And the devil said to him, I will give thee all this power, and their glory; for it is given up to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it.
From a mountain the devil shows Jesus every kingdom of the world and claims they are his to give away. Was that claim true, and why did the Lord refuse a crown that was already His?
The offer rests on the words "it has been delivered to me." Writers do not treat that as a straight lie or a straight truth.
That was false, and yet true. It was false as to title, but true as to fact; for Satan had acquired this by man's sin. As to title, he had none at all. Satan had no title to give glory to anyone. But through his craft he led man to depart from God. He attacked the first Adam and defeated him. He profits by this victory over man, and here sets himself forward as the usurper. "I have all this," he says, "and I give it to whomever I will. If you will own me as the giver" — that is what worship means here — "if you will take it from me, all will be yours."
Notice what the Lord does not say in reply. He never disputes the boast, and elsewhere He confirms it in His own words.
Of course the Son of God does not acknowledge his right to this dominion, but at the same time He does not deny the fact. On the contrary, He more than once acknowledges it. So, when speaking of His death, He says — "Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out" (John 12:31).
If someone handed this authority over, how did that happen? The answer goes back to the first act of disobedience — and to the obedience that undid it.
It has often been asked, how was it delivered to him. In the second chapter of Ephesians we read, "following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Satan has gained power over man because man is in a state of disobedience. He has no power over an obedient man, and that is what we see in these verses. He gained his power through the disobedience of man in the garden of Eden, but the obedience of a Man in the wilderness cancels his power.
Look at the offer itself. The devil could display all he had in a single moment.
Satan can show all he has in a moment of time, but the Lord will take eternity to show us the riches of His possession. It is true enough that all these kingdoms have been delivered to Satan. He is a usurper who tricked Adam into handing the world's authority over to him. So he tries also to bring Christ under his authority by his false offer of all these kingdoms, if Christ will only worship him!
The gift had its price: owning Satan as the giver. Who has taken that deal?
Oh, is this not exactly what the powers of this world have done? They have simply taken the devil's bribe. How solemn, how awful, to think of it!
The crown belonged to Christ. He refused the road Satan offered, not the crown.
Satan has profanely taken the crown for himself. During the temptation in the wilderness he actually offered it to Him. He refused it. He did not choose that short and easy way to glory. He took the hard road that lay through death and resurrection — "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:26).
What the devil put before Christ on that mountain, he still puts before His followers.
The character of this last temptation is the world. Let us be warned: whenever this world sets something before us as a prize to chase, it is of Satan. God cannot offer us anything in a world that has cast the Son of God completely out of it. We are heirs of it with Christ. By and by He will put us in possession. When He takes possession, that will be time enough for hearts that love Him to possess it.
- Usurped, not owned. The devil's claim is false as to title and true as to fact — he holds the world's kingdoms, but he never had any right to them.
- Gained by disobedience. He got that hold through man's fall. He has no power over an obedient man, and a Man's obedience in the desert cancelled it.
- Offered in a moment. All he could show took a moment; the Lord will take eternity to display what is really His.
- Refused at the price. The crown was Christ's, but He refused the shortcut. He chose the road through death and resurrection.
- Still on offer. Anything this world holds out as a prize to chase comes from the same hand. The inheritance waits until Christ takes possession and shares it with His own.
If therefore *thou* wilt do homage before me, all [of it] shall be thine.
In Luke's account this is Satan's second move, and it is a straight bargain: the whole visible world for one act of homage. Everything turns on one word — "worship." What was the devil really asking for? And why did the offer have no pull on the Lord?
The demand was not for a religious ceremony. It was for an admission — that the world's power is Satan's to give.
That was false, and yet true. It was false as to title, but true as to fact; for Satan had acquired this by man's sin. As to title, he had none at all. Satan had no title to give glory to anyone. But by his craft he led man to depart from God. He attacked the first Adam and defeated him, and he profits by this victory over man. The result of that victory was that the creature left the place of confidence and trust. So here he sets himself forth as the usurper. "I have all this," he says, "and I give it to whoever I will. If you will own me as the giver" — that is here the meaning of worship — "if you will take it from me, all shall be yours."
The bargain rested on something untrue. Government does not belong to Satan, and God had long since promised the kingdoms to Another.
The tempter was beaten, but not ashamed. He led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. He offered them to Him with their glory as a free gift, if only He would worship before him. His claim was wholly untrue — that they had all been handed over to him, and that he could dispose of them as he chose. How the devil's true character (John 8:44) comes out here! For rulers are God's ministers, not the devil's. God appoints the authorities that exist (Rom. 13). Besides this, centuries earlier God, the Sovereign Ruler, had announced who would receive all the rule the devil was offering (Psalm 2:8). What a bold move this was! All should be the Lord's, he said, if only He would worship before him. All was to be His really, a gift from the Father to the Son.
Notice how fast the whole display was over.
The second temptation (vv. 6-7) is an appeal to pride as well as to greed. But again the Lord has no inclination to give in to it. From a mountain top the devil shows Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (Indeed, the time all these kingdoms will last is little more than "a moment.") Satan can show all he has in a moment of time. But the Lord will take eternity to show us the riches of His possession.
His refusal was a settled choice about whose hand He would take anything from. That choice set the road He would walk.
So He overcame the tempter. He stayed faithful to Him whose will He had come to do. He refused everything from the hand of Satan, and received only from the Father. The path to His exaltation lay through the cross. There He glorified God in all that God is, and was victorious over death and the grave. He has forever set aside the claim and power of Satan, and has established the rights of God.
Here is where the Lord differs from us. We measure the offer; He measured the one making it.
Fallen man would like the gift. He would long for the gift, and the more glory it had, the more it would attract him. But the Lord Jesus — the perfect Man — thought of the giver. He thought of who it was that offered it. His heart was in perfect unison with the heart of God, so He says, "You shall worship the Lord your God." He would not take an empire or a kingdom from anyone else. He would not take glory, pleasure, or honour from Satan.
The devil rarely asks anyone outright to bow to him. People still strike the bargain without saying a word.
The devil tried to tempt Christ when he "showed Him all the kingdoms of the world," and promised them all to Him, if He would "fall down and worship him." Everyone who seeks the world's wealth by unrighteousness goes to the devil for it, and worships him in effect. How much better it is to have poverty from God than riches from the devil! A temptation comes on strong when the way out of trouble seems to run through the sin Satan is urging.
- The price — "Worship" here means owning Satan as the giver. His claim was false as to title, but real as to fact, since he gained his hold through man's fall.
- The lie — Rulers are God's ministers, not the devil's. God had already announced who would receive the kingdoms.
- The size — Satan showed all he had in a moment. The Lord will take eternity to show the riches of His possession.
- The choice — He refused everything from Satan's hand and received only from the Father. His path to exaltation ran through the cross.
- The test — Fallen man wants the gift. The perfect Man looked at the giver. Everyone who seeks the world's wealth by unrighteousness worships Satan in effect.