“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”’ (Luke 4:5-8, ESV).
The devil is a liar (John 8:44) and deceptively speaks half-truths to Jesus in his weakened state. Jesus knows that establishing God’s spiritual kingdom involves a great deal of pain, humiliation, and suffering (Matt. 16:18-21). The devil tries to tempt him with an easier, albeit materialistic and selfish, alternative.
The devil is called the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4a; cf. Eph. 2:2) because of his powerful influence in the present physical realm (Gal. 1:4; cf. 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6, 8; 2 Tim. 4:10; 1 John 5:19). His power, however, is relative and far from absolute. God permits this state of affairs because of his gracious gift of free will. Nevertheless, God alone is “the king of the ages” (1 Tim. 1:17; cf. Psa. 10:16; 44:4; 95:3).
Jesus resisted this and all other temptations, paving the way to becoming “a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:17-18).
--Kevin L. Moore
Related Posts: Tempted As We Are
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