The Temptations of Adam and Christ

Satan approached Jesus with the same temptation he had posed to Adam, questioning the reliability of God’s Word. Today, R.C. Sproul shows that it was at the point where the first Adam failed that the last Adam triumphed.

The circumstances for Adam and Eve’s temptation, when the serpent came into Eden, was that they were in the midst of a lush garden, where they had every imaginable food at their disposal. Their bellies were filled. They were enjoying intimate companionship, a woman and a man together, without sin in any way marring or disfiguring their interpersonal relationship, the fellowship that they had. And it was in that context that Satan came and put the temptation to the first Adam and Eve.

Now, the second Adam comes, and His test takes place not in a paradise garden, but in this desolate wilderness. And He’s solitary. He is absolutely alone with no human companionship or fellowship. And not only that, His test takes place in the middle of a fast. He has a human nature, remember, and that human nature now is ravaged by hunger. And it’s only after He’s in this supremely weakened, lonely condition that the prince of hell comes to Him. And here’s where the dissimilarity ends between Jesus and Adam and the similarity begins: because beloved, the point of the test was exactly the same.

When Satan came to Adam and Eve, he came with a question. You remember? What was the question? “Hath God said?” “Did God say that if you eat of this tree, you will surely die? Well, I’m telling you, you won’t die, but your eyes will be opened. And you’ll be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:1, 4–5). That was the temptation, and Eve went for it, and Adam with her. Remember? So the issue in the garden of Eden that was presented before God’s first human creatures was, “Are you going to believe and obey My word?”

Fast forward now to the Judean wilderness, where Satan comes now to Jesus in His weakness, in His loneliness. And he doesn’t come to Him and say, “I want to see how much power you have. Turn these stones into bread.” Now, what does he say? “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. I mean, this is no place for the Son of God. I can’t understand how the Son of God could suffer such humiliation, such deprivation, such hunger, such loneliness. If You’re the Son of God, You should be in a palace. But if You’re the Son of God, if You’re really the Son of God, Jesus, turn these stones into bread” (Matt. 4:3).

Now I ask you, what were the last words that rang in Jesus’ ears before He came to the wilderness? They were the words that came from the audible voice of God, where God said, “You are my beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17). That’s what God said. God’s word said to Jesus, “You’re my son.” Satan says, “Are You? Well, if You are, turn the stones into bread.” Jesus said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Satan, afraid you don’t understand the Word of God.” He sounds like some backwards fundamentalist, doesn’t He? The Bible says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). “Satan, I know that there’s no sin in having breakfast when you’re hungry, but right now, I’m committed to this fast, and I can’t break it and have breakfast until My Father says so.”

And then, the temptation goes, “Oh well, if you’re really the Son of God, jump off of the temple, because the Bible says, ‘He will give his angels charge over you, lest you dash your foot against the stone’ ” (Matt. 4:5–6). Jesus says, “Yes, that’s right. The Bible says that. But the Bible also says, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord your God.’ Don’t put God to the test. I don’t need to jump off the temple to know that God will take care of Me” (Matt. 4:7).

“What a wasted life You have, Jesus. Why can’t we be partners? I’ll tell you what,” he says, “I’m the prince of this world of the power of the air. All you have to do is bow down for me here in private, where nobody’s watching. You’re completely anonymous. You don’t have to grovel in the dirt, just one slight little genuflection. And I will give you all of the kingdoms of this world” (Matt. 4:8–9). “It’s a great offer, Satan. I got a problem.” “What’s Your problem?” “Well, God says that we’re not to have any other gods before Him, and Him only may we serve” (Matt. 4:10). “And you see, if I bow down to you, that would be an act of idolatry, and I would lose My Father’s house.”

“You see, Satan, you don’t understand something. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? As hungry as I am, as lonely as I am, as humiliated as I am, none of those things, Satan, are worth My soul.” And when He withstood everything that Satan had to throw at Him, in his frustration, Satan leaves. Then the angels showed up and ministered unto Him. As the text says, “The angels came. They came to him while he was with the wild beasts” (Mark 1:13). Again, remember that the people who are hearing this in the catacombs maybe tomorrow will have to be with the wild beasts in the Coliseum for the sake of the gospel. And when they were led in chains to the floor of the arena, they had these words: “My savior has been here and done this, and He said He will never leave me or forsake me.”