Both Matthew and Luke write about the three temptations of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 4; Luke 4)
1) Pinnacle of the Temple: Satan took Lord Jesus Christ to the pinnacle of the temple. Satan could not push Lord Jesus Christ from the pinnacle. He could only just suggest that he should jump. Some Jewish people believed that the Messiah would appear on the roof of the Temple of Jerusalem. The temptation has four aspects.
2) Promise without purpose? Satan tried to delink the Promises of God from the purposes of God. All of God’s promises are in alignment with God’s Sovereign plan. Promises become empty words when disconnected from God’s plan, purpose, and rule. Satan quoted a Scripture portion out of context. The promise was not for any reckless adventure or show blitz. (Psalms 91:11-12)
3) Presumption: The Word of God inspires faith. However, Satan interprets the verse to mislead to presume. Satan wanted Lord Jesus to presume that the Promise is applicable at any time, and anywhere.
4) Promotion of self: Satan wanted to pursue the popularity and applause of the people. Lord Jesus did not promote Himself but came to glorify the Father. (John 17:5) Satan tempted the Lord to usurp the position of Father or outshine Father. It was Satan’s character that desired a higher throne than that of God, which he tries to transfer to the Son of God. (Isaiah 14:12-14)
5) Pointless exercise: Jumping from the pinnacle to show a few hundred people. How many of them would believe it? Lord Jesus came to save humanity and not just to get the approval of a few people present in the Temple. It was a clear strategy of Satan to deviate the Lord from the path of the cross.
Lord defeated Satan by quoting the Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:16) “And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:12) Lord Jesus filled with the Spirit of God and saturated with the Word of God, defeated Satan.
Do I defeat Satan with the Sword of the Spirit?