Tempted by the Devil
1. Then was Jesus led away into the wilderness by the Spirit, to be tempted by the Devil.
2. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He afterwards hungered.
3. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If Thou be the Son of God, say that these stones be made bread.”
4. But He answering said, “It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every saying that goes out through the mouth of God.”
5. Then the Devil takes Him into the holy city, and stands Him on a pinnacle of the temple;
6. And says to Him, “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written that He shall command His angels concerning Thee, and in [their] hands they shall take Thee up, lest Thou ever dash Thy foot against a stone.”
7. Jesus declared to him, “Again, it is written, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’”
8. Again, the Devil takes Him to an exceedingly high mountain, and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them;
9. And says to Him, “All these things I will give Thee, if, falling down, Thou wilt worship me.”
10. Then says Jesus unto him, “Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve’”.
11. Then the Devil leaves Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
The word “repent” means literally to change the way we think. But there is a difference between changing the way we think and changing the way we feel. Understanding truth can produce a change of mind; but only a life according to that truth can produce a change of heart. It is necessary, therefore, and most appropriate that the next step in our spiritual development be a trial by fire—actual experiences in our life in which we have the opportunity to apply truth to our lives. And this is precisely what happens to Jesus as the narrative continues, for we read that Jesus is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness “to be tempted by the devil” (4:1). 1
Knowing that Jesus is hungry after a forty-day fast, the devil says, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” However hungry He might be, Jesus will not do what the devil demands. Instead, He replies with these words of scripture: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (4:3; see also Deuteronomy 8:3).
This first temptation is on the level of Jesus’ natural, bodily life—the level of the five senses. If we live only to satisfy the desires of the flesh, signified by bread alone, we are no better than animals. But to the extent that we also live to fulfill the desires of the spirit, we are truly human. We are living by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 2
Unable to get Jesus to succumb at the natural level, the devil now sets Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and says to Him “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning You. And in their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’” (4:6; see also Psalm 91:11-12). This second temptation regards the spiritual plane of our minds, represented by a temple in the Holy City, a place of spiritual instruction.
It is to be noted that the devil himself can quote scripture—but for his own selfish purposes. Similarly, as we move from the natural to the spiritual level of our lives, we too can learn to quote scripture. In our early development, however, we are sometimes tempted to use scripture to promote our own selfish interests, and to feel superior to others. Led by self-intelligence rather than by the Lord, we twist and pervert sacred scripture to serve our own purposes. Secure in our self-intelligence, we feel that we are intellectually above others, seated at “the pinnacle of the temple in the Holy City.” 3
One aspect of this form of self-intelligence is the belief that as long as we have faith, we can do whatever we want, for we are safe, secure, and “saved.” The danger of this false persuasion is represented by the devil suggesting that Jesus throw Himself down from the top of the temple. According to this kind of reasoning, if God has promised to protect us, it doesn’t matter what we do. Jesus, however, does not succumb to this second temptation. Instead, He again quotes scripture, this time saying, “It is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (4:7; see also Deuteronomy 6:16).
We should note here that while the first temptation regards the physical plane, the level of natural hunger, the second temptation regards the mental plane—the level of intellectual faith. But merely believing in God without living according to God’s order is not true faith. People under the influence of a powerful delusion can begin to believe that they are free of earthly constraints. Captivated by their delusional thinking, they take foolish risks, believing that God will protect them without the need to take necessary precautions.
But there are less dramatic, more subtle versions of this inclination towards faith alone. Believing that they are saved by their faith, and not by a life in accordance with faith, people can be tempted to live outside the order of God’s commandments. This is the temptation to believe that since they are already saved, and cannot lose their salvation, their actions do not matter.
This is an alluring idea. But it is not a part of God’s order. In Deuteronomy, where it is written, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God,” the very next verse reads, “You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 6:17-18). Taking foolish risks in the name of “faith” is really a denial of faith—not a testimony to faith. True faith is manifested in a life according to the commandments. 4
Unable to tempt Jesus at the physical or mental plane, the devil now proceeds to tempt Jesus at the highest level of all. This is suggested by the devil taking Jesus up onto an exceedingly high mountain. As a temple in the Holy City symbolizes the mental plane of our lives, involving matters of faith and belief, a mountain represents an even higher plane. This is the plane of our highest and inmost love to the Lord. If Jesus will forsake this love, the devil promises to give Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The only thing that Jesus will have to do is fall down and worship the devil. 5
This could be considered a tempting offer. After all, who wouldn’t want to possess the entire world, with all its kingdoms and all its glory? Honor, fame, and wealth. Power, prestige, and profit. All very alluring. But there is a catch: in order to obtain all of this, one must worship the devil instead of God.
Jesus is not fooled by the devil’s empty offer. First of all, the world does not, never did, and never will belong to the devil. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). Therefore, it is not the devil’s to give away. Secondly, Jesus did not come to rule over people, or to make people slavishly serve Him, even to force people to love Him. On the contrary, Jesus came to free people from all forms of tyranny, especially the tyranny of self-love which desires to rule over others.
