“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”
Yesterday we looked at Satan’s temptation related to the lust of the flesh by suggesting turning stone into bread. A second temptation can be compared to the pride of life. Satan took Jesus to the high point of the temple. At just the right moment Jesus could jump 45 stories towards the crowd below and watch the angels catch Him. They will be awed by this spectacular display of supernatural power and will have declared Him to be the Messiah. He would not have to go through the suffering.
the eternal Son of God while in heaven had every angel worshipping Him. But now on earth He is still unknown and had just spent 40 lonely days out in the desert. Instant popularity revealing his miracle would appeal to His pride.
Jesus again quoted from the Old Testament, “It says do not put the Lord your God to the test”. When someone runs a DNA test for paternity it is to eliminate any doubt about the identity of the father. No one runs a soil test unless you are not sure of its quality. No one tests gold or silver unless you are unsure of its purity. To see if God would send His angels and assure His identity is a test and Jesus refused to test God.
The last temptation I think relates to the lust of the eyes. Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you”, he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus was given the task of taking the punishment of all our sin by suffering and dying on the cross. Satan’s temptation is offering Jesus to skip the cross and go directly to the throne of the world. He could have everything given to Him if he would fall and worship Satan.
Think of many who sell their souls for the lust of their eyes. All the worldly allures cause folks to take their eyes off the Lord for temporary but empty attractions. We often convince ourselves that we will be satisfied and happy when we get what we see. But let's not forget the story of the garden of paradise. Satan lied.
Jesus said to him,” away from me Satan for it is written worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” He insists there's only one God. We must never compromise with evil.
What would we compromise with evil? For some it is money, for others it is recognition; some would sell their souls for sex or for health. Jesus was tempted by the devil and so are we.
Application: We also have the same tools to overcome temptation. Know the truth by committing to God, His word; pray in the Holy Spirit. Let Jesus be your example and trust Him to overcome temptations in your life.
Prayer: Lord, as I continue in Your Word, make it a part of my very being that I might use it as the sword against the enemy.
