The Interrogation Room

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.   Luke 4:13

The enemy launched everything he had against our Lord Jesus Christ, but he could not break him. After he’d exhausted every strategy he knew, he was left with no alternative but retreat. Christ faced the full power of temptation. Even though he had a sinless nature, the temptation he faced was greater than we’ll ever know.

Imagine three airmen flying jets over enemy territory during wartime. They’re shot down, captured, and then taken by the enemy for interrogation. One by one they’re brought into a darkened room . . .

The first airman gives his name, rank, and serial number. They ask him for the positions of his forces. He knows he must not give this information, but he also knows that the enemy is cruel, and eventually they will break him. So why go through all that? He tells them what he knows.

The second airman is brought in, and he gives his name, rank, and serial number. They pump him for information, but he’s determined not to give in, so the cruelty begins. Eventually, they break him, and he tells them what he knows.

Then the third airman comes in and gives his name, rank, and serial number. “You will not break me,” he says.

“Oh, yes we will,” his captors reply. “We have broken every man who has ever come into this room. It is only a matter of time—you’ll see.”

The cruelty begins, but he doesn’t break. It’s intensified, and still he does not break. So it’s intensified again, until it becomes unbearable, but still he doesn’t break. There comes a point at which they’ve tried everything. “It’s no use,” they say. “He’s unlike any other person we’ve ever had. We can’t break him.” So, they conclude, “If we can’t break him, it looks like we’ll have to kill him.”

Which airman faced the full force of the enemy? The one who did not break. Don’t ever think that Christ’s temptations were less than yours. He is the only one who knows the full power of temptation, because he is the only one who has stood up under the enemy’s assaults.

For further reading, see Hebrews 4