Jesus knew that if He committed just one sin, there would have been no God Family.
Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the encounter between Christ and Satan in Matthew 4:1 was perhaps “the most important, momentous, decisive confrontation and battle ever fought in all time in the universe” (Mystery of the Ages). He wrote, “Satan knew well he was now fighting to prevent his dethroning over all the Earth.” He was convinced that he could out-maneuver and ultimately defeat Jesus Christ.
In preparation for this titanic battle, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (Matthew 4:2). What an extreme measure to take if it was already pre-determined that He would win the battle! In truth, Christ knew the God-ordained potential for mankind was hanging in the balance. And what did He do to prepare for this supreme test? He fasted and prayed before facing the devil!
“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (verse 3). Had Christ not been so close to God, it would have been easy for Him to angrily shoot back, What do you mean, “If I’m the Son of God?” You know I am. Answering Satan that way would not have helped Christ in this trial.
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (verse 4). Jesus answered by not only quoting God’s Word—His response reflected how submissive He was to God’s Word. This must be our same approach in battling Satan.
The devil then took Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple and told Him to jump off. Satan quoted Scripture, saying the angels would rescue Christ (Psalm 91:11-12). But Satan twisted and misapplied the meaning of that passage in Psalms.
“Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). Again, Christ quoted God’s Word in its proper context (Deuteronomy 6:16)—and He obeyed it.
Satan then offered Jesus rulership over the kingdoms of this world (Matthew 4:8-9). He offered Christ a temporary, physical reward.
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (verse 10). Now, Jesus—righteously indignant—was the one giving the orders.
Now think—would Christ have won this battle had He not cried out to God in fasting and prayer? Jesus knew the stakes were enormous! The fact that He fasted for a full 40 days in the wilderness before the temptation suggests that He had set aside this time, planned for the confrontation, and prepared for it.
After the great temptation, Luke adds that Satan departed from Jesus for a season ( Luke 4:13). Again consider—was Satan really stupid enough to devote his life to trying to tempt Christ if it was impossible for Christ to sin?
The Worldwide Church of God’s doctrinal change on this subject revealed an early problem within the Laodiceans: They underestimated Satan and his awesome power—not to mention the much stronger power of God.
In The God Family Vision, my father says the main reason Plan B (God reproducing Himself through man) wasn’t enacted until after the angelic plan failed is because Plan B was so risky! Plan B is far superior to Plan A, he wrote. “But always remember the incredible risk involved in this plan! What brutal suffering the Son had to endure” (emphasis mine throughout).
Passover is an annual memorial that we observe in memory of Jesus Christ’s final agony and death. It also reminds us of the incredible risk involved in God’s plan. Jesus Christ’s life, as my father once wrote, was the greatest risk in the history of man!
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