“I am thirsty.” –John 19:28
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. (Luke 4:1–2 NLT)
It’s quite easy to fall into the trap of thinking that since Jesus is fully God and fully man that any difficulties He came across fell squarely on the shoulders of His divine nature rather than His human nature. Not only does that idea misrepresent the nature of who Jesus is—Jesus could not be fully man if He was able to push His humanity to the side to give more room for His divinity—it is also completely wrong. Jesus “became very hungry” while fasting for forty days, a very human sensation. During this time, He was also tempted by the devil. Yet despite His empty stomach likely making Him more susceptible to temptation, He never fell.
Though likely not as extreme as being tempted by the devil while fasting in the desert for forty days, there are situations where many of us would not fare half as well. For some of us, all it takes is a couple nights of bad sleep, a pounding headache, or a stubbed pinky toe and we are ready to not only fall into any temptation that promises relief or distraction, we just might run right toward it. Thankfully, like a peewee hockey team being coached by a former Olympic medalist, in Christ we have someone who can guide us from experience to help us make it through the wilderness of temptation unscathed. Keep watch today over your heart, attitudes, and actions, taking particular notice of those times when you are more prone to falling prey to temptation due to hunger, rush hour traffic, or other trying circumstances; run toward Jesus for His strength whenever you recognize that you are soon likely to need it.