FEB 23

Matthew 4:1-11
Memorise Hebrews 4:15
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows”

We may discount the trials and temptations that Jesus went through, thinking that He is God and therefore could easily overcome everything anyway. However, the Bible tells us a different story. In Matthew 4, we read that Jesus in human form had to endure hardship and the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:15 echoes this by speaking of Him having the same struggles as us due to human frailty, for he “was in all points tempted like as we are”.

The Saviour that came to us in the form of a man was not some invincible superhero who was impervious to pain, suffering and emotional turmoil. Jesus was every bit as human as any of us. He was not some superhuman who was immune to any and all kinds of physical and mental affliction, breezing through every situation without being affected in any way. He bled and felt pain when He was wounded. When His friends died, He cried. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered such agony and sorrows that His sweat was as it were great drops of blood. These and many other accounts of Jesus’ earthly ministry tell us the same thing about Jesus’ humanity.

Dear Teen, there are some people who wonder if Jesus was ever truly tested. By this, they mean to ask: since Jesus is divine, could it be true that there was never a possibility that He could have failed? If this were true, then whatever He went through was not really a test at all and this might somehow “invalidate” His work of salvation for us as our Representative. What is clear from Romans 5:15-21 is that God was satisfied with Jesus’ work of salvation for us and considered it valid. The Bible certainly does give us the sense that Jesus was severely tested and yet He persevered and passed. Indeed, we need not doubt our salvation as long as we have Jesus as our Saviour.

Thought: “Are there trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.”
Prayer: Thank You Jesus for passing the test for us that we never could.