Our Lord Jesus was tempted in three different ways. Among them was the temptation for universal power and authority. For this reason, “the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.”
In the book of Job, the LORD said to Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job?” Before Yahweh presented Job to the devil, He declared Job blameless and upright. Indeed, Job came through the temptations of Satan as a faithful servant just as God said.
In Matthew’s Gospel, God offers a new Job to be tested by Satan. Jesus overcomes the temptations of the evil one by pointing the devil to God’s authoritative Word (Deut. 8). Again, before Jesus went to the wilderness, God declared Jesus blameless and upright: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is the greater Job.
In these remaining thirty-six days, let us daily remind ourselves that God does not allow us to be tempted without blessing and training us in righteousness. We are God’s servants: blameless and upright in His sight. May the Lenten journey prepare us to be faithful to respond to Satan’s temptations.
Prayer: O Lord, you are righteous and good. We ask to not be led into temptation, but should we be taken to the highest peak where power and authority are offered to us in exchange for compromising your Gospel, speak life to our hearts for the kingdom of heaven is mightier and more desirable than gold and silver. We ask this in the Name of our blessed Lord Jesus, amen.
Hymn of the Month: Not What My Hands Have Done
