There are two kinds of
temptation spoken of in Jas. 1:2,14. The same word in the original is used for
both for the reason that it is a test in both cases:in the first, the
test is from without, and may be rejected; in the second, it is allurement from
within, and shows a nature that is evil. That our Lord’s temptation was only
from without is instantly seen if we quote Jas. 1:14:“Every man is tempted
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” What horrible
blasphemy it would be to say this was true of Him!
This confines all His
temptations to the trials from without, and which met with no response whatever
from Him. The response they meet with from men’s hearts is the “lust” of the
14th verse.
And yet He “suffered being
tempted” (Heb. 2:18). What was the nature of the sufferings?
(1) Was not the very presence
of evil cause of the most acute pain to the nature that had but one
characteristic—the love of God. So, for Him, His being in a world away from God
could only cause Him pain. Nothing here could give Him joy but faith,
repentance, and trust on the part of those who had been drawn by the grace of
God.
(2) To be personally approached
with suggestions that were not the will of God would add to His suffering—just
as, in a certain measure, a pure-minded person would recoil from the invitation
of an evil person to indulge in some sin with him.
(3) To refuse the
temptations offered meant, in a world like this, to go on in the path of
suffering. Faithfulness and obedience to God, where everything was
unfaithfulness and disobedience, could only mean suffering—deprivation,
dishonor, and sorrow. To refuse to turn the stone into bread meant, for the
time, hunger, and it was a sort of prophecy of His whole path of
poverty:“The Son of Man has not where to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). To refuse
to cast Himself down from the pinnacle meant to lose the acclaim of popularity
which such a miracle would have brought. It is not that such popularity had the
slightest attraction for Him, but it meant, prophetically, the whole path of
rejection, shame, and scorn which, for a nature that was love, would be
suffering. He would not tempt God as if He needed to prove His care. To refuse
to worship the god of this world was to ensure the active enmity of the whole
world, with the cross at the close. All this only shows that suffering was a necessity
for Him in a world like this. The very refusal to be anything else than
perfectly righteous involved Him in constant suffering, and this was because
He was perfectly holy. The reason why there is so little suffering now is
because there is so little of that which is like Him. Yet where there
are true-hearted witnesses for Him, there will be the suffering that goes with
it.
Every other temptation
appeals to the flesh, or is the flesh enticing one into an easy path.
Therefore the being “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15)
refers not to our failures or sins, but to the trials of the way. Are we
poor? He was more so. Are we despised? He was a reproach of men. Are we exposed
to Satan’s malice? None was ever so much so as He was.
Patient holiness must
suffer in the presence of sin. And whatever brought out that perfect holiness
would bring out the suffering. For one to yield and go on with the evil,
even in thought, is to prove himself unholy.
(From Help and Food,
Vol. 26.)
* * *
Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you
Some other to win;
Fight manfully onward,
Dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus,
He’ll carry you through.
To him that o’ercometh
God giveth a crown,
Through faith we shall
conquer,
Though often cast down;
He, who is our Savior,
Our strength will renew,
Look ever to Jesus,
He’ll carry you through.
Ask the Saviour to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep
you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
H.R. Palmer