“The Lust of the Eyes”

WEDNESDAY
“The Lust of the Eyes”

Matthew 4:5-6
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.’”

Jerusalem was considered the “center of the nations, with lands around her,” the “center of the world,” whose inhabitants “dwell at the center of the earth”. So…. when Jesus stood on the pinnacle of the temple, He was, theologically speaking, at the center of the world.

Satan wanted Jesus to jump off in a sensational display of his Kingship. Sensationalism has always appealed to people. Many people are willing to believe almost anyone or anything as long as the claims are accompanied by fantastic happenings.

Satan then quotes scripture to Jesus. However, he purposely did not quote Psalm 91:11-12 accurately. He left out an important phrase, “in all your ways.” According to the psalmist, a person is protected only when he is following the Lord’s will.

Satan wanted Jesus to test God but “testing is not trusting.” Do you see what the Devil is doing here? He is testing Jesus and trying to get Him to say yes to the wrong things. In this second test, Satan appealed to the lust of the eyes and is tempting Jesus to have something apart from God’s will.

QUESTION: Are you trying to HAVE something apart from God’s will?