part b: Jesus tempted as man
25.12 The last temptation was quite different. In the first two the devil had mocked Jesus with the words, "If you are the Son of God.." thus tempting Him to do something as God that would be wrong. But in the first temptation Jesus had identified with man by saying, "...man shall not live by bread alone." So in his third attempt to get Jesus away from the cross, the devil would try Him as a man.
25.13 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me."
This would have been the silliest temptation of all, since Jesus knew that the kingdoms of the world did not belong to the devil anyway. For the Word of God declares "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof, the world and all they that dwell therein." Psalm 24:1 But remember that the devil was appealing to Jesus' human nature, not His divine nature. As God, Jesus did not need fame or glory, but as human Jesus could be tempted along those lines... or so the devil thought.
25.14 Again this temptation was an attempt to get Jesus to avoid the cross. Jesus could have it all without the cross, if only He would worship the devil. Of course this was a complete lie. All of the devil's temptations are lies. He is a liar and the father of lies. The devil does not have title to the earth, or any of its kingdoms, nor any of its inhabitants.
25.15 As much as this temptation was a lie, it was also ridiculous. Jesus dismissed it with a wave of his hand, and, yet once again, with the Word of God. He said,
"Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
Deuteronomy 6:13
25.16 Jesus had three weapons against the devil's lies. They were the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the will of God. It was the Spirit of God that had lead Jesus into the wilderness in the first place. Jesus was not in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Spirit of God was still with Him. He had to defeat the temptations before He could begin His ministry.
25.17 He had just been baptized, and had heard the voice from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased." He knew He was accepted by His Father, God, to be the Savior, and to accomplish the work of redemption by His own death on the cross. He had fasted forty days and forty nights. His mind was clear. He knew what the will of God was.
25.18 Jesus had studied the Word of God in His youth. All the verses He used to defeat the devil in the wilderness were from the book of Deuteronomy chapters six and eight. He had memorized these verses in his childhood, as was required. His knowledge of the Word of God was accurate, complete, and detailed. The devil was no match.
25.19 Jesus is our example.
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