March 2025: Shortcut to Glory?

Published on 03/01/2025 by Dr-Shirley-Cheng.

Do you take shortcuts to achieve God's purpose?

If we think it's clever of us to take shortcuts in divine missions, today's lesson will help us reconsider.

The job of John the Baptizer was to prepare the way before Jesus' arrival. Now that John had declared that Jesus' the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world and the Son of God, it's time for Jesus to begin his ministry.

Luke indicated that Jesus was about thirty years old when he was baptized and began his ministry. Unlike Matthew, it appears that Luke traced Jesus' ancestral line from Mary's side. Like Joseph, Mary was also a descendent of David. Whereas Joseph was from the line of Solomon, thus from the royal line, Mary was from the line of Nathan, one of David's other sons he also had with Bathsheba. Joseph's biological father was Jacob, whereas his father-in-law (Mary's father) was Heli (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23). Being called the "son of Heli" means "son-in-law of Heli."

Luke traced Jesus' genealogy much further than Matthew, who traced it to only Abraham as Matthew's purpose was to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Luke traced Jesus back to Adam, and ultimately to God. He was showing that Jesus was a real human being, having the same ancestor as all of us: Adam. Moreover, Jesus is shown to be the "second Adam," to undo the harm that the first Adam did so that our relationship with God can be restored to perfection according to God's will.

Note that Luke indicated that Adam was the son of God. Adam was the only man who was not born into the world but was directly created by God. Thus, Adam was the son of God like none other. Sadly, he forfeited such intimacy with his Father by rebelling against His commandment. But thanks be to Christ whose sacrifice opens the door to full restoration for all the repentant, so we can enjoy intimacy with our Creator the way He purposed.

Before Jesus commenced his ministry, Yahweh his Father made him go through a forty-day trial. The short route would be for Christ to go into ministry immediately from baptism, but short routes or shortcuts do not factor in God's plans. God commonly used a period of forty days or years to test or exercise the faith of His people. Moses was on Mt. Sinai twice for forty days and nights to prepare his heart to receive the Torah from God. Israel spent forty years in the wilderness to punish the first generation and exercise the second generation. Jesus would be tempted by Satan during his forty-day fasting. This was to exercise him to prove his fitness for ministry.

Jesus' forty-day trial began immediately following his baptism. The synoptic Gospels recorded this episode, while John's Gospel passed over it. John 1:19-51 accounts events that occurred after Jesus' baptism and temptation. Thus, John's announcement that Jesus is the Lamb of God took place after Jesus' baptism and forty-day trial.

The 40-Day Wilderness Temptations

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (Matthew 4:1, WEB)

The Holy Spirit that fell upon Jesus after his baptism immediately compelled him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. There, Jesus lived under harsh conditions with wild animals and fasted for forty days, and was tempted by Satan during the entire period, but Matthew and Luke recorded only the three temptations that Jesus faced at the end of this trial.

Matthew and Luke do not record the three temptations in the same order. Luke may present the correct sequence. In any case, the sequence is unimportant. What is important are the lessons that this account teaches us. We will study the temptations in the order Matthew presents.

a) The temptation to be self-reliant and self-sufficient

The first temptation involved human need, the strongest force that pulls a person into a temptation's trap. After Jesus fasted forty days and nights, he was naturally very hungry. Taking advantage of his hunger, the devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy his need. He tempted Jesus to be self-reliant,, depending on himself rather than on God. Satan was challenging Jesus to prove himself as the Son of God. If Jesus is the Son of God, surely he could command stones to become bread, right? He had every power to live self-sufficiently and independent from God.

Since Jesus was to live a life solely dependent on God, to meet his needs on his own by turning stones into bread would be against God's will for him. Jesus overcame the temptation by focusing his true need on God and God's Word. To fight off the tempter, he quoted from the Scriptures: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4 from Deuteronomy 8:3)

