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When God Was Baptized
Brian Mashburn
January 18, 2015
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When God Was Tempted
The Hebrew author makes an amazing claim when he says that Jesus "has been tempted in every way, just as we are." (Hebrews 4:15)
Think of that. God. Tempted. This is yet more Biblical testimony to the idea that God really did become a man, because elsewhere it is recorded that, "God cannot be tempted." (James 1:13) And yet, Jesus was tempted.
Today, after taking a brief look at when God was baptized, we will ponder what Jesus did when he was tempted.
In the larger story, it is significant to know that the two ministry-initiating events in the life of Jesus were his baptism and his temptation.
In his baptism, Jesus was associating himself with all of humanity (Luke 3:21), and in our baptism, we are associating ourselves with him. (Romans 6:3-5)
In his temptation, which is depicted as being directly orchestrated by Satan himself, Jesus was doing what the first man Adam failed to do back at the beginning when he faced temptation orchestrated by Satan. He chose love and worship for God over comfort and a self-centered life.
May we follow Jesus into and out of the waters of baptism, and into the baptized life of choosing love and worship for God over comfort and a self-centered life.