One of my mother’s sayings was: ‘These things are sent to try us.’ I don’t know the origin of this statement, but I suspect someone formed the idea after reading scriptures from the Old Testament.
There is always a certain amount of misunderstanding in the interpretation of scriptures. This misunderstanding could be due to any number of reasons. There is the issue of language, largely Hebrew and Greek. What about literal and metaphorical understandings? Then there are the hosts of translators over the last couple of thousand years. The first was St. Jerome in Ad 382, and then the original printed version was based on Jerome’s Vulgate in 1455. One can add to these the plethora of other versions written primarily by dissenters of various denominations and other religious groups. Finally, there are updated and modern language versions: you and I need Godly wisdom to read the Bible.
In my opinion, we must read the Bible – not study it. My reason for saying this is that Jesus had told his disciples to come to him directly so he could explain His parables to them in private. From that day, this principle has not changed. We need to read the Bible and then go to God with any questions.
Back to my mother’s saying. ‘These things are sent to try us.’ In this age where you and I live, does God need to try us? Naturally, in looking for an answer here, we should turn to the scriptures, particularly those found in the New Testament. Why would we turn to the New Testament? The answer to this is that you and I are living in the Kingdom of God on this Earth:
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”[1]
You would rightly ask, ‘What does the Kingdom of God on Earth have to do with the question of Is there a need for God to try us? Because our behavior (yours and mine) on this Earth is guided by the teachings of Jesus and our response to what He taught us.
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”[2]
If His Spirit is inside you and me, we should live as He did on this Earth. If we live as He did, is there a need for God to try us? Did God try Jesus? No, He didn’t. ‘What about the temptation of Jesus?’ you ask. Yes, what about the temptation of Jesus?
God didn’t try Jesus – The Devil did:[3]
“The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you, I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, And on their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”
In modern-day terminology, Jesus would have said, “Thanks, but no thanks – you can’t offer me what is already mine – the Kingdom of God on Earth is here now. You have ruled this Earth long enough, but your reign has ended. However much you tempt people, I have given them my power to say no!”
Would you agree that God does not need to try us? I don’t think so.
Until next time
Love and Blessings
Peter-James.