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Matthew 4:1-2
As Jesus is preparing for His physical earthly ministry, the requirement for His connection to humanity is that He experience the same temptations that the devil tempts humanity with. For Jesus to fulfill His purpose in this world as the Savior who is to overcome the world, He must be subject to it. In His being tempted in the wilderness, and His not falling to the temptations that the devil attacks Him with, is a proof that He is more powerful than the devil.
But God does not simply present Himself as a human being in the form of His one and only Son Jesus to be subject to the devil’s fallen ways; He brings Himself into the depths of weakness so that there is no question of having a special/lesser temptation than that in which any human will ever face – no, He presents Himself in a weaker form than any of us will ever be subject to so that in His weakness is shown how great His strength is. The Bible teaches us in Matthew 4:2 (NKJV), “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”
This is a promise that Jesus, in His weakness, is more powerful than the devil in his strength.
It is to my understanding that Jesus was hungrier than any of us have ever been in our entire lives when He was being subjected to the temptations of the devil. I personally do not know anyone who has gone forty days without food, but we must also understand that there are people dying of starvation around the world. The point is that Jesus was presented in a weaker physical state during His confrontation with the devil to show His strength in weakness to be stronger than the strength of the devil so that we, in our weakness, may have confidence in the strength of Christ Jesus to help us overcome the devil when he is tempting us. The Apostle Paul signifies this in his words recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (HCSB) as he speaks of the Lord’s reply to him as he cried out to the Lord for help in his weakness, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Dear LORD,
Jesus was tempted by the devil just as we are still yet today. You have shown us the strength of Jesus in His physical weakness – that in a weakened state He is still yet much more powerful than Satan. Please help us to remember this when Satan is tempting us so that we would call upon the name of Jesus to save us in times of weakness. Thank You LORD for sending us the most mighty, most powerful Savior Jesus to set us free from the chains of the devil and live a new life of salvation and forgiveness – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.