Matthew 4:8-11

Matthew 4:8-11

Again the Devil took Him into an exceedingly tall mountain and he shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, “I will give all these things to you if after falling down you should worship me.”  At that time Jesus says to Him, “Go away, Satan!  For it has been written, ‘You will worship the Lord your God and you will serve Him only.’”  At that time the Devil left Him.  And behold!  Angels drew near and they were serving Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Now Satan tries his third attack.  Satan tells Jesus that if he will worship him, he will give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.  Many preachers will make the point that Satan was offering Jesus something that was already His.  While true, it misses the point of Satan’s attack.  Satan is asking for compromise.  What Satan is saying is, “If you compromise with me and worship me, I’ll give you the kingdoms of the world without having to go through the agony of the cross.”  In other words, Jesus wasn’t being offered something of which He was already in possession.  Jesus was being offered a way around the pain and agony that God the Father had planned and required of Him.  Satan was offering Jesus a shortcut.

Why are shortcuts typically not worth it?  Do you think humanity is prone to following shortcuts anyways?  In what ways does Satan offer you a shortcut to true relationship with God?  In what ways do you listen to the temptation?

Second Thought:

Once more Jesus offers up the Word of God in rebuke.  For the third time Jesus demonstrates the power of the Word of God.  Do you wish to defeat the Devil and all His empty promises?  Root yourself in God’s Word.

Are you rooted firmly in God’s Word?  Is being rooted in God’s Word one of Satan’s primary means of attacking us and causing us to take shortcuts?  How has the Word been powerful in your own life to help you resist the Devil?

Third Thought:

The Devil leaves.  In his place come angels who serve Jesus.  What can we learn from this?  I think there are at least two lessons here.  First, battling Satan is tiring – even for the Son of God!  Spiritual warfare taxes us.  If Jesus was worn down by doing battle with Jesus Christ, we should expect it even more!  Second, God knows when we need to be refreshed.  God will send us people into our life who can refresh us when we need it.  We do need to pay attention and recognize God’s hand.  But the Father will not leave us abandoned to manage for ourselves.

Have you ever thought of the Son of God needing to be refreshed?  What does it mean to you that even the Son of God needed to be ministered to?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 4:12-17