The Life of Christ

These are the first recorded words of the devil in the New Testament: “If you are The Son of God….”

• In the Old Testament his first recorded words were similar: "Has God said?"

• In both cases the devil questions God's word, which becomes his constant preoccupation: ‟ Has God really said?”

Lk. 4:4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”

Beginning here, in each of His three responses to the devil, He stands upon the word of God.

• He first quotes Deut. 8:3: “…but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”

• Each of the three temptations correlate to one of the three categories of sin found in 1 Jn. 2:16: (1) Lust of the flesh: “ Eat the bread.” (2) Lust of the eyes: “ See the kingdoms of the world.” (3) Pride of Life: “ Jump from the temple.” Mt. 4:5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

It is doubtful if Jesus and Satan walked all the way from the Judean wilderness back to Jerusalem and then climbed up to the top of the temple.

• Most likely they were both bodily translated in the Spirit, just as Phillip was instantly translated from the desert to Azotus, twelve miles away.

The pinnacle of the temple was the highest point of the temple with an approximate 100-feet drop to the temple floor below.

• Normally there would be a priest stationed at this high point of the temple to announce and signal the offering of the morning sacrifice.

• From there he would also sound a trumpet to call the city’s attention to this important moment.

• If Jesus would have jumped down from this point as the devil suggested, it may have occurred right during the ceremony of the morning sacrifice.

• Many of the priests and people might have been present, providing Jesus a splendid opportunity to announce His earthly ministry.

Historically, this is the same pinnacle James, the brother of Jesus, would later be thrown down from to his death in 66 A.D.

• According to the Christian historian Eusebius, James was not killed by the fall, and so his head was smashed in with a fuller’s club, the same type of club used to beat clothing, or a hammer used by blacksmiths. 8

• This is not to be confused with James the Apostle, who was killed by Herod with the sword (Acts 12:2).

Mt. 4:6 “…and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, “HE

8 John Foxe, The New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (Bridge-Logos Publishers, North Brunswick, NJ, 1997) p.6.

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