Big Idea - Hebrews 4 tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way as we yet without sin so that He can sympathize with our weakness. But, how could Jesus understand the temptations we face when He did not live in the world of advanced technology and instant access to everything that is the world of today? Jesus may not have faced the exact temptations that we do, but He was tempted in every ‘way’ as we are. That’s because Jesus had the same basic human needs that we do: basic physical needs (food, water, etc), social/relationship needs (the need to feel loved and accepted, etc), and the need for meaning and purpose (worth, honor, significance, etc). He was tempted to meet those needs apart from God without waiting on God to provide according to His purpose and plan. Satan tempted Jesus to meet His needs apart from God 1) through his own abilities and resources, 2) by controlling and manipulating God, forcing Him to do what he wanted, and 3) by putting His trust in Satan who is the true person behind every false god (money, possessions, “worldly” wisdom, etc). Jesus was tempted in the ways we are, but He was without sin. He never once slipped and gave in to meet His needs apart from God’s plan. He trusted in His Father to meet every need and to work out every purpose according to His will. He was able to wait upon God and rest in Him because He was rooted deeply in the Word - God’s revealed truth about God’s nature and plans. He turned to the Word as the controlling force over His life, He was committed to holding on to its truths in faith, and to do all that God commanded. He proved to be the perfect Son where Adam, Israel, and every one of us fails so that He could be a sufficient sacrifice in our place. Through His blood, we are forgiven and through His righteous life, we are made right - righteous in Him. He became sin so that we might become His righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) — 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.)
