This Summer the BYG is engaged in a series in which we’re studying the King of Kings entitled, “Lion of Judah.” In this series we’re studying major moments in the life of Christ somewhat through the lens of certain lines or moments from the classic movie Lion King. So far, we’ve learned about how Christ broke through the “circle of life” by being able to offer a new life through His death, we’ve also been able to learn from His ability to “wait to be King” through a difficult life of tribulation and disrespect. This past week we looked at a moment in the movie where all the attention leaves Mufasa and Simba and is squarely on Scar as he tells his henchmen how they’re going to overthrow the King. The whole plan hangs on two words; be prepared. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know sadly that his plan does indeed work and Mufasa, the King, is killed and Simba flees from the Pride lands. Having an enemy who is well prepared and determined is tough to overcome. Here again we see the life of Christ as a shining example of how to handle difficult situations. Throughout His life Christ came across multiple enemies that confronted Him in different ways, all of them prepared to take Him down, yet He always prevailed.
The first true test of Christ we have record of is found in Matthew 4 when Satan himself comes to tempt the Son of God. Matthew 4:1-3, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Here we have an excellent example of Christ being tempted in the most physical of ways. At the moment of His bout with Satan Christ is on the verge of death due to His 40-day starvation. Doctors say that in severe stages of starvation the body will lose the feeling of hunger until the very last few days when it comes back stronger than ever. It’s our bodies telling us to “eat now or perish.” We see this in the fact that after His 40-days He then became hungry. So, what does Satan tempt him with from the start? Food. The very thing Jesus’ body is crying out for as it clings to life on the verge of perishing.
How does Christ respond? By defaulting to what He knows best, His Father’s Word. Matthew 4:4, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” In this we learn some important lessons. In the military that have a saying about how people respond in extreme situations, “we don’t ‘rise to the occasion’ we fall back to our training.” I believe we see this very thing playing out here in the wilderness with Satan and the Savior. Christ at His absolute lowest physical moment responds to this extreme temptation by trusting in His knowledge of the Word. Jesus is able to stave off Satan’s well-prepared attack by having the foundation to lean upon. The real question is, do we?
We may never find ourselves in a situation under that level of physical distress or standing toe-to-toe with Satan, but we will most certainly find ourselves in weak moments being presented with temptations. In these moments we can’t just count on ourselves to magically “rise to the occasion” and always make the right choice. We must solidify our foundation so that in these moments we can fall back into a place of security and soundness. Our foundation should be built off the Word and reinforced by the right people in our corner. Our enemies in the world are prepared, will you be?