Sometimes referred to as “the love of dominion” or simply the desire to have one’s own way, this “love of ruling” is an inner drive which destroys relationships and reduces people to being either the master or the slave. While we do not always recognize it as “the love of ruling,” it manifests as the desire to control what others love, think and do. Whether it be the relationship between an employer and an employee, a parent and a child, a teacher and a student, or a husband and a wife, the covetous desire to control others and compel people do as we wish, without regard for the other person, is always destructive. 6
This, then, is the third temptation with which Jesus is confronted. From His divine power He could have easily ruled the world and forced everyone to obey Him. But this kind of external compulsion is antithetical to God’s love.
This is why Jesus chooses to resist this third and inmost temptation. God’s love for us, as manifested in Jesus, is so great that He gives us the freedom to reject the love He offers. He will not force us to believe in Him, or to love Him, even though He knows that therein lies our greatest happiness. Jesus will not succumb to the temptation to be the ruler of “all the kingdoms of the world,” nor does He desire to obtain “their glory.”
By rejecting the devil’s offer, Jesus gives up ultimate control. Instead, Jesus chooses to preserve and protect our freedom to either reject or receive the blessings that flow from Him. This is the reason that Jesus, again quoting scripture, rejects the devil’s offer, saying, “Away with you, Satan. For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve’” (4:10; see also Deuteronomy 6:13). 7
It is important to note that when Jesus tells the devil to get away from Him, Jesus refers to the devil as “Satan.” In this case, the terms “devil” and “Satan” are not synonymous. Each term has a specific spiritual meaning. When the term “devil” is used, it refers to evil desires. But the term “Satan” refers to the false principles that support those evil desires.
In the case of this third temptation, when Jesus tells Satan to get behind Him, He is referring to any false idea that would rationalize and justify an evil desire. In this case, the false idea would be that Jesus should control others, getting them to believe in Him and love Him. But people cannot be forced to believe, and love cannot be compelled. This is contrary to the will of God. Therefore, Jesus refuses to use His power in this way. This is His third and final temptation. 8
In each case, whether it is physical temptation of the body, represented by turning stones to bread, or a spiritual temptation, represented by casting Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, or a celestial temptation, represented by the opportunity to be the ruler of the world, Jesus resists the devil through employing the power of sacred scripture. In brief, while the devil uses scripture to justify evil, Jesus uses scripture to resist it.
Each time Jesus is tempted, He responds with the words “It is written” and then quotes from the sacred scriptures. The devil, representing every selfish desire, and Satan, representing every false principle, cannot resist the power of sacred scripture. Temporarily defeated, they give up and depart, allowing angels to approach with consolation. As it is written, “Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him” (4:11). 9
The story of Jesus’ three temptations in the wilderness demonstrates the power of sacred scripture. This is a basic model for how we are to meet and overcome every possible temptation that might come our way. Without temptation there is no regeneration. 10
A practical application
Temptation is an essential step on the path of our spiritual development. As we use the truth of sacred scripture in the combats of temptation, those truths become more than intellectual beliefs. They become a part of who we are. As a practical application, then, be sure to have truths from the literal sense of the Word in your mind. When a temptation arises, be ready to use truth to defend yourself against the onslaughts of the hells. As you do so, notice how truth from the letter of the Word opens the way for angels to flow in and minister to you. As it is written, “Then the devil left Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him” (4:11). 11
Bringing the Word to the Gentiles
12. And Jesus, having heard that John was delivered up [into custody], departed into Galilee;
13. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is on the seacoast, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14. That it might be fulfilled which was declared by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15. “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16. The people who sat in darkness saw great light; and to them that sat in the country and shadow of death, light has risen.”
17. From then Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of the heavens is near.”
18. And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers.
19. And He says to them, “Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20. And straightway they left [their] nets and followed Him.
21. And advancing from thence, He saw two other brothers, James [the son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.
22. And straightway, leaving the ship and their father, they followed Him.
23. And Jesus went around all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every malady and every disease in the people.
24. And the report of Him went into the whole of Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, having different diseases and torments besetting [them], and the demon-possessed, and the lunatics, and those sick of the palsy; and He cured them.
25. And many crowds followed Him from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and [from] across the Jordan.
After His temptations in the wilderness, Jesus is more deeply aware of the power of scripture. It will be the primary means through which He will be able to protect people from the influence of the hells, and teach the way to heaven. That, in fact, is His mission. It is nothing less than the salvation of the human race.
This mission is especially urgent now because John the Baptist, representing the literal truths of the Word, has been captured and put in prison. Therefore, Jesus resolves to carry on the work of John the Baptist, crying out, even as John did, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17).
Jesus’ actions now are swift and deliberate. Realizing that there is no time waste, He immediately gathers together His first disciples, saying “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (4:19). Strengthened by His victories in temptation, Jesus now travels throughout Galilee with His disciples, teaching, preaching, and healing. As it is written, “As He journeyed, His fame increased, and people came to see Him, and hear Him, bringing with them people who were sick, and demon-possessed, and paralyzed. And Jesus healed them all” (4:24).
