Jesus was in all points tempted as we are but in all this he never erred. How was this possible you may ask? Even the wisest man to ever walk on planet earth could not resist the very temptations Jesus was subject to.
King Solomon ended up committing some of the dreadful crimes you would not expect given that level of wisdom. Jesus excelled despite his poor upbringing and confines. What was his secret?
Heb 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
High above all was his handling of the constant critiquing and quizzical coming from the religious leaders at the time, all in an attempt to cause him to stumble and fall. Jesus kept his cool and sailed through with the most amazing answers the world has come to know.
Let us not forget that it was at his weakest point that Jesus resisted and shamed the Devil himself had gone forty days and forty nights without food.
Whilst we cannot give an exact reason as to why and how he was so good there is one gift that Jesus manifested that is worthy to mention and that can help us deal with this topic. And this gift is God given to all who may desire to have it full and free without prejudice. Let us go find it from the bible text in Genesis.
Gen 3:22
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever…
When I first learned the story of our first parents Adam and Eve I was under the impression that all God wanted was for man to be like him (image) and his (likeness) instantly or over a while but I was wrong. If this was true then the above verse should have been a cause for celebration to the Godhead but alas! the remainder of this verse suggests otherwise.
Gen 3:23-24
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Why would God chase them away when it seemed like they had attained the desired resemblance? Is this not what God wanted from the beginning when he had said “let us make mage in our image and likeness”? God himself confirmed those words when he said” behold the man is become as one of us, knowing good and evil”?
Even though the man had reached somewhat God’s similarity there is an ability he lacked which made him a threat still to the life in the Garden of Eden. What is this ability?
You might have heard that the difference between man and animals is because man can distinguish between right and wrong and animals cannot. That’s a bit overrated don’t you think?
I mean if a man can differentiate between right and wrong why is it that there is no peace on earth. War, chaos, hatred, and sinful habits are the order of the day.
Give it to the animals because they are not as destructive as we humans are. From soil erosion, climate change, world wars, infidelity, air pollution, and water contamination to the endangered plant and animal species, etc. man and not animals is responsible for it.
This is the reason why God did not want a man near the tree of life follow-on because with the knowledge of good and evil only, he could not make the right choices afterward.
Something was therefore lacking and that’s the ability to distinguish between right and wrong an ability that Jesus developed. There is a huge difference between knowing what is good and evil and discerning between right and wrong.
A man can know or memorize all the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation by heart but he would still make bad choices because it is the knowledge only he has and not the desirable discernment. Knowledge only had our first parents thrown out from the Garden of Eden but knowledge and discernment will get us back.
Prov 2:1-6
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
The same can be noticed in the Pharisees. They had studied all the scriptures and knew all the laws but they lacked discernment which eventually tainted their reputation.
Jesus on the other hand was familiar with the scriptures but this ability to distinguish right from wrong made him all the better person.
The Pharisees’ declaration to stone the adulterers’ women were overpowered by Jesus’s discernment that everybody has sinned and so fallen short of the glory of God hence no one has the right to put someone to death but only God can.
Jesus defended many such truths with great authority and subtlety to the amazement of many. It is such wisdom, power, and refinement that gained him a prodigious reception and following.
Luke 2:52
2 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Truth is progressive and to show this Jesus neither agreed nor disagreed with the Pharisees. He knew that if he straight away disagreed with the Pharisees’ decision to stone the woman amongst some of their decrees he would be shooting himself at the foot because he was the author of that law in the first place. If he agreed then it did not serve the purpose for which it was created.
Jesus did not create this law for the reason of persecution but it was so that man could understand that bad habits and behaviors would ultimately lead to death. But without this insight man went on to forever legalize such laws.
So Jesus hangs between the two (neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the Pharisees) in a bid to express the real purposes intended from the foundation when he endorsed the law.
John 6:32-33
32 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Today the church or some churches are not revered by many because of a lack of discernment in their decrees. Knowing the bible from the Old to the New Testament will not help them whilst they lack good judgment. Instead, they have gained derogatory names such as fundamentalists or practicing occult powers.
Just like in the days of Jesus when a majority of people could not enjoy religious freedom as much as they could have Jesus used his ability to distinguish right from wrong to alleviate the situation. Many were brought to Jesus and were converted. It was then things took a good direction and once more attending religious activities was a blessing for all.
Luke 4:18-19
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
The same can be said of the church nowadays. A lot of people have lost respect for the church and one of the reasons could be because some of the laws observed are not saving but they add weight to their already overburdened shoulders. They don’t see the church as a hospital anymore a place where they can come for healing or comfort. A prison it’s become with lots of restraints and limitations.
If only the church could somehow rethink or re-evaluate itself attending church could return to being one of the most honorable moments. We too as individuals should seek to become like him. No power or ability that Jesus had is hidden from us.
We can be anything and everything that Jesus was only through believing and trusting in God. Anything that we ask of God is freely given to us. So if you want to have this discernment that Jesus had you are only a knee away from receiving it.
Jesus gained everything by asking from his father in prayer. We likewise should do the same and maybe the world will see light through us and change for the better.
Matt 7:7-12
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
I want to have that ability to distinguish between right and wrong because it is all that we need to make good choices that will get us back to the Garden of Eden. Don’t you want it too? Pray to God today and he will walk you through.
God bless you as you pray for discernment. Meet you in the next lesson
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