Who doesn’t like a great deal? We all like special offers. It’s why Black Friday is such a popular shopping day. How about all the deals offered in infomercials? Infomercials throw in the second whatever for free, because two is always better than one. Well, the devil tempts Adam and Eve with what appears to be an offer that can’t be refused.

The serpent’s promises sound incredibly fantastic to the ears, and the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” really looks delicious to the eyes. Eve tells the serpent that they can’t eat of the tree, because of the threat that they will die. The serpent tells Eve, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” What an incredible deal! She won’t die after all, and… and… she will be just like God knowing good and evil. She might as well be called “god.” Her ears tingle at these promises. She sees that fruit of the tree is edible, she sees that it looks delightful, and she hears that “the tree is desired to make one wise.” She weighs the devil’s promises against God’s command—and she takes a bite. So does Adam, plunging all of their descendants into the effects of that decision.

The special offers don’t end with the Old Testament Reading. The devil makes incredible promises to Jesus. He reminds Jesus that after fasting forty days in the wilderness, He can command stones to be bread. Better yet, He can impress everyone into following Him by jumping from the top of the temple. Best of all, He can rule the world!

There’s good reason the account of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin begins with a description of the serpent’s craftiness. Satan doesn’t deceive people in an obvious way. Scripture teaches that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. He’ll twist God’s Word ever so slightly to mislead from the truth. He’s perfectly willing to quote Scripture to suit his own desires. He’ll deviate from God’s Word, making subtle changes and adjusting context to get his way.

Satan mixes poison into the batch of God’s Word he feeds Eve in order to deceive. After a bit of protest, Eve eats of Satan’s poison. Adam then eats the poison without a second thought.

What is the poison? The serpent asks Eve, “Did God actually say?” This is always Satan’s first and big question. It’s the question we all struggle with as the devil tempts us to doubt any part of God’s Word. He plants the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind, and then comes the twisting of God’s Word: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” Satan seeks to paint God in the most negative light—as a mean authoritarian who won’t let Adam and Eve do anything, and they’d be better off trying to be like God, taking His position. Actually, God said they could eat of any tree in the garden except one tree. Death is the penalty of eating from that one tree. The avoidance of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents their fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Satan accuses God of lying.

The devil’s offers sound pretty enticing. I must admit that it’s possible (even likely) that I would have given in to all of them. I think it’s pretty safe to say that all of us would have given in. In fact, I know we would have given in… because we do now. The heart of the devil’s temptations is doubt and rejection of God’s Word and promises. We give into temptation every day. I very well may have eaten of the fruit simply because it looked delicious. I could see myself selfishly turning stones into bread after fasting forty days because I hardly miss a couple meals without getting hangry—which is a lack of love for others. Our lack of trust in the Lord is revealed through sin every single day.

With Adam and Eve, we have our idols. Just as the devil tempted Eve to look to the tree for wisdom, so he tempts us to find fulfillment apart from God. The root of all our sin is having other gods. If we really fear, love, and trust God above all things, then we wouldn’t sin at all.  Disobeying God’s commands shows that we don’t believe God has our best interest in mind and that we need to take His place. Sin is rebellion in which we try to be god—deciding good and evil. The devil seeks to break our trust in God. He tempted Adam, Eve, and Jesus (he tempts you) to doubt God’s goodness and love.

The crafty devil fails to mention a lot of things when tempting Adam and Eve. He doesn’t mention that death will enter the world if they disobey God’s command. If Adam and Eve eat of the fruit, a spiritual death will result that means eternal damnation, and the process of physical death takes effect. The crafty devil doesn’t mention that rebellion against God is so disastrous that all people are conceived dead in sin. He doesn’t mention that all creation suffers God’s curse because of the fall into sin. The devil doesn’t mention that Adam and Eve already possess a knowledge of “good.” What they “gain” by eating of the tree is the intimate knowledge of “evil,” because they become sinners. He doesn’t mention that God’s image, in which they were created, will be corrupt and marred beyond what God created in perfect fear, love, and trust in Him to enjoy His goodness and fellowship.

