As noted, there were three temptations given us, but scripture is clear; there were 40 days of continuous temptation, not just three on the last day. The three given us represent the essence of all temptation, the consolidation or condensed version of what every human goes through in the course of a lifetime.

The three temptations, tests or trials of Jesus in the wilderness deal in a figurative way with three categories or dimensions of life. They can be viewed as allegories for living, a hierarchy of needs or priorities that help guide us to what is important.  

The first temptation is an allegory of the body, the physical. In “hunger,” we find all the things our bodies need to survive, the physical things of life. Hunger can be put for the rent or mortgage that is due, the food on the table, clothes on your back and the gas in your car, the bank account balance or the roof over our heads. It is a metaphor for all the things we “hunger” for in this life.

The second temptation is an allegory of the soul or mental. It is the promise of a positive outcome, of angles “bearing thee up,” of security and a worry-free life, a life without “dashing thy foot against a stone” or pain. It is a metaphor for faith and fear, our anxieties and confidences. It is the feeling of control we wish we had over our lives. It is the empty assurance that God and the future are manageable.

The third temptation is an allegory of the spiritual part of who we are. It is human worship, dedication, and loyalty at its core. It is what we live for, eat, breath and love. It is the internal compass and the internal dialog, the occupant of the heart. It is that which sits on the throne of the kingdom of your mind within the deepest parts of who you are. It is a metaphor of that part of us that comes from and ultimately goes back to God.

It is not surprising that we find these three dimensions within the temptations of Jesus, setting the stage for many of his teachings. In first Thessalonians, Paul speaks of this hierarchy within humans.

1Th 5:23 …I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Note Paul’s order, first the spirit, second, the soul and lastly the body, signifying that it is the spirit that holds the rest of life in balance. Jesus tells us plainly of our priority when viewing these three aspects of life.

Mt 10:28 And fear, not them which kill the body (physical), but are not able to kill the soul (mental): but rather fear him (i.e.: God who is spirit) which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

In Jesus’ estimation “Fear,” that ultimate respect or worship, is reserved only for God who is Spirit. He alone is overall, including over both body and soul.

Yes, we can be viewed as three-dimensional creatures, dimensions that flow together and intertwine, forming who we are. Of these three the spiritual gives meaning to the mind which in turn gives purpose to the physical. Like a pyramid, the physical aspects or “body” form the base upon which the soul or mental dimension rests and at the pyramid’s pinnacle is the lighthouse of life, the treasure within an earthen vessel (2 Cor 4:7), our spiritual depth, communion with Him.

Jesus taught around these three dimensions, for example,

The Physical

Mt 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

The Mental

Mt 6:31 Therefore take no thought (literally, have no anxiety over or mental stress), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

The Spiritual

Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In Jesus’ teaching, we find the pyramid inverted, upside down. The physical and the mental are both nourished and supported by and find their truest expression within a deeper spiritual reality, His Kingdom.

This upside-down pyramid thinking can be seen in His teachings giving us priorities in life.

Mt 6:19-20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

In Jesus’ teachings, He constantly addressed our need not to focus on physical “treasures” but on the greater coming kingdom. For Jesus it is not about what is, but what will be.

Much like Paul in 2 Corinthians, Jesus taught that the spirit is to rule over the physical and mental within the Christian heart.

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Jesus confronted our lack of mental confidence that God can be trusted with our future, that He always has our best interests in mind and is completely committed to our wellbeing, bringing the mental into the subjection of the spiritual.

Lu 11:11-13 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The Lord’s prayer brackets the physical and mental within a spiritual blanket, beginning and ending with the spiritual, giving meaning and relevance to the physical and mental within.

It begins with the spiritual:

Mt 6:9-10 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Then continues with the physical:

Mt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Then address’ the mental:

Mt 6:12 -13A And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

Then concludes as it began with the spiritual:

Mt 6:13B For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

In our Red Letter Bible Study, we will examine each of these allegories individually.  These three temptations, tests or trials of Jesus during His wilderness walk can help guide us through our wilderness. In a figurative way they deal with three categories or dimensions of life. When viewed as a metaphor for living, a hierarchy of needs or priorities, they guide us and teach us what is important within our wilderness walk.