Satan received permission from God to test the disciples (Luke 22.31), and he wants to take control of us, so he tempts us as well. As Jesus told his disciples, we must, therefore, “Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26.41) He also told them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” (Luke 22.40)
We are weak, so sometimes Satan wins. He took control of Judas, Anania and Sapphira; he worked hard on Job; and he tempted Jesus by offering him power and glory. God lets Satan tempt us, and when we, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, overcome his temptations, we grow as Christians.
Satan tempted Jesus for 40 days in the wilderness with wild animals around him, “but angels came and helped him” (Mark 1.12), and he rebuked Satan.
After 40 days, Jesus was hungry, so the first temptation of Satan was to ask Jesus to make bread out of stones. After all, Jesus as the Son of God had the power to do anything, so Satan wanted him to prove it. Jesus refused, so Satan, as the ruler with power over the world, showed Jesus all his dominions and offered Jesus to share this power. Satan claimed “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose. All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.” But Satan is not to be worshipped, which he knew, so his last recorded temptation was for Jesus to show his power by jumping off the roof of the temple and not kill himself. That didn’t work either because God cannot be tempted. We are not told of the remaining temptations, but there were many and finally “the Devil finished Jesus in every way” and “he left him for a while.” (Ma4k 4.13).
Satan offered Jesus “power and glory,” and the power was embedded in the glory. Jesus, as the Son of God, already had glory, but Satan wanted to act like he could add to it. Satan wanted the glory, and he could only do so if he had Jesus under his power.
But Satan only leaves us “for a little while,” and we see Satan operating with temptations continuously. He will gladly give glory to someone when his power can be invested in that glory. That seems to be the way the world also works. For example, suppose that we have an outstanding general who is recognized by people because of his military efforts to the extent that his reputation is well known. His war record gives him and others the power to capitalize on his fame and he becomes powerful, perhaps the president of a country.
It also happens in economics. Rich people are famous for their wealth, and they then have authority and sway that would otherwise be impossible. Athletes are the same: they win medals and are then exalted, lionized, and revered to the extent that they can boldly make statements and transfer their fame into fortune. Paul warns us that “those who want to get rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many foolish and harmful desires, which pull them down to ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6.9)
Think also of the academic world, with which I am somewhat acquainted. We post our CVs to show our accomplishments and declare our professional abilities. Over time, we may achieve the high-ranking position of “professor” and expect esteem and even, for some, reverence. However, embedded in that fame is the temptation for power.
Unfortunately, fame and power are also a trap for religious leaders. We learn regularly of pastors and evangelists who have been tempted and drawn into sexual sins. They used their positions as podiums of power and sinned before the Holy God they preached about.
It follows that any so-called gift of fame can become a weight, and it may lead to infamy and chaos. If someone is given power and glory, Satan may often be right behind the bushes and intent on their destruction. He does not want to put up with Christians who might put Jesus ahead of everything else.
In His baptism, Jesus was reassured of his coexistence with the Father by the Holy Spirit, so he had power to overcome temptation, which came immediately.
The lesson seems clear: there is temptation in power, and only by God’s grace and mercy is it overcome.
Karl Franklin
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