The crafty devil doesn’t tell us this stuff either as he plants seeds of doubt in our minds. We often foolishly choose Satan’s lies over God’s truth. Who will rescue us from this sad estate?

We just sang the answer to the question! “With might of ours can naught be done, Soon were our loss effected; But for us fights the valiant One, Whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is, Of Sabaoth Lord, And there’s none other God; He holds the field forever.” Jesus rescues us from the crafty devil, sin, and death. When God announces the curses after the fall, He declares a death-blow to Satan that is music to the ears of Adam and Eve: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” How do you defeat a dragon? You cut off its head. That’s what God says the woman’s offspring will do to the devil. The woman’s seed will suffer in the fight, but He triumphs over Satan for you.

JESUS IS THE PROMISED OFFSPRING WHO DEFEATS THE DEVIL, SIN, AND DEATH FOR YOU

Whereas humanity from Adam onward have failed to perfectly obey God, Jesus hasn’t only fulfilled the Law, He also paid the debt of our sins with His blood. Satan tried his tricks against Jesus. He tried to get a hungry Jesus to selfishly work a miracle for Himself by changing stones into bread. But Jesus’ response indicates that life is more than physical food—the spiritual food of God’s Word is of pre-eminence. Jesus met every word of Satan with the powerful Word of God. He established immediately that He wouldn’t be swayed from Scripture. 

Jesus’ response to the third temptation shows what He’s really come to do. He tells the devil to go away, saying, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’” Jesus came to fully obey His Father, and the devil is unable to deter Him. He has come to fulfill every commandment on our behalf—beginning with the first commandment to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” Jesus has come to fight the serpent—fulfilling the Law that Adam, Eve, and we have failed to fulfill—as He dies in our place to save us.

Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many. Jesus has redeemed us with His blood. The woman’s offspring was bruised by the devil as He suffered and died on the cross. And yet, Christ Jesus crushed the serpent’s head—declaring “It is finished.” Our sins were paid and the serpent was defeated.

Because of Christ, Satan has lost his grip on you. Your sins are forgiven. Paul writes in Colossians, “God disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them [in Christ].” John writes, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” We confess that Jesus descended into hell, proclaiming the great victory He achieved through the cross.

The fall into sin resulted in death, but when Christ died and rose on the third day in triumph, He removed the sting of death. Paul declares, “O death where is your victory? O death where is your sting?” For the Christian—death becomes the doorway to life eternal with Jesus. This means an eternal inheritance belongs to you.

Through Christ’s victory, we have God’s great gifts and promises. Satan’s cunning is no match for the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The promises of Jesus—forgiveness, life, and salvation—are truly fantastic to our ears and pleasing to our eyes. God delivers these promises to His children through His Word and Sacraments. By these, the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in Christ that gladly receives what Jesus gives. Therefore, we rejoice in the encouragement Scripture gives to: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Everyone who is baptized into Christ has been claimed by God. You are the Lord’s forgiven children. Adam and Eve desperately tried to cover their guilt and shame by sewing leaves for clothes. God covered their guilt and shame by clothing them with skins. The first sacrifice points to Jesus’ sacrifice. God in Christ covered their sin. In Baptism, God promises we have been “clothed with Christ” who covers our sins.

Christ’s body and blood deliver God’s forgiveness, as He strengthens and nourishes you through this spiritual food. A hymn says, “Lamb of God, once slain for sinners, Host, who spreads this meal divine, Here you pledge our sins are covered, Pledge received in bread and wine: ‘Take and eat; this is My body, Given on the cross for you. Take and drink; this cup of blessing Is My blood poured out for you.’”

The devil likes to subtly twist God’s Word to tempt you into doubt and unbelief, but he’s no match for Christ Jesus who has paid for your sins on the cross and won the victory—rising again to give you new life in His name and to renew you in His image (the image of God). Amen.