Was Jesus Really Tempted by Satan?

reply to post by windword


Well the first part of your post is probably better suited for another thread. The last portion though is kind of obvious. He was never truly tempted it was just a futile attempt by Satan who is prideful enough to believe it worked in the garden so why not here and if he could get Christ to sin even once then everything would be undone. His inability to be tempted demonstrates his divinity. The fact he was fed afterwards just illustrates his humanity or fleshly weakness. Satan is not all knowing and therefore merely made a gambit in assuming that being in the flesh made the lord weak somehow.

On another note this event also shows us how desperate Satan was to try to thwart Jesus because I believe he knew Jesus to be God. He knew the mission . He went so far as to offer the world to Jesus which Satan takes so much delight in using to defy the Lord. He went so far as to either possesses temporarily or influence the nature of Peter. Clearly desperate.

reply to post by NihilistSanta

He was never truly tempted it was just a futile attempt by Satan who is prideful enough to believe it worked in the garden so why not here and if he could get Christ to sin even once then everything would be undone. His inability to be tempted demonstrates his divinity.

So, in your opinion, Jesus was never tempted. It seems that Satan was really the one being tested in this story.

The fact he was fed afterwards just illustrates his humanity or fleshly weakness. Satan is not all knowing and therefore merely made a gambit in assuming that being in the flesh made the lord weak somehow.

Well, apparently Jesus was also illustrating his fleshy weakness after his supposed resurrection from the dead when he asked for meat. He was a hungry apparition!

reply to post by windword


Lets also not forget the fact that he said specifically.. "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"

The flesh is indeed a weakness

Text I don't think the words of Jesus were meant to be taken literally. However organized religion has taken the opportunity to present it as science fact so they could control the masses.

reply to post by metaldemon2000


metaldemon

When you say organized religion just what are you saying? Are not all religions organized to some degree?
I have a problem with your premise. The first Christians were the Apostles of Christ Jesus and they were convinced that His doctrine was true by the reported deeds that are recorded by the Apostles.

After Jesus was murdered there were about 120 or so people gathered together in the place called the upper room. It was then that the first Christian church was formed and not by any particular person but by all who were in agreement as to Jesus being the Christ. There was no money or wealth or power exchanged that is recorded.

After this the congregation of believers established the first Christian Temple called the Jerusalem Church. The Apostles themselves appointed another man named James the Just to keep the church organized. Not one of the Apostles took command and received payment or authority of doctrine.

All members of this first Christian Church gave their entire wealth to the other members as Jesus taught. This was done in love for Jesus' teachings. All shared as they prospered. No tithe or compelling threats of damnation were involved. The Apostles and many disciples of the Jerusalem Church used the church as a home base as they went out to propagate the teachings of Christ Jesus. Not one is recorded to have done this for any power or wealth.

Now this organization prospered as a Hebrew Jewish church for well over forty years or till the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and systematically murdered the Christians in 70 AD. The rest is recorded in history but by the early second century we find that the same murderers of the Jerusalem Church are now the owners of this movement called Christians located in Rome.

If you mean movements such as we see in the Muslim nations controlling masses then that is somewhat true. Also we can see this in the Roman Catholic organizations but this was not the intent or practice in the true Christian movement. Another very disturbing thing is that of Jesus bashing. Why is it that the very brotherhood of Americans always delight in bashing Christians? Is it that they are afraid of bashing Islam? Actually Islam is a bloody, murdering religion even today and most politically correct articles praise Islam and bash Jesus. Why is that?

reply to post by windword


A better question would be did Jesus even exist?

reply to post by Seede

Now this organization prospered as a Hebrew Jewish church for well over forty years or till the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and systematically murdered the Christians in 70 AD. The rest is recorded in history but by the early second century we find that the same murderers of the Jerusalem Church are now the owners of this movement called Christians located in Rome.

Also we can see this in the Roman Catholic organizations but this was not the intent or practice in the true Christian movement. Another very disturbing thing is that of Jesus bashing. Why is it that the very brotherhood of Americans always delight in bashing Christians?

You already presented the answer to that. Christians are bashed because the church that they align themselves to was founded by the same people who murdered the early church members and distorted Christianity in order to control the masses.

At the risk of opening another can 'o worms, the early Christians were most probably Essene Gnostics, who were destroyed by the Roman Catholic Church.

Originally posted by windword
reply to post by NavyDoc

 

Is there any other biblical example of Jesus giving a narrative of a personal spiritual experience, using his own actions in a teachable moment? Usually, he used parables to get a message across if he wasn't preaching, like the Sermon on the Mount.

What does it matter if he did or didn't in other cases? I'm perfectly cool with the idea that this was an allegorical story rather than a literal "Devil Went Down to Georgia" moment.




(As if the Devil would ever be caught dead in Georgia.)

reply to post by NavyDoc


Well, if Jesus didn't relate this story himself, how did anyone know it happened. Who invented the conversations between Jesus and Satan? Was the story created to bolster the Church's position on the deification of Jesus? Was the biblical character of Jesus an allegorical creation.