Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

TEMPTATION, TESTING

“Temptation” and “testing” (both Heb. nsh; Gk. peirázō) denote one of the important aspects of the relation between God and human beings in the Bible. Whereas human beings are not supposed to test God (Deut. 6:16), God tests human beings’ faithfulness with various tools such as hardship or difficult commands. If they overcome the temptation to turn back against God in the face of these difficulties, they will prove their steadfastness and pass the divine testing.

In the Exodus tradition, God is frequently portrayed as testing the Israelites (e.g., Exod. 15:22-26; 16:1-5; 20:18-21). According to Deuteronomistic interpretation, these divine testings have pedagogical purpose: God tests people to discipline and benefit them (e.g., Deut. 8:2-6). This interpretation became popular in later biblical traditions (e.g., Sir. 4:11-19; Wis. 3:1-9; Jdt. 8:25-27). The most famous testing stories in the OT, however, are those of Abraham and Job. God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1-2). God gives permission to the Adversary (Heb. śāṭān), one of God’s court ministers (“sons of God,” Job 1:6; 2:1), to test Job with the severest afflictions (1:12; 2:6). Both Abraham and Job prove themselves faithful to God and are rewarded (Gen. 22:15-18; Job 42:11-17).

All of the Synoptic Gospels record that immediately after his baptism and just before beginning his public ministry Jesus is tested by the devil, also called Satan or the tempter (Mark 1:12-13; Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). In the longer version of the story (i.e., in Matthew and Luke) the devil tests Jesus with three temptations, all of which Jesus resolutely succeeds in overcoming. It is noteworthy that God is involved in Jesus’ temptations by the devil, as Matt. 4:1 explicitly states that the Spirit took Jesus to the desert so that the devil might tempt him.

According to the Synoptics, Jesus confronted and overcame temptations not only at the beginning but throughout his ministry. In these later temptations, God’s involvement is no longer clear and human beings, not the devil, appear as the tempters. Jesus’ compatriots test him by asking him for a sign from heaven (Mark 8:11; Matt. 16:1; Luke 11:16) or by asking difficult legal questions (e.g., Matt. 19:3; 22:35). Although “temptation” or related words are not explicitly used, two important events strongly suggest that they meant to be understood as temptations Jesus suffered. When Peter rebukes Jesus, who has just foretold his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus rebukes Peter with the same words that he used when the devil tempted him (Matt. 4:10): “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mark 8:33; Matt. 16:23). Similarly, while Jesus is on the cross, Jewish leaders mock him with words reminiscent of the devil’s temptation (Matt. 4:6; Luke 4:9), saying that if Jesus is the Christ he can come down from the cross (Mark 15:32; Matt. 27:42-43; Luke 23:35).

In the OT it is always by the directive of God’s own will that humans are tested, but God’s purpose in testing is positive, never meant to seduce humans to do evil. This is not always true in postbiblical Jewish literature and the NT. In several documents from postbiblical Judaism (e.g., 1-2 Enoch, 2 Baruch, Apocalypse of Abraham, Martyrdom of Isaiah, and esp. Qumran), a personified evil figure, identified with various names such as Beliar, Belial, Satan, Azazel, or Mastema, appears as the tempter in the eschatological tribulations. As the ruler of the present age, the personified evil aims to seduce God’s people to do evil against God’s own will. The concept of temptation here becomes almost synonymous with “sin” or “evil.” Early Christians interpreted their persecutions in the same perspective, while eagerly awaiting the return of Christ which would consummate the eschatological reign of God (e.g., Matt. 6:13; Luke 22:40; 1 Pet. 1:6-7). Christians believed that Christ, who himself experienced temptations in every aspect (Heb. 4:15; cf. Luke 22:28), would help them to overcome the testings (Heb. 2:18).

Bibliography. J. B. Gibson, The Temptations of Jesus in Early Christianity. JSNTSup 112 (Sheffield, 1995).

Seung Ai Yang






Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)

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