Christ's Third Temptation.
By Thirza M. Foster
“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” Matt. 4: 8–11. This is a deeply interesting subject. This is the last of a series of three distinct temptations which Jesus endured, and it would seem that this was even more cruel and fierce than either of the others. The first wore a garb of sympathy; the second, that of piety—both had failed. Satan’s fears were greatly excited; he thought that unless he could in some way ensnare the Son of God, and destroy in the bud the work of man’s redemption, he should ultimately lose his dominion in this apostate world. He was determined to leave no plan untried that promised success. He would throw out a bait so alluring and fascinating that he knew it would entrap almost any child of Adam, and why not the Son of Mary? He chose the mountain as a favorable situation from which to present before Jesus a panoramic view of the surrounding kingdoms. No mountain could have been high enough to bring within his sight all the kingdoms of even one hemisphere, but Luke says that he “showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” From the circumstances, we are led to the conclusion that this presentation was not real. To produce counterfeit appearances we learn is within the power of Satan. We have an instance of it recorded in the Bible in the account of the workings of the devil through the witch of Endor. See 1 Sam. 28: 3–20. It was an enchanting scene which the tempter portrayed before the Son of God. Then when all the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them, were sparkling in his eyes, Satan came forward and said, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Why give thy life to purchase these possessions? Only bow the knee to me, only pay me homage, and they are thine. Such an offer was calculated to excite in the heart a spirit of pride. Satan had not forgotten the motive which actuated Adam and Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. He said to Eve, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” A spirit of pride was awakened in our first parents at the thought of possessing so much wisdom; but Satan was powerless to awaken such a spirit in the heart of the humble Nazarene. The arch deceiver probably meant to conceal himself. It seems he thought Jesus would not know him, and would not suspect that it was Satan who was seeking to rival the great Creator of the universe; but Jesus, calling him by his proper name, assured him that he was not ignorant either of his person or his character. The Son of God, clothed with divine authority, bade the tempter be gone, thereby refusing to comply with his impious proposals, accompanying his refusal with a Scripture reason for so doing. He said, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” This requirement may be found in Deut. 10: 30, and 1 Sam. 7: 3. It is also fully comprehended in the first commandment of the decalogue, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” To worship and serve the great Jehovah as he has enjoined upon us to do, is to love him supremely and to obey him fully. Other beings may be loved, and ought to be, but God alone is to be loved with all the heart, and with all the strength. Obedience, too, is due to other beings, but only as they derive their authority from God. Man’s requirements when they contravene God’s holy law are not obligatory upon us. “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5: 29. “Then the devil leaveth him.” Here we have a practical illustration of the command and promise, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Luke says, “He departed from him for a season,” implying that there was now a suspension, but not a termination, of his assaults. As it was with Jesus, so it is with his followers. Satan does not always tempt them alike, but when they resist him he leaves them, and there is a respite, but it is only for a season; soon he returns and repeats his attacks. Hence the force of Paul’s exhortation: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” “Behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” Holy angels doubtless stood by during this whole conflict watching its result with the greatest interest, ready to minister unto him as soon as it should end. Yes, angels of light rejoiced over the victory Christ had obtained. They likewise rejoice when we overcome the temptations of the adversary. And do they not visit us, and minister unto us by their sweet influences? Jesus completely conquered Satan by the “sword of the Spirit,” accompanied with faith in God, and obedience to his will, and Luke, in describing his retirement from the field of battle, says, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee.” The “wicked one” who once sought to seduce our Saviour by the proffer of worldly glory is employing the same lure to deceive and destroy us. As this was his last resort in his attempts to overcome the great Head of the Church, so now he is making a thorough trial of its influence upon the “remnant.” Worldly-mindedness is in a great measure disqualifying us, as a people, for active effort in the cause of God; and sometimes it results in open apostasy from the truth. Let it be remembered that God’s word declares, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” 1 John 2: 15–17. The god of this world offers us for our service the transitory enjoyments of earth. He is a lying spirit, and may disappoint us. The God of Heaven offers us for our service eternal life in his glorious kingdom. He is a God of truth, and will not disappoint us. Jesus, “the faithful and true witness,” counsels us to buy of him gold tried in the fire, that we may be rich, and white raiment, that we may be clothed, and to anoint our eyes with eye salve, that we may see. Let us give heed to his words—be zealous and repent, and when the tempter proffers us the glories of this world for our service, let us, like our Master, bid him depart, resolutely replying, We will worship the Lord our God, and him only will we serve.