He Understands: What Jesus’ Temptation Means for You
There is a moment, tucked right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, that is easy to rush past. Fresh from His baptism, full of the Spirit, Jesus is led not into triumph but into a wilderness, where He fasts for forty days and faces the full cunning of the enemy. Why does Matthew want us to see this? Because what happens in that wilderness speaks directly into our own struggles, our own doubts, our own battles with temptation. The 19th-century pastor and commentator J.C. Ryle drew four enduring lessons from this passage, and each one is a gift to every weary and seeking heart.
1. Our Enemy Is Real and Fierce
If the devil was bold enough to come after the Son of God Himself, we should not be surprised when he comes after us. Ryle puts it plainly: this is the one who “for nearly 6,000 years has been working at one work: to ruin men and women.” He is patient, persistent, and cunning. He sometimes disguises himself as something beautiful, even reasonable. He knows our weaknesses better than we like to admit.
This is not meant to frighten us; it is meant to make us wise. We live in a culture that either dismisses the devil entirely or obsesses over him unhealthily. The biblical posture is awareness. We have a real adversary. Pretending otherwise leaves us unguarded. But knowing this, we can “watch and pray,” as Ryle urges, and stand firm in the knowledge that our God is greater.
2. Being Tempted Is Not the Same as Sinning
One of the most tender and freeing truths Ryle draws from this passage is this: temptation itself is not sin. Jesus was tempted, truly and genuinely tempted, and yet He was without sin. This means that the dark thought that crosses your mind, the pull you feel toward something you know is wrong, and the doubt that rises up in a hard moment: none of these, in themselves, make you guilty.
Many sincere believers carry unnecessary shame over the mere experience of temptation. They wonder if the fact that they are tempted means something is deeply wrong with them. Ryle offers comfort: “To be tempted is in itself no sin. It is the yielding to the temptation, and giving it a place in our hearts, which we must fear.” You are not broken because you are tested. You are human. And there is a Savior who meets you there.
3. Scripture Is Our Sword
Three times the enemy came. Three times Jesus answered the same way: “It is written.” He did not debate. He did not negotiate. He reached for the Word of God and held it firm. This is more than a technique; it is a portrait of what our relationship with Scripture is meant to look like.
Ryle is direct here: “The Word is the sword of the Spirit. We shall never fight a good fight, if we do not use it as our principal weapon.” A Bible left on the shelf cannot help us in the moment of pressure. The Word becomes a refuge only when we have actually lived in it: read it slowly, returned to it daily, let its truths take root. This is not about religious duty. It is about being armed for the life we are actually living.
If your Bible reading has grown thin, let this be an encouragement to return. Not out of guilt, but out of love. The God who speaks through that Word is reaching toward you on every page.
4. You Have a Savior Who Truly Understands
This may be the most beautiful truth in the passage. Hebrews 2:18 tells us that because Jesus “himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” Jesus did not go through the wilderness so we would admire His strength from a distance. He went through it so He could stand close to us in ours.
Ryle lists the parallels with pastoral warmth. Have you ever been tempted to doubt God’s care for you? So was Jesus. Have you ever been tempted to take a shortcut, to compromise just this once for a seemingly good reason? So was Jesus. Has Scripture ever been twisted and thrown back at you in a confusing way? Jesus faced that too. He is not a distant high priest who watches our struggles unmoved. He is the one who has walked the path before us and turns back to say: I know. Come to me.
Whatever wilderness you are in today, whatever temptation feels too heavy, whatever doubt feels too loud, you are not alone in it. You have a Savior whose ear is always ready to hear and whose heart is always ready to feel. Bring Him your struggle. You will find He already understands.
