Princeton Theological Seminary

Seminary Chapel The Temptation to be Less Than Human This is a three-week Lenten series of homilies on the temptation of Christ. It is significant that all three of these temptations came immediately after Jesus’ baptism, where he identified with us, and heaven declared that he was “the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.” As the Son of Humanity, Jesus’ temptations depict the essence of our temptations. All of them make us question if we are truly the beloved of God. Scripture: Matthew 4:8-11 “The Temptation to Make a Deal with the Devil” It is striking that the devil doesn’t tempt Jesus with things like health or riches. He tempts him with the kingdoms of the world, which is exactly what the Son of God came to redeem. The greatest temptations are not about ends but means. We are told we can accomplish even our spiritual goals if we just make a deal with the devil.