Matthew 4: 1-11
Could something as small as a two-letter word be the main
battle plan for the enemy of our Lord?
And if the tempter, the devil, who was created by our Lord, as one of
the most beautiful and intelligent beings, ever thought the word “If” would equal the
playing field with his Creator, is it worth looking into as a mere human. And it seems this very intelligent adversary
believed that because Jesus was in human form that the word “If” would work to
obtain his goal. This is what Scripture
tells us; “Now
in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his
control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while
was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and
honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might
taste death for everyone.
(Hebrews 2:8-9 ESV)
So what does the devil see in the word “If” that made him
believe the Creator God would bow down to him?
How is “If” defined: 1) introducing a conditional clause. 2)
With implied reservation. 3) Doubt. 4) Uncertainty. And maybe one more thing that is common to
man and it is “Pride.” As we look at the
word “If” in this context it becomes apparent we humans want to make sure we
explain the “If” for we do not want anyone to think wrongly of us, we want to
make sure that any doubt or uncertainty about our character or motives is
correctly understood. God warns us about
pride often in Scripture, and so with this backdrop let’s read how the enemy,
that serpent, the devil, attacked our Lord.
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days
and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
(Matthew 4:1-3 ESV)
“Then the devil took him to the holy
city and 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 will command his angels concerning
you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot
against a stone.’” (Matthew
4:5-6 ESV)
“Again, the devil took him to a very
high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And
he said to him, “All these I will give you,
if you will fall down and worship me.”
(Matthew 4:8-9 ESV)
My prayer is that you
and I will understand mankind has been easily deceived, it worked with Adam and
Eve who walked with God in the garden, and it has been working ever since with
mankind. The devil believed wrongly that his Creator the Lord Jesus Christ who
had taken on flesh would depend on His flesh, like most of us do, but Jesus
being in the form of a man humbled him self.
Philippians 2:5-8 gives us this insight, and when we grasp and apply it
we become more than conquerors. “Have this mind
among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the
form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a cross.” How
are you dealing with the “If” in life?
It is a wise person who looks to Jesus and learns what a person should
do when confronted with the “If’s” for all of us will be confronted.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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