Fighting Temptations (II): Fall From Height

If you thought the first temptation of Jesus was intense, allow me introduce you to the second:

“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Matthew 4:5-6 (NKJV)

The tempter had done his homework. He’d taken time to research and use scriptures (yanked out of context) that would back up what he was asking Jesus to do. He probably felt like if he pushed the scripture button, Jesus would no doubt fall for it.

But a few things are immediately clear:

Much like the first temptation, the basis of this temptation wasn’t predicated on the will of God for Jesus at that time: it was geared towards self-glorification. “If you are the Son of God, then throw yourself down.”

(Turns out this is a great litmus test for figuring out your real motivations—who is getting glorified?)

Also, we see from Jesus’ reply exactly what the tempter was asking Him to do. His reply to the devil,“…you shall not tempt the Lord your God” was scripture from Deuteronomy 6:16.

“You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.” [Deuteronomy 6:16, NKJV]

At Massah, the people of Israel contended fiercely with Moses (and God indirectly) about the lack of water. This was no mild disagreement. Going by the Hebrew word used to describe the contention, they might as well have been dragging God by the lapels to court for trial.

The biggest issue wasn’t in the disagreement itself; it was how they’d chosen to forget all the times—prior to then—that God had come through for them. It was their utter lack of trust and faith in God’s ability to preserve them. They thus tested and pushed God over and over again without them ever mixing the things they’d experienced, with faith.

So, if Jesus had looked down from that temple height and had chosen to jump, that would not have been Him stepping out in faith (#FaithOverFear?). It would have been an act of unbelief.

If Jesus, as a true Son of God had an unshakable trust in God based on prior experiences and encounters, there would have been no need for Him to jump and test God. And this is exactly why He didn’t jump. And that’s what actually proved He was a Son with a real relationship with His Father.

How do we often respond to difficult times? Do difficult times make us question God’s love and goodness over us? If they do, that’s us acting in unbelief just like the Israelites did—and that would be us testing God.

In difficult times, we must learn to remember and hold on to what’s true. God will remain ever faithful and will never leave nor forsake us. The bitter waters may not immediately turn sweet, but that does not mean God won’t come through.

And even if He doesn’t come through when or how we want, it shouldn’t change our perception of Him and what He expects from us. That’s what it means to be a son of God.

That’s what it means to be like Jesus.