He waits for a moment of opportunity!

In my reading this morning, in Luke Chapter 4, I found the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.  What caught my attention the most was the comment after this temptation by Satan.  It says, "Now when the devil had ended every temptaion, he departed from Him (Jesus) until an opportune time "

This opportune time was in the garden of Gethsename, just prior to Jesus' crucifixion.  The following paragraphs (an excerpt from a previous blog) describes this opportune moment.  Satan will often attack when we are at our weakest.

In John, Chapter 18, Jesus encounters one of the most pressure-packed, stress-filled moments of His life. Even the name of the garden, where he seeks strength and solace from the Father, provides an overwhelming metaphor for the moment. "Gethsemane" means "Oil Press". Jesus will be squeezed to the breaking point as he battles against Satan's final temptation, his last attempt to knock Jesus off course. That old serpent tries to push Jesus toward a self-serving path of disobedience to God-the-Father.

Temptation is often the catalyst for transformation. The pressure it causes in our lives reveals "who we are" at the very core of our being or should I say, "Whose we are".

In the movie "The Passion of the Christ" Mel Gibson depicts what I believe is the most triumphant moment in history, next to the "Resurrection of Jesus". In Gethsemane, we can see the agony of Jesus as He contemplates the cross and asks the Father if this cup might be taken away. Satan's serpentine temptation is slithering its' way toward Jesus. Suddenly, without warning, His foot comes crashing down on the snake's head. What a moment! The prophecy of Eden comes to the silver screen - "The serpent will bruise His heel but His heel will crush the serpent". At this critical juncture we have no doubt concerning Jesus' choice.

The pressure of this moment was the catalyst for "God-the-Son" as the "Son of Man" to perfectly embrace and assert His life of perfect obedience to "God-the-Father" by declaring, "Father, thy will be done!" Excruciating pain and suffering would follow but one of the toughest hurdles in history had been successfully cleared.

Temptation is part of everyone's life. It is a catylyst for building character if we let God help us. It can be a disaster if we try to navigate our way, through the pressure of temptation, without relying on God's strength.