The First Temptation of Christ

Overview

Jesus’ life starts in a manger: a young woman comes into a town, has excruciating labor pains, isn’t even let into a room, and has to have her child on some filthy rags. In other words, part of the meaning of Christmas is that life is a struggle.

Simeon is an old man waiting for the Messiah, and he’s at the temple when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to dedicate him. When Simeon sees Jesus, he recognizes him as the Messiah. And he says Jesus’ life will be one of continual conflict and division and rejection, and he says to Mary, “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Life is a fight. Life is a struggle. How are we going to survive that?

The answer is in this passage on Jesus’ temptation. Let’s ask three questions that will help us handle the fights of life: 1) when is the fight? 2) where is the front? and 3) what’s our hope?