When our strongest needs for life's necessities, such as for food and clothing, tempt us to do something against God's will, such as stealing or committing robbery, we must turn our attention from our physical needs to our spiritual needs: the need to obey God's will. Our spiritual need is the true need, because when we are able to satisfy this need, we will be satisfied eternally, for those who do the will of God will have an eternal sacred relationship with God that no one and nothing can take away from us. On the other hand, to satisfy a physical need by disobeying God is to satisfy a temporary need at the expense of our spiritual need. When we satisfy our physical need by doing something against God's will, we will jeopardize our relationship with God. Thus, if we are placed between the choice to meet our temporal needs and the choice to meet our eternal spiritual needs, we must choose to meet our spiritual needs over our physical needs. Of course, if we can meet our physical needs without having to fall for a temptation, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Jesus showed to Satan what it truly means to be the Son of God. Being the Son of God entails complete obedience to the will of God and the surrendering of himself to his Father. By his dependence on God, Jesus proved that he's indeed the Son of God. He needed not perform any miracle to prove it. Miracles don't matter to God; it's submission to His will that counts.

b) The temptation to test God

The second temptation involved faith in God. Jesus was tempted to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple in order to express his faith in God. But as pious as it seems, this is actually an act to put God to the test, to see just how faithful God is when it comes to saving His people.

The devil partially quoted Psalm 91:11-12 to tempt Jesus, implying that God would ensure his safety if he threw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. Yes, Satan knows the Scriptures and misuses them! This goes to show that just because someone quotes God's Word doesn't mean that they are of God or are using them correctly.

Testing God is a grave sin. Does what is created have the right to test its Creator? Even though God promises to protect the righteous, we have no right to test His promise. Thus, Jesus quoted from another verse of the Scriptures: "You shall not test the Lord, your God." (Matthew 4:7 from Deuteronomy 6:16)

We must never put any of God's promises to the test. For instance, God promises us that we will overcome our temptations, but when we face a temptation, we must not head straight into it, thinking that God will save us. We have the responsibility to live with common sense, caution, and prudence. To live a reckless life and expect God to save us regardless of how irresponsible we act is to put God to the test. Thus, if we purposefully go to a certain place that we know will tempt us to commit sins, such as going to a strip club where people engage in fornication, and expect God to protect us, we would be testing God, something we must avoid doing at all times. So whenever possible, we must avoid things and places that greatly tempt our lusts.

c) The temptation to glorify oneself other than God

The third temptation involved one's ultimate devotion and worship of the only true God. Jesus was tempted with the world's kingdoms, which would belong to him if he bowed down to the devil only once. However, he knew that "You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only," which he quoted from God's Word (Matthew 4:10 from Deuteronomy 6:13). Since there's only one true God, and that's Yahweh, then only He should be worshipped, exclusively. Thus, Jesus gave up the world's riches when he refused to perform a single act of worship of the tempter. He overcame the temptation by focusing on his ultimate purpose in life: to glorify God alone, not the devil, and not even himself.

Jesus was going to rule over the entire world anyway, even without the devil's "offer." But what Satan offered was the "easy way"--it was for Jesus to receive glory through a shortcut, bypassing his sacrifice to get to the crown. This, of course, would be against God's will. If Jesus hadn't sacrificed himself, there would be no salvation for humanity which would be exactly what the devil wanted. Thankfully, Christ loves His Father more than his own life, and he always pleases his Father no matter what, due to his infinite love.

If we are given the chance to receive great material riches at the expense of the exclusive worship of the true God Yahweh, then we must choose God over the riches. No worldly riches can ever surpass the value of the eternal wealth: a sacred relationship with God and Jesus in God's forthcoming Kingdom on Earth.

Now, notice that there's a common thread running throughout Jesus' defense in all three temptations. Can you tell what it is?

That common thread is the Word of God. Each time, Jesus used the Word of God (the Bible) to fight his temptation... and won. Thus, whenever we meet a temptation, we must remember what God's Word says, and apply that to our situation. Even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago (the earliest portion is about 3,500 years old), its principles are ageless, and therefore, they can be applied to any circumstance no matter where we are or what we do.

Tempted to steal? Remember: "Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need." (Ephesians 4:28)

Tempted to insult someone back for insulting you? Recall: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31)

Tempted by a married woman's charms? Heed Jesus' words: "I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)

Yes, God's Word is "the way of escape, that you may be able to endure" and prevail over your temptations, anytime! (1 Corinthians 10:14) So next time when you're tempted, you'll know to where to turn.