In this regard, it is noteworthy that Jesus does not begin his public ministry after his baptism. Rather, He begins His ministry after a series of grueling temptations. Something similar can take place in each of our lives. We, too, can become a healing presence for others—not just because we have learned truth, but because we have brought that truth into our life, used it in the combats of temptation, and given the glory to God. Only then can we feel the Lord’s peace in ourselves and be a healing presence for others. 12
Fotnoter:
1. In Greek, the word for “repent” is metanoia [μετανοέω]. It is a combination of two Greek words “meta” (above) and “noia” (to think, understand, exercise the mind). Therefore, repentance refers to changing the way we think. It is about thinking from above, or, thinking above the way we normally think.
2. TCR 328: “The cravings of the flesh, which include of the eyes and the other senses, when separated from the desires of the spirit, are identical to the cravings animals have. On their own, therefore, the cravings of the flesh are beastly. The desires of the spirit are what angels have; they are to be called desires that are truly human. Therefore, the more we indulge in the lusts of the flesh, the more of a beast and a wild animal we become; and the more we satisfy the desires of the spirit, the more of a human being and an angel we become.”
3. AC 10406: “When the literal sense of the Word is used in support of self-love and love of the world, people do not have any enlightenment from heaven. Instead, they rely on their own intelligence…. They substantiate this by means of the literal sense of the Word, falsifying it by using it in a wrong way and interpreting it in a perverted manner.”
4. HD 165: “To repent with one’s lips but not in one's life is not repentance. Sins are not forgiven by repentance with the lips, but by repentance in life. A person’s sins are continually being forgiven by the Lord, for the Lord is absolute mercy. But sins still cling to the person, however much one thinks they are forgiven, and the only way to have them taken away is to live in accordance with the commandments of true faith.”
5. AC 1292: “In the Word, ‘mountains’ signify love or charity, because these are the highest, or, what is the same, the inmost things in worship.” See also AC 795:4: “Get up on to the high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength’ (Isaiah 40:9). These words refer to worshipping the Lord in love and charity. And because these are inmost loves, they are also the highest.”
6. DLW 141: “The love which is at the head of all heavenly loves or to which all other heavenly loves are related is love toward the Lord. And the love which is at the head of all hellish loves or to which all other hellish loves are related is a love of ruling stemming from a love of self. These two loves are diametrically opposed to each other.”
7. AC 6472: “The Lord does not compel a person to receive what flows in from Himself; but He leads in freedom, and so far as a person allows it, the Lord, through freedom, leads to good.”
8. AC 740:2-3: “The term ‘the devil’ signifies the hell from which are evils, and ‘Satan’ signifies the hell from which are falsities…. See also AR 382: “Evil produces falsity, as the sun does heat. For when the will loves evil, the intellect loves falsity, and it burns with a lust to justify the evil, and evil justified in the intellect is called the falsity of evil.” See also AE 795: “Affection produces thought as fire produces light.”
9. TCR 224:3-4: “The Word has indescribable power… as soon as devils and satans catch a whiff of divine truth, they immediately dive headlong into the depths, hurl themselves into caves, and seal the caves up so completely that not a crack is left open…. I could support this point with many pieces of evidence I have experienced in the spiritual world; but since these would stagger belief, I will forgo any listing of them here…. I will, however, make this assertion: A church that has divine truths from the Lord has power over the hells. This is the church the Lord was talking about when He said to Peter, ‘On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it’” (16:18).
10. AC 8403:2: “Without temptation no one can be regenerated, and many temptations follow, one after another. The reason is that regeneration takes place to the end that the old life may die, and the new heavenly life be instilled.”
11. AC 6344:4-5: “They who are in truth from good, that is, in faith from charity, are in power through truth from good. In this power are all the angels, and from this the angels are called in the Word ‘powers.’ This is because they are in the power of restraining evil spirits, one angel being able to restrain a thousand all at once. They exercise their power chiefly when defending people against many hells. They have this power by means of the truth that is of faith from the good that is of charity. But as they have their faith from the Lord, it is the Lord alone who is the power in them.”
12. TCR 599: “By struggles and temptations in the world the Lord glorified His human, that is, He made it divine. It is likewise now with people individually; when someone is subject to temptations, the Lord struggles for him, overcoming the spirits of hell who assail him; and after his temptation He glorifies him, that is, renders him spiritual. After His universal redemption, the Lord brought everything in heaven and in hell into a state of order. He does much the same with a person after temptation, for He brings into a state of order everything in him relating to heaven and the world. After the act of redemption, the Lord established a new church. Similarly, He establishes in a person what is to do with the church, and makes him a church at the level of the individual…. After temptation, the Lord grants to a person peace, that is, gladness of mind and consolation. These facts show that the Lord is the Redeemer forever.”
