According to Luke “Jesus was about thirty years old when he began His public ministry.” 203 After being baptized by his cousin John (the Baptist) He began getting right down to the business His Father had sent Him to do – to crush the serpent’s head. 204 He enters into a wilderness area to be tempted by the devil, just as Adam and Eve were engaged by the same in the garden of Paradise. After forty days of fortifying His spiritual resolve with physical fasting, He now with clarity of mind is ready to meet His opponent. In His humanity Jesus is confronted with three temptations, three allurements that cover the spectrum of what all humanity is enticed by – the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, and the pride of our lives. God’s instruction is clear, “Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.” 205

Many Christians would say to follow such a teaching is radical religion. While we certainly can go to extremes when putting into practice what we read from the Bible, sometimes because we have been so steeped in living by the ways of this world, we need a rocket booster to get our life ship out of the gravitational pull of our carnal past. Such is the work of the Holy Spirit, to show us the lack of good sense we have practiced in our former lives, and restore us to a sound mind for a future of serving God. 206 God at times gives us a birds-eye view of our folly, and of others around us. We receive an objective perspective on the pride of our humanity, the boasting of our achievements, our pedigrees, along with the foolish and pathetic display of how important we humans think we really are. We get a glimpse of how we chased after things in this world, its wealth and all the impermanent possessions it can buy us, all the while sensing deep down that these are not the real substance of life’s happiness. We come to realize the emptiness of living for ourselves without considering the needs of others. We begin reflecting back on our life decisions, the sickening carnality of our natures, the lengths we went to satisfy our lusts for self-gratification, and the people we hurt during the process. Illicit sexual affairs, food, alcohol and drug addictions, deceit in business, lying and fraudulent behavior so we could get what we thought we wanted. It was these decisions that resulted in separation from those we really should have loved – our family and closest friends. Often this awakening to our failed humanity results in terrific sorrow but, thankfully, “God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation.” 207

Countless are the ways we chose to engineer our pathetic existence, but we need not despair. In whatever way it happens the surrender of our earthly lives is the price we finally pay to find our spiritual life in Christ! As the Scriptures triumphantly declare, “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 208 When we finally recognize ourselves as God sees us, we realize our opportunity for something better, a different life with God. And if it results in radical decisions resulting in radically righteous behavior, then so be it. We no longer care about pleasing the world, but pleasing God! As the spiritual energy decelerates, we usually will find a more balanced, peaceful life while still employing this principle of not loving the world. Paul instructed the Corinthian believers, “Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away. In everything you do, I want you to be free from the concerns of this life.” 209 We eventually learn to not be of this world, even though we for a while must remain in it.

But Jesus’ enticement wasn’t on the level of things like sexual desire, material possessions or pride over His accomplishments. No, what was taking place in the wilderness of temptation was the supreme spiritual battle between good and evil, light and darkness. The fate of the universe hung in the balance. When those of us with sinful natures are pressed in by temptation, we revert to things that satisfies our carnality. The contrasting temptations tailored made for Jesus would only encourage Him to exercise His divine powers to relieve the needs of His humanity, something we can never do. Regardless of how the ungodly try to portray it through popular books and movies, His temptation was never to find a wife and settle down, have kids, get a nine to five job, build a house, and live happily ever after here on earth. People who entertain such thoughts about Him obviously do not have the faintest idea about our discussion at hand. After forty days of not eating Jesus “was very hungry. Then the Devil tested his flesh by saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread.’” 210 Again he tested Jesus on the point of self-pride, “the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, if you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He orders the angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you with their hands, to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.’” 211 In the spiritual realm of reality Jesus was doing exactly what God had sent Him here to do. He was striking His foot not on a stone, but on the serpent’s head! He was taking back His Father’s kingdom which our father Adam had forfeited to the Devil. Satan obviously understood the threat at hand. He knew his dominion was at risk, so after two attempts to get our Savior to stray from His purpose, he then seeks to broker a deal with God. He offers to give Jesus legal authority over the world which he had claimed through man’s fall. After all, the Bible does refer to him as the “god” and “prince” of this world. 212 “Then the Devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The Devil told him, ‘I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them – because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will bow down and worship me.’ Jesus replied, ‘The Scriptures say, you must worship the Lord your God; serve only him’” 213

Unsuccessful, the Devil left but this was not to be their last confrontation. The close of the temptation scene states, “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” 214 Throughout His short lifetime Jesus was constantly met with demonic forces seeking to hinder his mission. Towards the end of His life, and just prior to His death on the cross, Jesus told His disciples, “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me. But I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.” 215

203 Luke 3:23

204 See again Genesis 3:16

205 *1 John 2:15-17

206 See 2 Timothy 1:7

207 2 Corinthians 7:10

208 Romans 5:20, 21

209 1 Corinthians 7:31, 32

210 Luke 4:2, 3

211 Ibid, verses 9-11

212 See 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31 and Ephesians 2:2

213 Luke 4:5-8

214 Ibid, verse 13

215 John 14:30 -31