SUCCOUR FOR THE TEMPTED.
"As when a sudden storm of hail and rain
Beats to the ground the yet unbearded grain,
Think not the hopes of harvest are destroyed
On the flat field, and on the naked void:
The light, unloaded stem, from tempests freed,
Will raise the youthful honours of its head,
And soon restored by native vigour bear
The timely product of the bounteous year."-Dryden.
"We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was on all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb_4:15).
"For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted" (Heb_2:18).
The nature of our temptations will generally prove what we really are. The higher the moral and spiritual character is the higher and more subtle will the temptations be. Christ could never be tempted by the coarse and common forms of sin. The devil brought his tempting baits up to the dignity of the Son of God. Therefore, being tempted as a Son on all points like as we (sons) are, He is able to succour them that are tempted with the comfort wherewith He Himself was comforted of God. Shall we look at some of those "points" in which He, like us, was tempted, and by which we are made partakers of His sufferings?
I. He was tempted to seek a lawful thing in an unlawful way (Mat_4:3-4). "Afterward He hungered, and the tempter said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Is not this a common temptation, especially to those struggling with the difficulties of a business world? That coveted thing, longed for with a hungry heart, seems to be within reach just by the speaking of a word, but a word which is forbidden by the inner conscience. The very thought of it is the whispering of Satan. In this the Lord tasted what is now generally known as "the struggle for bread." But He fought this temptation with "Man shall not live by bread alone," etc. "He trusted in God" (Mat_27:43).
II. He was tempted to make a display of His power for the honour of His own Name. "If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down, for it is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee" (Mat_4:6). We will never be able to demonstrate our divine sonship to the world or the devil by "casting ourselves down." One thing is certain, that if the devil had been able to cast Him down he would not have asked Him to "cast Thyself down." Are we not also tempted to make a display of our gifts or powers- money, song, speech, or works-just for the sake of proving to others that we are the sons of God, instead of for the glory of God. He was tempted on all points like as we are, yet without sin.
III. He was tempted to accomplish the purposes of God by adopting a God-dishonouring method. "The devil showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said, All these will I give thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Mat_4:8-9). It was the purpose of God to give Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them (Zec_14:9; 1Ch_29:11; Rev_11:15). The temptation is to step out of the Father’s plan, to shun the agony of the Cross, and to expect the promised blessing by using means that are opposed to the Word and character of God. This was the temptation by which Adam and Eve fell, and a temptation that seems to be growing increasingly powerful in these present times. The devil is always ready to meet the devoted servant of Christ who is hungering after the kingdom of God with his "If thou wilt fall down." Abram fell down when he took Hagar, that he might hasten on the promise of God. The Gospel of Christ, preached in the Holy Ghost, and received by faith, is the power of God. To substitute anything else for this as the means of bringing the world to Christ is to fall down before the temptation of the devil.
IV. He was tempted to speak unadvisedly with His lips. "The Pharisees began to urge Him vehemently, and to provoke Him to speak of many things, that they might catch something to accuse Him" (Luk_11:53-54). Christians who have to mingle much with ungodly men are often assailed in this manner. They argue hotly, that they might provoke the follower of Christ to utter some word thoughtlessly, that they might seize it as a sword to smite the innocent. Tempted one, remember He was tempted like as you are, and that He is able to succour them that are tempted. There is no member of the body so ready to play the Judas as the tongue Set a watch.
V. He was tempted to save Himself by forsaking the Cross. "Save Thyself." "If Thou be the Son of God come down from the Cross, and we will believe" (Mat_27:40-43). To deny the cross and save ourselves the suffering and the shame connected with it is an oft-repeated temptation to the servant of Jesus Christ. There is additional force in it when there seems to be the prospect of others believing in us through so doing. The world, the flesh, and the devil are ever crying in some way or other "save thyself" to every son of God who would be crucified with Christ (Gal_2:20). The enemy knows that if we save ourselves our lives will be lost (see Mat_16:24-25). To take up His cross is to lose our self-life, as the corn of wheat dies in the earth and lives again in a new and more fruitful form. "If Thou be the Son of God, save Thyself." It never becomes the sons of God to save themselves, although they may be sometimes constrained to ask: If I am a child of God, why should I suffer so? He was tempted in all points like as we are, therefore He is able to succour them that are tempted.
The temptation to shrink from suffering for the good of others is ever before us; but as Jesus suffered without the gate that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, so are we called to go forth, therefore, unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb_13:12-13). The reproach of Christ is a glorious burden (1Pe_4:14; Heb_11:26).
Autor: James Smith