SATAN DURING THE LIFE-TIME OF CHRIST

     When the time drew near for the virgin Mary to give birth to the Messiah we find Satan again attempting to hinder God's plan of redemption. Before the birth of Jesus, Satan tried to get Joseph to break his engagement to Mary, but God prevented this by appearing to him in a dream. Matthew 1:19-20: "Then Joseph, her (espoused) husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy (espoused) wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."  

     And surely, Satan was back of Herod's effort to slay the new-born Christ. But God warned Joseph to flee into Egypt for protection. This was the first of 21 attempts to kill Jesus in the New Testament; story.  

     Satan openly attacked Christ at the very beginning of His public ministry in order to try to defeat Him. Luke 4:1-2: "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil." Dr. I. M. Haldeman used to tell about seeing the testing of a great railway bridge in the mountains of New York. The bridge was built across a deep ravine. On the day the bridge was to be tested, two huge x locomotives drew up and proceeded to the very middle of the bridge. There they waited for half a day while the bridge supports held them. The bridge was declared to be a success. Even so, all the weight of temptation which can come to human beings was crowded upon Jesus Christ when Satan tempted Him. And thank God, he stood the test! He was victor over Satan, and so we can now share in that victory if we are united to Christ.  

SATAN TEMPTED CHRIST AGAIN AND AGAIN  

     But Satan did not tempt Christ at the beginning of His ministry Only, and then let Him alone the rest of the time. All during His ministry He was tempted. Luke 4:13: "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season." It was for only a season that the devil let Jesus alone. Hebrews 4:15 indicates much temptation was His. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." What an encouragement it is for us to go to Christ for help against the temptations of Satan when we know He was tempted like we are, but was always victorious.  

     Satan attempted to have Christ killed in His own home town of Nazareth. Luke 4:28-30: "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them, went his way." Satan worked through the wrath of the citizens of Nazareth who were determined to destroy Jesus. But their attempt failed. God's plan kept on unfolding.  

     Again, Satan attempted to drown Christ when He was out on the lake that day in the storm. Mark 4:38-39: "And he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow; and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm." If Satan was not back of the wind and the sea in an effort to do away with Jesus, then His words rebuking the wind, and His command to the sea to be quiet, would have no force.  

     On another occasion the Scribes and Pharisees, egged on by Satan, sought to destroy Jesus. Mark 11:18: "And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him." The plot to catch Him deepened as they sent men to arrest Him. But the men sent to take Him came away saying, "Never man so spake".  

SATAN AND THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE CROSS  

     Christ had to battle with Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hebrews 5:7: "Who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Satan failed in his effort to cause Jesus' death in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was not God's time or method.  

     Satan was definitely behind Judas in the betrayal of Christ into the hands of His enemies. Luke 22:3-4: "Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them." Satan considered this such an important matter that he would not trust the task to a demon or evil spirit, but he himself entered personally into Judas and directed his moves.  

CHRIST'S DEATH A TRIUMPH FOR CHRIST NOT SATAN  

     The cross was Satan bruising the feet of Jesus, but thank God, it was also Christ bruising the head of Satan (see Genesis 3:15). What looked like a victory for Satan turned out to be God's greatest victory over the devil. Dan Crawford, the great missionary, used to tell how the natives of Central Africa, among whom he had worked, spoke about "the victory of Golgotha". One day he questioned them as to why they called it a victory. One of the men explained. He took a bit of a stick and held it up and said: "Here is the cross." Then he took another bit of a stick and laid it across the first one and said, "Just here at the cross when Satan did his very, very worst, just here, just then, God did his very, very best." It is the marvel of the ages that God could take the cross with all that was associated with it in the minds of men, and make it the means and symbol of salvation for lost humanity. To many of those who watched as Jesus suffered death on the cruel cross, it looked as if a criminal were dying. But actually God was placing upon Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) He was bearing our sins that we might be declared righteous—we who place our faith in Him.  

     But after Christ's death on the cross Satan made another effort to defeat Jesus. Again he used the Pharisees and chief priests. They secured permission from Pilate the governor to set a watch of soldiers about the tomb where the body of Jesus was buried. Matthew 27:66: "So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a Watch." This was all done to try to prevent any possibility of the resurrected body of Jesus coming forth from the tomb. They thought they were locking Him in. But let us permit Matthew to tell us what actually happened after Christ did rise from the dead and come forth. Ch. 28:2-4: "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men." The reason the angel came and rolled away the stone was to let the disciples come in to see an empty tomb. Jesus had already come forth from the tomb before the stone was removed. No material substance can imprison a resurrection body. Once more, the Lord Jesus had triumphed over Satan!