Be Still And Know

Luke 4:13 When we talk about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, it might sound as if those were the only times when he was tempted. However, Luke makes it clear that this was not the case. The devil was always looking for his “next opportunity” to get at Jesus. It was an inevitable part of being fully human. As the writer to the Hebrews put it: “he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The truth is that Jesus had a greater experience of temptation than we will ever do, because sadly we, at times, give in to temptation. Jesus never did, and so he experienced the full power of it. And this continued throughout his ministry. Even on the cross he was tempted by the words of the soldiers, who mocked him, saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself” (Luke 23:37). There is no doubt that he could have done precisely that, but he knew he had to resist the temptation. This topic might sound incredibly negative, but the reason for reflecting on it is completely posi