Court of Appeals

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Matthew 4:1

Tempted – One of the biggest mistakes in Christian interpretation of Scripture is to think that the context of these words is wholly contemporary.  That means that we think that the messages of Scripture were written with us in mind, that they are not anchored in the cultural patterns of the time and place of ancient Israel.  We treat them as if they were written yesterday, just in time to be applied to today’s important events.  In a culture that ignores history as an important piece of human understanding, we end up with a Bible that looks and feels a lot more like yesterday’s news than God’s interaction with people from distant lands and distant times.  Of course, in one sense Scripture is for all men, but, when we don’t know the culture where and when it was delivered, we rob ourselves of great insights.  This is the case with the word peirazo (to be tested – translated here as “tempted”).   Most of us think that this means moral trials of conscience, but if we knew the culture, we would see that the devil is challenging God’s honor, not Jesus’ sinlessness.

Cicero, the ancient Greek commentator and historian, defines courage as “the quality by which one undertakes dangerous tasks and endures hardships.”   Exhibiting courage was one of the defining characteristics of fidelity to a patron.  Part of courage was victory in “honor challenges,” where the opponent attempted to smear the honor of the patron through the use of physical and mental attacks.  If the servant of the patron failed, the honor of the patron was diminished.  But victory meant glorification of the patron enabling the servant to succeed.

This is precisely the situation presented by Matthew in the testing in the wilderness.  Jesus, servant of the patron One True God, is put to the test, both physically and mentally, in an effort to diminish God’s honor.  This challenge is not principally about Jesus’ resistance to sin.  It is about Jesus upholding the honor of the Father by demonstrating fidelity to Him in the face of hardships and challenges.  This explains why Jesus answers every mental challenge with words from the Patron.  Not only does Jesus honor the Father, he demonstrates total reliance and dependence on the Father’s spoken will.  Jesus is victorious in the honor challenge and, as a result (in ancient near-Eastern cultures), is worthy of praise.

Reconsider your appreciation of this passage in light of its particular cultural setting.  Does this help you see that what is at stake in testing is not necessarily your ability to resist sin, but rather that challenge for you to uphold the honor of God?  You aren’t the center of the battle, even when the testing involves your very personal experience.  The battle is between God’s honor and the devil’s arrogance – and you are the playing field where that battle rages.

Next time you find yourself being “tested,” recognize the test for what it is – a challenge to the honor of God.  It hardly matters how the test affects you, but it matters infinitely how it affirms or denies God’s character.  Now, get out there and fight!