Verse 5 The devil takes Jesus to a high point in the country (this place was most likely Pisgah, a place in the Old Testament where Moses stood to get a good look at God’s Promised Land, Canaan). The devil uses this point of view so that Jesus can see all the land and kingdoms surrounding them. The devil claims he has the authority to give all this to Jesus. Our emotions can have a strong influence on our decisions. If we see something we like and are led to believe it will fill a desire in us, it can be difficult to say no versus just hearing about it. The devil figures if Jesus sees it all and wants the glory from these kingdoms then the emotional excitement of this thought will help Jesus believe what the devil is saying will be true.
The devil says he has the authority to give it. Let’s talk about that. At the beginning of the Bible, Adam was called to rule the world on God’s behalf. (Genesis 1:26, 28) But when Adam and Eve rebelled against God by listening to the devil and eating the fruit, that role of ruling over the world was handed to Satan. Satan took it from us and became known as the “god of this age” or god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the ruler of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). So the devil is offering Jesus what Jesus came into this world to claim. Jesus came to be a King. Satan was offering an easy way to be that King over a kingdom. Immediately. All Jesus had to do is bow and worship Satan, just listen to the devil and take his offer.
You can see the way the devil does that in our lives, right? He presents to us alluring things and feeds us a lie that we can have it all immediately if we just do as he says. The devil figures if we see it and want it, then we can have it. The devil offers solutions like an affair that will make us happy. He might suggest going into debt to buy what we want. He might convince us that no one is watching so it’s okay to do something we wouldn’t do if people knew.
The devil tries to get us away from seeking God for direction and our desires. The devil tries to steal our worship of God. Satan doesn’t want us to believe God has all the power. The devil would like us to believe whatever we want we can have. And that’s how he got Adam and Eve to take the forbidden fruit in the garden. The devil likes to make really nice offers to get you to do his work and fulfill your own wants.
Verse 8 Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 to say that worship is reserved for the One True Living God. Jesus didn’t need to take offers from anyone else. God had already promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth. Psalm 2:8 says “I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession.”
God has made many promises to us in the Bible as well. It’s good to know these and have them written down as a reminder when the devil tries to convince us that there is a shortcut or that our “needs” (wants) aren’t being met so we need to act now.
The Bible says we should “resist the devil [with the word and in obedience to God], and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 Just like the devil ran from Jesus.
God’s way of obtaining these kingdoms would require Jesus fulfilling His mission on earth in perfect obedience (by listening to God and doing what He asked). Think about what would have happened to all of us if Jesus hadn’t done things God’s way (gone to the cross for us). We wouldn’t be able to talk to God like we do, hear and feel the Spirit like we do, our prayers might be cold and quiet, we wouldn’t be able to keep up the sacrifices. We’d be living a burdened and lonely life. We probably wouldn’t even see each other in heaven because we died carrying around our sins. Jesus’ act of obedience gave us the forgiveness we needed to live life in communion/relationship with God, even after we mess up. He changed the world by submitting to God in obedience.
Can you imagine what your obedience to God would do or look like for your future? If you walked in complete obedience to God, imagine what your future might look like, what your children’s future might look like, what your grandchildren’s future might look like. Imagine the change in your neighborhood, your extended family, your friends, and your community. God does remarkable work in all the lives around us when we walk in obedience to His Word. Jesus is living proof of that. I can testify to living proof of that.
Prayer: Jesus, I am yours. You are the One True Living God and worthy of all my praise and worship. All my needs are met in You. You are my satisfaction. Help me to resist the devil’s temptations by using Your Word to strengthen my obedience to what You’ve called me to do. Thank You, Jesus, for your perfect obedience to the Father. Thank You for showing me that it’s possible to live according to the Word and to resist the devil. Thank You for dying for me on the cross and covering my sin with Your Grace and renewing this relationship I have with the Most High God. Thank You that my life is never lonely when I have You, God. Help me change the world with my obedience to You, God. Change my children, my spouse, my relatives, my neighbors, my community with my obedience, Lord, for Your glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen.