Temptation of Jesus—Luke 22:39-46
“Jesus maintained the long-term perspective of faith.”
James 1 discusses the proper reaction to the trials and testings that come into our lives. The Greek word used for temptations in James 1:2 is the word used of a small bird at the edge of its nest flapping its wings to strengthen them for the day it will fly. That is why James tells us: ” My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations .” Difficulties come into the life of a Christian in order to help strengthen our spiritual wings for flight. They prepare us to serve others also going through difficulties. But don’t we often respond to trials with consternation rather than joy as God intended? Why is that? Perhaps it is because we fail to maintain the long-term perspective of faith.
Luke 22 describes the beginning of the most serious trial during the earthly ministry of Jesus. He goes to the Garden of Gethsemane and finds a quiet place to pray alone in the midst of an olive grove. Jesus knows His time of death is near. Even now He is beginning to shudder as He begins to personally experience the horror and anguish of all the guilt for all the sin of all the world. Matthew 26:39 and Mark 14:35 use a word that indicates Jesus fell suddenly and forcefully to the ground as He began this prayer. His prayer was simple enough: ” Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but Thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). He prayed with such great energy and passion that an angel came to give Him the strength to continue (22:43). This was no quiet prayer. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, ” Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared .” He continued to pray with such intensity that His sweat began to have some blood in it (22:44). Doctors say this condition (hematadriosis) is rare and usually fatal. So we can see that Jesus experienced a degree of trial far beyond anything that you and I will experience. So what can we learn from Him that helps us in our times of trials?
Jesus maintained the long-term perspective of faith. Hebrews 12:3 says of Jesus ” who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame .” Why did He endure? Because He kept His sights fixed on how His suffering would benefit others. Have you ever gone through a trial that later helped you be of a greater comfort and encouragement to someone else? The most comforting and helpful Christians are those who themselves have endured great testings and tragedies.
Jesus put His future in His Father’s hands. Hudson Taylor—founder of the China Inland Mission—once said “God gives the best to those who leave the choices to Him.” Two things are always true of God’s will:
His will is designed to bring glory to Himself for that is how men come to know Him
His will is always for our best good. He only wants the best for His children
Jesus subordinated His rights to His Father’s will. Sometimes we think that life owes us comfort and ease. But if we are redeemed by Christ’s blood, then we should give all our “rights” to God. We have been bought with a price—an exceedingly great price. We no longer control our destiny. We should yield ourselves unto God ” as those that are alive from the dead ” and yield our members ” servants of righteousness unto God ” (Romans 6:13).
Problems come into the life of Christians for one of four reasons:
God has a lesson to teach us that we’re too thickheaded to learn any other way.
God has a blessing to give us but we won’t ask for it any other way.
God wants to teach us how to pray and we won’t do it any other way.
God wants an opportunity to show the world that He can still work miracles and take care of His own children.
If you have a problem, trial, or difficulty in your life right now, for which of these reasons do you think it has come? What good can come of it? To whom might you be better able to minister after you get through this mess? Will you right now put your future into God’s hands?
Author: Robert W. Rohlin
This first appeared November 1, 1998 in the Advancer , a Sunday school teacher’s guide published by the Baptist Publishing House . It is gratefully reproduced here with permission from the publisher.