Luke the physician shared how Jesus, “ full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If you are the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If you therefore will worship me, all shall be yours. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve”, and in chapter four and verse nine of his book Luke shared how the devil set Jesus, “on a pinnacle of the temple” where we read:
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple,
and said unto him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here:
The verse reads, “And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, ...” Luke began with the words, “And he brought him” or “and the devil carried Jesus” “to Jerusalem” which means “to the city of Jerusalem which means set you double peace”, “and set him on a pinnacle” or “and caused Jesus to stand, be put and place upon the pointed extremity or top” “of the temple” which means “belonging to the sacred worship place”. Luke shared how “Satan” now took Jesus to the very top point of the “temple” in “Jerusalem” where he would “tempt” Jesus again.
The verse goes on to say, “... and said unto him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here:” Luke continued with the words, “and said unto him” which means “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to Jesus”, “if you are the Son of God” or “since, because or on account that you Jesus are God's direct prodigy and offspring”, “cast yourself down from here” which means “throw yourself off the pinnacle of the temple Jesus”. Luke shared how the “devil” wanted Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by “throwing” Himself off the “pinnacle”.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we discover the third temptation “Satan” presented to Jesus. This time “the devil” appealed to the “pride of life” within people. Jesus was to be the “Messiah and Christ” of the world, and “Satan” desired for Jesus to do something “amazing and magnificent” to prove He was the Christ. If Jesus threw Himself off the “pinnacle of the temple”, people would be amazed that He was not harmed in doing so. God's desire is to have a pure and holy relationship with every person who will submit themselves to His Son Jesus, and as we discover how Jesus responds to “Satan”, let us be aware that our “saving” Lord desires to bring us to a place where our “pride” is not in ourselves, but in Him who deserves all our praise.
Next time Luke shares how the devil refers to scripture as he tells Jesus, “he shall give his angels charge over you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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