn stones into bread; (2) Jump off the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem; and (3) Jesus is offered dominion over all the kingdoms of the world.

GMatt and GLuke differ in the order of these temptations: GMatt has it 1, 2, and 3; GLuke has it 1, 3 and then 2. Another small difference is that when Satan shows Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” GMatt says Satan “took him to a very high mountain” while GLuke just says “the devil led him up … “. One problem with this part of the pericope is that (especially in GMatt) it implies the earth is flat. A spherical earth no matter how high the mountain Jesus could not have seen the kingdoms on the other side of the earth.

(4) Jesus and Satan have a battle of scripture. It is worth checking out where this comes from and the context:

(a) Jesus to Satan: ‘One does not live by bread alone [in GMatt and GLuke’, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God [GMatt only]’

Dt. 8:3 (NRSV) He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that come from the mouth of the LORD.

(b) Satan to Jesus: ‘He will command his angels concerning you [GMatt & GLuke] to protect you [GLuke only]’ and ‘On their hands and knees they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’

Interestingly both GMatt and GLuke separate the verse quotations with an “and” implying they come from separate places, but the two verses can be found next to each other; 

Ps 91:11-12 For he will command his angels concerning you

    To guard you in all ways.

        On their hands they will bear you up,

    So that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

(c) Jesus to Satan: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’ (GMatt and GLuke)

Dt 6:16 (NRSV) Do not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah

“Massah” was the name Moses gave to the area of Mt. Horeb that he struck a rock to produce water for the Israelites. To see how this could be seen as putting God “to the test” see Ex 17:1-7.

(d) Jesus to Satan: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’

I could not find this verse in the NRSV. However, there wer several that expressed a similar sentiment. Here is the one I am going to go with:

Dt 6:13 (NRSV) The LORD your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear.