THREAD: The temptation of Jesus was for our redemption.

We miss this because of a reductionistic "emphasis" on the cross. 1/

In Matthew 4, the story of Jesus's wilderness temptation, *Jesus* is the main character. This may seem painfully obvious, but you would not know it from most sermons on this passage. 2/

In fact, nearly every sermon that I have heard on Christ’s temptation could be summarized as “Tips and Tricks for Beating Temptation.” Of course, we should follow Jesus's example when facing temptation—we should memorize Scripture, and do x, y, and z. 3/

But this is the wrong place to start. Matthew’s focus is on what Christ has done, not what we need to do. Why are we so quick to jump to personal application when studying the life of Christ? 4/

The answer becomes clear when we contrast this to our teaching on the cross. We know that the cross is about what Christ has done. When we arrive at the crucifixion scene in Matthew 27, we know that Christ is doing something for us and for our salvation. 5/

And so we focus on its redemptive significance—how Jesus has accomplished our redemption through his death. Only much later do we dare to talk about taking up our own cross. 6/

This is not the case, however, in our preaching in the life of Jesus. Simply put, it is because we do not see his life as redemptive. The life of Christ and his temptations in the wilderness are viewed as little more than the “front porch” to the cross. 7/

Matthew 1–26 is treated as little more than an appetizer for the real meal on the cross. We’re glad to have these chapters, but their redemptive significance is mostly lost on us. 8/

In fact, I can only recall hearing one sermon that mentioned the redemptive significance of Christ’s life. It went something like this: Jesus lived a sinless life so that he would qualify as the lamb without spot or blemish. 9/

This is an important point, & it's one of the reasons why Jesus needed to resist Satan’s temptations. But notice the focus: once again, it's all about the cross. Christ’s victory over temptation is not seen as important-in-itself. It’s seen as nothing more than the prep work. 10/

I believe that this is a reductionistic way of reading the Gospels. Reductionism is when you take a good thing and make it the whole thing. It’s like saying that vegetables are the most important food group and then only eating vegetables. 11/

You might have the right emphasis, but without the other food groups, that emphasis is actually reductionistic and very unhealthy. When we say, “It's all about the cross,” we are trying to emphasize the cross—and the cross is the right emphasis. 12/

But if we mean that it is literally *all* about the cross, our churches will be very unhealthy. The Apostle's Creed celebrates the life, burial, descent, resurrection, and ascension of Christ as other vital themes in our redemption. 13/

When Christ died, it was for our redemption. But when Christ lived, it was also for our redemption. 14/

When he was tempted, it was for us and for our salvation. In the hymn, “Tell Me the Story of Jesus,” we sing, “tell of the days that are past; how for our sins He was tempted.” But I have yet to meet an ordinary Christian who has the slightest clue what this means. 15/

Next to the cross, the temptation of Christ is perhaps the most significant moment in redemptive history. I don't have time here to unpack its significance here, but my encouragement to pastors & teachers is to rediscover the redemptive significance of Christ's whole life. 16/

Once we do that, we are prepared to talk about what it means to be united to Jesus, for his story to become our story, and for his power to become available to us. This is the right context for providing Tips and Tricks for Beating Temptation. 17/17