Chapter 39—First Temptation of Christ
[
This article appeared in
The Review and Herald, August 4 and 18,
1874
.]
Christ has entered the world as Satan’s destroyer, and the Redeemer
of the captives bound by his power. He would leave an example in His
own victorious life for man to follow and overcome the temptations of
Satan. As soon as Christ entered the wilderness of temptation, His vis-
age changed. The glory and splendor reflected from the throne of God
which illuminated His countenance when the heavens opened before
Him, and the Father’s voice acknowledged Him as His Son in whom
He was well pleased, was now gone. The weight of the sins of the
world was pressing His soul, and His countenance expressed unutter-
able sorrow, a depth of anguish that fallen man had never realized. He
felt the overwhelming tide of woe that deluged the world. He realized
the strength of indulged appetite and of unholy passion that controlled
the world, which had brought upon man inexpressible suffering. The
indulgence of appetite had been increasing, and strengthening with
every successive generation since Adam’s transgression, until the race
was so feeble in moral power that they could not overcome in their
own strength. Christ, in behalf of the race, was to overcome appetite
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by standing the most powerful test upon this point. He was to tread
the path of temptation alone, and there must be none to help Him,
none to comfort or uphold Him. He was to wrestle with the powers of
darkness.
As man could not, in his human strength, resist the power of Satan’s
temptations, Jesus volunteered to undertake the work, and bear the
burden for man, and overcome the power of appetite in his behalf. He
must show in man’s behalf, self-denial and perseverance, and firmness
of principle that is paramount to the gnawing pangs of hunger. He
must show a power of control over appetite stronger than hunger and
even death.
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