By successfully passing all the devil's temptations, Jesus exhibited true sonship. He was obedient to his Father to the end, never wavering or making any compromise with the devil. The devil challenged his sonship each time, and each time Jesus met the challenge head-on and displayed that he indeed is the Son of God. It's not by outward might that he displayed his identity but by his inner strength: the strength to do whatever pleases God, even if it cost him. True might is when we are able to overcome the world's temptation to stay fiercely faithful to our God.

Jesus' triumph over the devil's temptations also shows that he is entirely sinless. Though he was tempted in every way for forty days, he did not sin once. His sinlessness meets his spiritual qualification to be the Messiah and the Lamb of God, for only a perfect sacrifice could make atonement for the sins of the world.

Under the animal sacrificial system, only animals without any physical blemish could make atonement for sinners. That physical perfection foreshadows the spiritual perfection of Jesus Christ. God cannot accept anything less than perfect for the ultimate atonement.

A side note: Luke recorded that Satan said regarding all the kingdoms of the world, "I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want." (Luke 4:6) Satan was not boasting when he made this claim. He did receive authority over all kingdoms--God granted him the permission for the time being to rule over the world, though his rule is subordinate to God. Without God's permission, he has no power, as we learn from the book of Job. Satan is given the authority to tempt people, and God permits such temptation, such as in the case of Jesus' temptation, in order to exercise people's faith. In the book of Daniel, we see that there were demons exercising authority over Persia and Greece. Hence, the devil delegates authority over kingdoms to demons, likely in exchange for their worship of him, the very thing he offered Jesus.

After Jesus overcame all his temptations, the devil left him, seeing that he was simply wasting his time and energy with the Son of God. He planned to tempt him in the future when opportune time arrived. He does the same today, waiting for the right time to tempt Christians to rebel against God. Like Jesus, we must stay faithful to God and use His Word to overcome any and all his schemes! We must put God first in our lives, at all times, at all costs. There's no shortcut in God's ways if we truly put Him first. Then and only then will we be victorious and reign with Christ in his coming Kingdom!


~*~ Q&A with Dr. Shirley~*~

Question: In this lifetime, will God's people be punished for their sins?

Answer: In this lifetime, when genuine Christians sin, they experience discipline, not true punishment since punishment means eternal death. So even when a Christian dies prematurely for a sin, it is still discipline. Most often, we experience the natural consequences of our sins and divine discipline. There are a few Biblical principles to think about:

a) God is not mocked; we sow what we reap (Galatians 6:7). In our desperation to resolve a problem, for example, we can take matters into our own hands rather than fully trusting in God for salvation in His own way and His timing. Every time we sin, we're ultimately sinning against God. Study Psalm 51, where David knew this very well. God is a just God who lets us experience the consequences of our sins. Study the story of Abraham and Hagar in Genesis 16. Sarah took matters into her own hands rather than relying on God to let her bear an heir to Abraham. Instead, she had Hagar produce a son for Abraham, and that son, Ishmael, is the ancestor of the Arabs, who have been the enemies of Israel, the seed of Isaac whom Sarah did later have. If Sarah had waited on God, Israel would not have had these enemies. Our sins can have long-lasting consequences. So before we decide to sin, we really have to consider the consequences and be ready to bear them. So advice: do not sin.

b) Experiencing consequences of our sins doesn't necessarily mean that God hasn't forgiven us, so don't feel that God might not have forgiven you. When you sincerely confess your sins and seek His forgiveness, God promises to forgive (1 John 1:9).

c) But despite His forgiveness, God will often let us suffer some, not all, of our consequences. This is because He loves us. Divine discipline is for the purpose of making us better people. Study Hebrews 12.

d) God's discipline is well demonstrated in David's story. Read 2 Samuel 11 to 2 Samuel 20. If God hadn't forgiven David, He would have put him to death because death was the penalty for both murder and adultery. Because David repented, God forgave him by preserving his life and instead disciplined him quite severely.

Keep trusting in God, no matter what happens. Our faith is tested through trials. God loves us despite we grieving Him sometimes, and that when we sin, He disciplines us as a good Father should.

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Then you may subscribe to Dr. Shirley's newsletter by filling out the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Then you may subscribe to Dr. Shirley's newsletter by filling out the contact form at the bottom of this page.