Satan Wants Jesus to Die!
- Albrecht…Lent Midweek 2…February 25th, 2026…Matthew 4:1-11…Satan Wants Jesus to Die!
Grace and Lenten peace be yours in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written,`Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:`He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,`In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again,`You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written,`You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
INJ Who abided by His Father’s will to die for you and me, DFR:
By the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, WWJD was a common acronym found throughout Christian homes and on the vast majority of kids’ wrists in the form of a bracelet. The meaning was simple: What Would Jesus Do? The point was, anytime you were faced with a moral dilemma, you should ask yourself, “What would Jesus do in my situation?” The hope was that people would exercise their Christian faith the way they say they would, but fail to put into action.
Of course, WWJD can be easily taken the wrong way. If it is suggesting that in every situation we must follow the exact protocol Jesus would have – we would be in a world of hurt. Jesus understood God’s Law perfectly; He knew the right answer in every situation; and He truly was perfect as God’s Son. We are not. Tonight, we don’t have to ask ourselves the question, WWJD? Our text shows us What Did Jesus Do! As we continue our Lenten series on Who Wants Jesus to Die? We consider Satan wants Jesus to die! It might just be the most obvious character in the Passion account that wants Jesus dead. The mystery isn’t why he wants Jesus dead – he is willing to do anything to stop mankind from being saved from sin. The mystery is how Satan’s will ended up fulfilling God’s will. It’s the glorious mystery of the Gospel!
When you look at our text this evening, notice how Satan goes after Jesus. He does not believe in a “fair fight.” He goes after Jesus when He should be at His weakest moment, coming off a forty day fast. The first temptation, targets Jesus’ hunger. Yet, Jesus remained committed to His Father’s will of the cross. When that failed to make Jesus lose focus on His mission to save the world, Satan targeted Jesus’ status. “If You are so great and so loved, Jesus, then why don’t You prove God’s Word to be true and jump from this cliff?” Again, Jesus remained committed to God’s will. Finally, Satan throws a hail Mary to try and get Jesus to bow down and worship him. It is here you might ask, “Does Satan really think these would work??”
Scripture doesn’t give us full insight into Satan’s thoughts, but it does give us his intentions. We see, in these temptations, and others throughout Jesus’ ministry, his frustration, desperation, and anxiety. He knew just as well as Adam and Eve that Jesus was here to fulfill God’s first promise. Jesus was here to undo everything Satan had done to condemn God’s creation. Might some of his temptations seem ridiculous to our eyes and ears? Maybe, but those are the actions of someone who is desperate and afraid.
What did Jesus do? He successfully withstood Satan’s temptations, winning a major battle in this cosmic war between God and Satan. But it means more than that for the likes of you and me. On Sunday, our Epistle Lesson was from Hebrews 10 which says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” This means that Jesus’ human stress and pain that He endured during those forty days and forty nights and which added to Satan’s temptations, were part of His redemptive work and payment for our sin.
Jesus’ temptations were just as real and tempting on the heart as they are for you and me, yet Jesus remained true to God’s will and remained eligible to be the Savior of the world. Thwarted at every turn, however, Satan had one more trick up his sleeve – to kill Jesus. If Jesus dies, He cannot save mankind – so he thought. Death is the final answer.
Yes, Satan, death is the final answer. God’s answer to your treachery, to our sinfulness, and death itself. Jesus’ death was God’s final answer as the perfect sacrifice and substitute for all of mankind. Jesus’ death, the final answer that abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. Satan’s own desire brought about his final defeat.
Satan failed to deceive Christ and foil God’s plan of salvation. Still, he tries to deceive us into ignoring or doubting our faith. In The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis masterfully reveals how sneaky, subtle, and insidious Satan is and the ways he attempts to delude humankind.
Yet, God’s answer rings out as clear as ever, “It is finished!” Satan was unable to undermine Christ’s determination to be our Redeemer and because of Him, every battle is won for you. We can look to Jesus, see how He overcame Satan’s temptations to remain faithful to God’s will, and employ the same Word of God to thwart every evil will and desire of our foe.
Just like the Father, Satan wanted Jesus to die. But God wanted it done the right way, at the right time, in the right place, and for the right purpose. The determination of God to shower us with His mercy and grace overcomes Satan’s desire! Although we face temptations to sin, through the power of the Word, we can overcome the wiles and will of Satan because Jesus died for you, Amen.