Hello everyone.
Today, we will continue our examination of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In the second temptation recorded in Luke, Jesus is shown all of the kingdom’s of the Earth. (Matthew records this as the third temptation.) How Satan does this is unclear. Luke does not mention the devil taking Jesus to the top of a mountain, like Matthew does. Certainly there is no mountain that offers a view of the entire Earth, so it seems likely Jesus was shown some kind of vision. Satan offers Jesus the authority over all of these kingdoms, and the glory and splendor that comes with them, in exchange for Jesus bowing down and worshiping him.
Jesus, of course, does not take the bait. He responds to the offer, again by quoting Deuteronomy. This time Deut. 6:13, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” God alone is worthy of worship. Jesus remains loyal to his Father, and passes this test as well. When compared to the Israelites and their time in the wilderness, we all know about the golden calf of Exodus 32. In spite of all that God had done for them, their loyalty wore out quickly, simply because Moses took too long coming back from the mountain to suit them. Certainly, Jesus' time in the wilderness was paying greater dividends.
Any way, let's get back to what was happening with Jesus. What Satan is actually offering here is a little unclear. We understand that Jesus has complete authority both in Heaven and on Earth, from Matthew 28:18. In the Gospels we repeatedly see Jesus casting out demons, therefore having greater authority than the devil. So was Satan offering Jesus something that he didn’t really have to give? At the time, we do understand that many in the world is under Satan’s control. Was he offering to relinquish that control in exchange for one moment of glorification by Jesus? Unlikely. More likely that Satan was asking Jesus to switch his allegiance away from God the Father to him, in exchange for earhtly glorification. Even if this was to be a one-time action for Jesus, it would change everything, in Jesus’ relationship with His Father.
So, if Jesus would bow down to Satan, Satan would allow Jesus to rule the Earth. But, it doesn’t seem to me that Jesus is looking to rule the Earth. He rejects the idea of being made some kind of earthly ruler every time. Plus, what Satan is stating about his own authority is likely somewhere between an exaggeration and an outright lie. John 8:44 tells us that he is a liar and in fact, the father of lies. Darrell Bock says, “Would Jesus be drawn into seizing power and turning his back on God....The temptation was about seizing power on one’s own, apart from God’s promise and provision. Of course, as later passages show, Jesus realized that there was only one source that could make this offer and that source was not the one addressing him now.” (Bock, 376.) Satan was making an offer that was a much easier path to glory than the one God was offering. But it wasn’t real.
Compare the path to glory that Satan is offering to the path that God was offering. Satan offered a much easier path. Notice Phil 2:6-11. God’s plan involved Jesus ‘making himself nothing,’ being ‘obedient to death - even death on a cross.’ But in the end, Jesus is exalted to the highest palace. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. There are no shortcuts to glory.
Stein points this out. In Luke 9:23 Jesus calls his followers to take up their Cross. Here, Jesus was faced with the same choice. (Stein, 147) Would he take Satan's easier path to glory or his Father's harder road. Well, we all know how it turned out. Jesus chose to keep his alliegence with only one worthy of it, and that has made all the difference.
Tom
Darrell Bock, Luke Vo;ume 1 - 1:1-9:50. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academics, 1994.
Robert Stein, Luke, Nashville, Tennessee, B&H Publishing Group, 1992.
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