The Deal

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  If you worship me, it will all be yours.”Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”                                                                                                          Luke 4:5-8

 “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli

I kind of tend to overlook this fascinating passage of scripture where Jesus is tempted, or tested, depending on your translation. Maybe it is because I believe that Jesus would never have succumbed to such a deal offered by Satan. Yet, I also need to realize that Jesus here was fully man and able to be tempted. He had set aside the divine nature that he possessed so that he could fully identify with us, his creation.

Satan comes to Jesus when Jesus is fasting in the desert. Perhaps Satan thought that Jesus would be weak and vulnerable in this situation. We do see that Satan does claim authority over the kingdoms of the world. He said that they were his, and that he had authority to give it away to others- for a price. The price, of course, is to honor and worship Satan as lord.

Satan is not a threatening presence here. He comes across as reasonable and transactional, but also devious and dangerous. Jesus had the opportunity to seize the power of kingdom offered by Satan. Earlier, Satan had offered Jesus unlimited bread to ease his own hunger, and perhaps that of others.  

Jesus saw the dangers of worldly power. Seizing power always ends up as a trap. The very power one seizes ultimately traps the owner of it. We overcome evil with love, not earthly power. The power of kingdom and authority is indeed enticing, and I fear that many Christians have fallen in love with political power. However, we will never be saved by political power.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the danger of earthly power and authority, Amen