Looking Down

Looking Down

Luke 4:5-8, NLT

Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6“I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” 8Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”

Setting the Scene

In this temptation, Satan showed Jesus all that the world had to offer, in terms of power and possessions. Satan was offering Jesus “authority” in exchange for worship. Jesus didn’t argue with Satan about who owned the world. In fact, later he stated that Satan is, in fact, the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31, NLT). Satan was tempting Jesus to take the world as an earthly kingdom right then, without carrying out God’s plan of salvation. For Jesus, that would mean obtaining his promised dominion over earth without experiencing the Cross. Satan offered Jesus a painless shortcut. In addition, in order to worship Satan, Jesus would have had to denounce his loyalty to the Father; Satan’s goal always has been to replace God as the object of worship.

It’s really a matter of perspective. Anyone who looks down from a mountain, airplane, or skyscraper can be overwhelmed by the sights below—and to have it all! To rule an earthly empire. So much for so little—or so it seems . . . looking down.

But Jesus looked up. That is, he didn’t allow the earthly perspective to entice him to make a terrible decision. For Jesus to take a shortcut to ruling the world by worshiping Satan would be to break the first commandment (Exodus 20:3). Jesus resisted this temptation, rejecting Satan’s offer.

Getting Personal

In what ways does this temptation to “have it all” reflect what many people desire these days?

What have people sacrificed to “gain the whole world” (Matthew 16:26, NLT)?

What makes this temptation so strong?

This temptation is the “lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16, KJV), or “a craving for everything we see” (NLT). Satan was saying, “You can have it all, and you can have it now. It’s easy—just switch your allegiance to me.” Sound familiar? When tempted to compromise your values for money or power, remember who really controls the universe. Look up, focus on Christ and his Kingdom, and find true riches.

Talking to God

Focus on Christ and his Kingdom as you worship in prayer. Ask God to deepen your allegiance to him.