Satan attacks us in our times of strength and in our times of weakness. He came aggressively after Adam and Eve in the garden during a period of perfect communion with God. He did the same with Jesus in the desert when he was physically vulnerable. Today, let’s compare the garden and desert temptations. I will borrow from the excellent work of William Cook and Chuck Lawless to make these comparisons.[1]

Luke 4:1-2
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

First, Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden of Eden, an idyllic setting. What could be more beautiful than the perfect environment God had created for the first human beings? Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the most barren of places. The desert where Satan attacked was hot, dry, and rugged, a place where wild animals lived (Mark 1:13).

Second, Adam was with Eve. They interacted together regarding the temptation. They were tempted in community. Adam had a companion. Jesus was tempted alone.

Third, Adam and Eve were free to eat from every tree except one. They were satisfied and filled. They could eat to their hearts’ content. Satan attacked them when they were energized and nourished by the most nutritious organic food the world has ever known! Satan came at Jesus after forty days of fasting. Remember, Jesus was fully-God and fully-man. His humanity was depleted and in a weakened state.

Finally, in their perfectly satisfying environment, Adam and Eve sinned and opened the gate to death and judgment. Paul says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned….” (Romans 5:12). Jesus, in his weakest moment, “learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him….” (Hebrews 5:8-9).

Jesus resisted Satan’s attacks and was obedient to the perfect will of the Father all the way to the cross. His work on the cross and his glorious resurrection reversed the curse. Jesus paid sin’s penalty and defeated death forever.

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your perfect obedience at your weakest moments. Thank you for taking on every attack of Satan to become the source of our eternal salvation. Help us live a life of thanksgiving and gratitude for what you have done on our behalf. In your name, we pray. Amen.

[1] William Cook III & Chuck Lawless, Spiritual Warfare in the Storyline of Scripture (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2019), 45.