The Great Temptations Of Christ Series

Notice in the text it is the devil who leads Jesus to stand on top of the temple. As it was for Jesus, so it is for us. It is not God who leads us to place ourselves above others because of our religion, it is the exact opposite. And how easily we can be led to believe that our vain attempts to get God to bless our plans are godly.

When I was a much younger pastor, I used to occasionally pray, “God, exalt me. God, give me a huge ministry. God, let me speak to tens of thousands of people and go all around the world preaching your word.” I prayed this prayer with the best of intentions, completely convinced that it was motivated by the Holy Spirit. I realize now that it was youthful foolishness and spiritual immaturity. God is far more interested in how I deal with my ego in our church of 150 people than in “blessing” me with a church of 15,000. The devil is the one who puts Jesus on top of the temple and exalts him to that place, and he even quotes scripture when he does it. Jesus sees this for what it is and rejects it, also with scripture. But this shows how easily scripture can be misused, misinterpreted, and misapplied, and how when we are spiritually immature we can easily be fooled into thinking we are godly and mature. Our immature egos will speak to us in whatever voice will appeal to us, get our attention, and move us into a place where we will do what is in our deepest hearts.

You can safely assume that you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” (from Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott; on page 22 of Bird by Birdshe attributes this quote to “my priest friend Tom”)

This is a huge temptation for us and one it is hard for us to even recognize, and that is why if we are prudent we will willingly place ourselves under the spiritual care of someone more mature than us. Jesus responds correctly to this temptation. Perhaps he draws on this very experience later in his ministry when he says,

Luke 14:8-11 (NIV)

8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.

11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

In this temptation, Jesus humbles himself, and chooses to live humbly, and because Jesus refused to exalt himself, God was pleased to exalt him.

The third temptation Jesus faces is the temptation to take power.

Matthew 4:8-10 (NIV)

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."