Wisdom's Corner
Cast Thyself DownJesus had not eaten in forty days. He was very hungry. He was very tired and weak. Satan had tempted him to turn a stone into bread. Jesus had refused. Satan had tempted him with the Kingship of the world. Jesus had refused to worship Satan. Jesus had resisted Satan twice.
Now Satan takes Jesus up to one of the high towers of the temple wall in Jerusalem. In Luke 4:9, we read that Satan wanted Jesus to jump from the tower. Satan quotes from Psalm 91 and insists that God will not allow Jesus to hurt himself. God will send angels to keep him from landing on the rocks.
It is possible that Satan was trying to get Jesus to "show off" and prove that he was the Messiah, the Son of God. But Jesus would not use his miraculous powers in such a way. He knew he should not put himself in danger just to get God the Father to help him. He was to use his powers to serve others and support the fact that what he was saying was from God.
It is also possible that Satan had another reason for this temptation. Many of the Jews believed that when the Messiah came he would just appear in the temple. This belief came from one of the Old Testament scriptures, Malachi 3:1. There it says that "...the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant...."
The temple courtyard inside the temple walls were paved with stone. If Jesus jumped into the temple area and God sent angels to keep him from hurting himself, the Jews would immediately accept him as the Son of God. They would make him their king. He would not be rejected by them. He would not have to go through the terrible ordeal of being crucified. But Jesus knew this was not the way he was to become the King of Kings.
I am thankful that Jesus was strong against Satan. I am thankful that he is my Savior. I am thankful for his example.
Until next time, keep reading your Bible. Learn about Jesus, the Son of God. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
Mark McWhorter
Copyright 1999
Published by The Old Paths Bible School
(http://www.oldpaths.org)