Engraving by Gustave Dore
One of the most iconic stories in the New Testament is the temptations of Christ. The problem is, modern revelation shows us that the story is doctrinally wrong.
Retelling with JST
First, let’s look at the story with the text of the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the New Testament in the verses. This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson for 2023 is based on Matthew 4 and Luke 4-5. We’ll talk about the corrections and the implications of these changes after we look at the actual story. I’ll focus on the Matthew 4 verses, because the Luke verses agree with what is in Matthew, with only tiny variations. When the prophet makes a correction to a verse I will include both versions of the verse so you can look at them in tandem. The Joseph Smith Translation verses are in red.
1 Then was Jesus up of the Spirit into the wilderness of the devil.
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be with God.
2 And when he had days and forty nights, was afterward an hungred.
2 And when he had communed with God, was afterward an hungred, and was left to be tempted of the devil.
3 And when the came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made .
4 But he answered and said, It is written, shall not by alone, but by every that proceedeth out of the of God.
5 the devil taketh him up into the , and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
5 Jesus was taken up into the , and the Spirit setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 unto him, thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
6 Then the devil came unto him and said, thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not the Lord thy God.
8 , the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the of the world, and the glory of them;
8 , and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the of the world, and the glory of them;
9 , All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
9 , All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, : for it is written, Thou shalt the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, , behold, came and ministered unto him.
Difference in doctrine
In the King James Version of the Bible, Jesus was taken by the devil to the places the devil wanted to take him. The devil has no such power. The Savior and creator of the world cannot be kidnapped by the devil and taken to places at the devil’s whim. The truth of the matter is that Jesus was “in the Spirit” during these occasions and it was the Holy Ghost who was revealing things to him as Jesus fasted and prayed for knowledge.
Such transportations are not unheard of elsewhere in the scriptures. Nephi talks about being in the Spirit and being caught up into an exceeding high mountain and shown things in vision. Later in the Book of Mormon one of the prophets, also named Nephi, was taken to preach to the people by the Spirit. The Spirit literally transported him from place to place as he was needed. There was no other way to get the word to the people in a timely manner. This precedence shows us that Jesus was not the first to be taken by the Spirit during times of revelation to be shown great things.
I repeat, Satan can’t just whisk someone away to show them visions without their approval. I can’t see the Savior volunteering for such a ride. The Spirit took him places, because Jesus was praying and fasting as he sought direction and knowledge from God. Did you notice that in each of the three instances the Spirit took Jesus someplace and revealed things to him. It is only after each revelation that the devil was allowed to come and tempt Jesus. God always keeps things in balance.
An eternal pattern
This pattern of revelation followed by temptation (or temptation followed by revelation) is also of ancient scriptural date. Look at Adam and Eve. They were taught by God what was expected of them. Then, and only then was Satan permitted to try his hand at changing their minds. When Moses had his first vision of God, and had recovered from the experience, Satan came tempting him. After Moses got rid of Satan the Spirit came upon him once again and he was shown even greater things. This is the pattern. You see this pattern in verse 11 of Matthew 4. After Satan leaves Jesus angels come to minister to him.
We see this familiar pattern with people who want to make any real substantial spiritual choice even today. Look at those who investigate the Church. When they decide to be baptized there is always a period of trial or temptation that comes with that decision. It comes either just before the baptism or just after it, but come it does. From personal experience I have learned that in my own life whenever there is something that will boost me to a higher spiritual plane, either right before it happens or right after it happens I undergo a period of testing of one sort or another. This is the pattern. Expect it to happen.
The other pattern
Note that in each of Christ’s temptations he responds with references from the scriptures. This is why God gave us scriptures. The scriptures are meant to give us strength when we are tempted. They are meant to reward us spiritually when we rely on them and put our faith in their words. Scriptures not only protect us from the debilitating ravages of temptation, but they also provide strength to do what is right at the same time. It is a dual blessing. But we have to know the scriptures first. We can’t receive a blessing from a source about which we have no knowledge. This is why we need to be studying scriptures daily. It is in their study that the Spirit can begin to reveal the plan of salvation to our mind and heart.
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