Jesus says to His disciples in John 16:33, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." And it's true - His death on the cross was the price paid so that all mankind may have everlasting life; His ressurection by the Father was the sign that He had indeed received all authority in the earth. But I like to look at this statement in a different way. I like to look at it in the fact that Jesus faced all of the temptations that Adam and Eve had, and overcame them. Here's how it happened.
The interesting thing about the statement, "I have overcome this world," in John 16, is that earlier in the chapter, in John 16:11, Jesus makes reference to "the prince of this world." It's clear that His statement is about Satan - who else could it be? But John is the only author in the Bible who uses the term "prince of this world". John also gives some discussion to overcoming Satan and the things of the world in 1 John 2:14-16: "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him That is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
There are three unique items in that passage: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life; these are all temptations that Eve faced in her encounter with the serpent.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life, because the serpent had just told her that the fruit of the tree would make her as a god], she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~Genesis 3:6
Eve failed three temptations - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and Adam failed one - he disobeyed God when he allowed his bride to cause him to turn from what was right. The first three of these temptations happened at one time, and the fourth occured later when Eve gave the fruit to Adam. In all of these cases, Adam and Eve should have said, "Get lost, Satan."
Now, Jesus faced all of these temptations, in the same pattern, and He triumps over all of them by saying, "Get lost, Satan," or rather "Get behind Me Satan." Here is where it happens:
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, 'All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.' And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'' And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'' And Jesus answereing said unto him, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'' And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." (Luke 4:1-13)
Now the devil left for a season, but he'll be back with one final temptation, the hardest one of all, as you will see. However, the temptations here are also the same temptations that Eve faced and, though they are ordered differently in Matthew 4, they are the same order that Eve faced in this passage in Luke:
1) turn the stone to bread for hunger - the lust of the flesh;
2) want to rule all the kingdoms of the earth - the lust of the eyes;
3) want to have angels save you at any peril - the pride of life.
Jesus overcomes these first three temptations with flying colours. But what about later? For this last temptation, the pattern must be shown.
Adam did not resist his bride; rather he chose to follow her sin instead of standing against her and standing for what was right.
Symbolically, the bride of Christ is the church (see Revelation 19:9). Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) is the head of that church, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a Greek word meaning "rock"], and upon this rock I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)." Then, only a few verses later, Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23)." But why? These are two very contradictory statements!
This is where it gets tricky. Peter is symbolic of the church, which is symbolic of the bride - and no doubt that Peter is one of the most beloved disciples and, if it were possible to influence Jesus' actions or behavior, Peter would be the one who would be able to do it. But, just as Eve had tried to draw Adam away from God's purpose by offering him the forbidden fruit, Peter, in verse 22, had told Jesus that he would not allow Jesus to die on the cross. The cross was Jesus' purpose, and He knew that it was God's will for Jesus to go to the cross, so to not go would have been akin to eating the forbidden fruit. So here Jesus is faced with His fourth and most powerful temptation, to defy God and please the ones He loved. But He recognizes the temptation and says, "Get thee behind Me, Satan."
And this is how Jesus faced and overcame every temptation that Adam and Eve had faced, and gave to us the benefit. And with His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5) because He chose not to listen to Satan, but rather to die for us on the cross. God bless.
