Temptation Number 3: Sell Out or Preserve?
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' " Matt. 4:8-10, ESV.
What is your price? At what point are you willing to sell out to the devil? Satan understands us one and all. He knows that some people will cave in if he offers them $5. For others it might be $500. But for others he needs to offer $5,000, or $5 million, or even $5 billion. After all, he suggests, you have to do it only once. And you can always repent later. "Why not?" our minds tell us. If you don't take the offer, someone else will.
What is your cave-in point? What is your price? People spend a great deal of time discussing how Christ could be tempted just like we are. I would like to suggest that He was tempted far beyond what we will ever face. For one thing, we never feel the full impact of temptation, since when the devil reaches our price we fold up and sell out and opt for his bargain.
But more important, Christ had capabilities way beyond ours. He was tempted far beyond what ordinary human beings can ever possibly be, since Jesus actually had the power of God in His fingertips rather than at them.
In his final temptation for Jesus, the devil pulls out all the stops. He aims at the very purpose for which He came to the earth. He can become World Ruler if He will only bow down and worship Satan--now, and without the cross.
But Jesus has made up His mind to worship and obey God alone. He will not feel the full force of temptation again until Gethsemane, when He will once again struggle to stay surrendered to the Father's will.
Jesus went into the temptations with the tensions between the modes of conquering King and Suffering Servant ringing in His ears (Matt. 3:17). But He comes out of the experience with His mind made up. He will follow God's way of the Suffering Servant, the path that will eventually lead to a distasteful cross. Now He is ready to enter His formal ministry.
On a far lower level, temptation takes the same course in our life that it did in Christ's. Temptation is not merely being enticed to this sin or that. No! At its bottom, temptation has to do with whom we will follow as the lord of our life.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' " Matt. 4:8-10, ESV.
What is your price? At what point are you willing to sell out to the devil? Satan understands us one and all. He knows that some people will cave in if he offers them $5. For others it might be $500. But for others he needs to offer $5,000, or $5 million, or even $5 billion. After all, he suggests, you have to do it only once. And you can always repent later. "Why not?" our minds tell us. If you don't take the offer, someone else will.
What is your cave-in point? What is your price? People spend a great deal of time discussing how Christ could be tempted just like we are. I would like to suggest that He was tempted far beyond what we will ever face. For one thing, we never feel the full impact of temptation, since when the devil reaches our price we fold up and sell out and opt for his bargain.
But more important, Christ had capabilities way beyond ours. He was tempted far beyond what ordinary human beings can ever possibly be, since Jesus actually had the power of God in His fingertips rather than at them.
In his final temptation for Jesus, the devil pulls out all the stops. He aims at the very purpose for which He came to the earth. He can become World Ruler if He will only bow down and worship Satan--now, and without the cross.
But Jesus has made up His mind to worship and obey God alone. He will not feel the full force of temptation again until Gethsemane, when He will once again struggle to stay surrendered to the Father's will.
Jesus went into the temptations with the tensions between the modes of conquering King and Suffering Servant ringing in His ears (Matt. 3:17). But He comes out of the experience with His mind made up. He will follow God's way of the Suffering Servant, the path that will eventually lead to a distasteful cross. Now He is ready to enter His formal ministry.
On a far lower level, temptation takes the same course in our life that it did in Christ's. Temptation is not merely being enticed to this sin or that. No! At its bottom, temptation has to do with whom we will follow as the lord of our life.
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