BIBLE STUDY BOOKLET

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	THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE LORD By Theo Todman CONCLUSION

We have now dealt with all the passages we intended to. How can we draw all the foregoing together? For what purpose are the various temptations of the Lord recorded in Scripture?

When considering the High Priestly role of the ascended Christ, we noted that to be qualified for His task - to be a merciful and faithful High Priest - He needs to be able to sympathise with those to whom He ministers. He can do this because He has been exposed to every kind of trial that we are exposed to and to every kind of situation in which we might be tempted, (though we have rejected the notion that He was tempted in such situations in the common sense of the word as used today).

The other major qualification for the High Priest was that he had to have an offering. In this the Lord Jesus Christ is unique in that His offering is Himself, His own blood. He is both Priest and Victim. Throughout the Mosaic ritual, the various sacrificial animals had to be without blemish, without spot, not merely because this made them more costly for those who presented them for sacrifice, but because they were types of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Himself is described as the "Lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:19). It is interesting that the Passover lamb had to be chosen "in the tenth day of the month," four days before it was to be slaughtered on "the fourteenth day of the same month" (Exodus 12:3,6). The Israelites were to choose a lamb "without blemish" and "keep it" these four days (verse 5). "The object of this direction was to allow ample time for the careful inspection of the animal, so that its entire freedom from all blemish might be ascertained." (G. Rawlinson in Ellicott's Commentary). It is to this probationary period that our Lord's earthly ministry corresponds. His triumphs over the various trials and temptations He encountered showed Him to be qualified to take the role of the passover lamb, "Christ our passover... sacrificed for us," (1 Corinthians 5:7), for no spot or blemish was found in Him. If there had been, He Himself would have needed a Saviour.

These two aspects need to be held in balance. We must be careful neither so far to remove Him from the sphere of temptation as to disqualify Him from the office of priest, nor so involve Him in the likeness of our temptations as to make Him unsuitable to be the Victim. We pray that we have kept this balance in this booklet. May the consideration of these things lead us all to know, love, serve and glorify Him the better!