Beginning there in the desert and continuing all the way to Calvary, Jesus did what Adam failed to do. He resisted Satan’s temptation to exalt himself on his own terms, whether that was to turn stones into bread or to come down from the cross. Jesus freely chose to obey God, even to the point of death (John 10:18). “Not my will but yours be done,” he said.
Unlike Adam, Jesus did not pursue his own glory, but laid that aside in order to glorify his Father. The irony is deep and rich, for unlike Adam, Jesus was in very nature God. He had every right to pursue his glory! Yet as Paul tell us in Philippians 2:6, Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” And then he bore our sin and suffered the judgment of God for it. He did not deserve this judgment. Instead, he suffered it on behalf of those who did.
On the cross, Jesus faced God’s flaming sword, guarding the way back into the garden and the presence of God. He walked through it at the cost of his own life. He did this so that any who repent of their idolatry and turn in faith to Christ might find forgiveness for sins and reconciliation with God. He did it so that he could welcome us back home.
Lawrence, M. (2010). Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry (p. 139). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
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