What We Know

The Jews have the prophets and the Scriptures, so they know God. They worship the God they know, the One for whom they built the Tabernacle and the Temple. The One God is the focal point of worship for the Jews, and Jesus counted himself among them.

Jesus identified as a Jew and a worshipper of God when he said ‘We worship what we know.’

‘Woman,’ Jesus replied, ‘believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews’ (John 4:21-22).

Jesus proudly declares that he worships the Father, and it wasn't only at the well in Samaria. He worshipped God in the Temple too. Speaking through the psalmist, Jesus counted himself among the worshippers when he told the story of his friendship with Judas Iscariot.

… my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the House of God, as we walked about among the worshipers (Psalm 55:13b-14).

An Angel of Light

Satan pounded Jesus with three big temptations during our Lord’s 40-day fast in the desert. The Devil’s second temptation in the desert was an offer of World dominance in exchange for a brief act of worship—a bow.

Again, the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the World and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matthew 4:8-10).

Offering our Lord Jesus all the kingdoms of the World, the Devil proposed that Jesus briefly bow down and worship him. His proposal would not have any element of temptation if the Devil had come to Jesus ugly and mean-looking, as many people depict him. But the Devil did not come to Jesus with horns on his head or a pitchfork in his hand. He appeared as an angel of light!

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14; NASB).

A Global Savior

How easy will it be for people in the Last Days, as the Apocalypse unfolds, as they pass through the difficulties of hunger, societal breakdown, and financial instability, to praise the man who brings a solution to the turmoil? That man will defend Israel from its enemies, sit in the Temple, and will fulfill dozens of Bible prophecies. All this will give him validity in the eyes of the World. He will come in Jesus’ name and be received as the Messiah, the Son of God.

This man will be very winsome and his image will be seen by all on our digital devices. People will like him a lot. And when he restores purchasing power to the World, and grants access to the global marketplace to anyone who will honor him, his popularity will skyrocket. He will be worshipped!

Feeling the desperation, persuaded by media, under the pressure of family and friends, will you bow to that man? Will you cave in to the Antichrist?

What Was Easy

Now, the first of the Ten Commandments ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ (Deuteronomy 5:7) is too easy for most of us. That is, for the majority of Christians, we weren't raised to worship false gods. We didn’t grow up in the periods of the Greek or Romans pantheons and very few of us have a background in Hinduism or Native American religions. Few people grow up with false gods nowadays.

Likewise, Jesus did not ever feel tempted by false gods during his upbringing. In Nazareth and on his many journeys to Jerusalem for the celebration of holidays and sacrifices, surrounded by a monotheistic Jewish community, Jesus’ level of spiritual maturity surpassed the temptation of the worship of false gods. That specific temptation didn't faze him.

What Was Hard

So, the Devil’s temptation of Christ was not a hard one for Jesus in the sense that Jesus was tempted to worship a false god--no. It was hard for other reasons. Let's consider three of those reasons why the temptation to bow before Satan was a temptation for Jesus:

1. Jesus hadn't been with anybody for 40 days so he was lonely. The Devil stood before Jesus as an angel of light. He appeared to be someone who could help Jesus in his lonely state.

2. Jesus’ calling in life was indeed to rule over the kingdoms of the World. Satan’s offer played on Jesus’ desire to fulfill his calling. Jesus was tempted to think that maybe he could turn the World into a better place.

3. Bowing down in worship looked like a quick and easy way to avoid suffering. Jesus likely felt (in his flesh) that he had suffered enough. Forty days without food made him feel hungry and unwilling to go on with the suffering.

But Jesus prevailed against the Devil’s temptations. His verbal response was like the blow of a sword to Satan's fruitless efforts. Satan thought he could yell touché, but Jesus used the Scriptures to rebut the Devil’s temptation.

Jesus responded biblically, but you need to notice this very important fact: Jesus did not respond with the first commandment of the Decalogue. Jesus did not go to the Ten Commandments to use the expression ‘you shall have no other gods before me.’ Why not?

The reason is because Jesus was not facing the simple temptation of the worship of a false god. He was being tempted in other ways (we just looked at them above):

1. escaping loneliness

2. rushing to fulfill a mission

3. finishing with suffering

The Response

Jesus’ response to Satan revealed two great principles Jesus followed in life—principles he obeys even today. You'll also do well to follow them. Jesus said to Satan:

Worship the Lord your God and serve him only (Luke 4:8).

Jesus' response was from Deuteronomy 6. It was not a word-for-word direct quote, so let’s look at the verse in its original Old Testament format:

You shall fear Yahweh your God, and you shall serve him (Deuteronomy 6:13; LEB).

Jesus focused on a higher purpose than the purpose we get from the first commandment of the Decalogue: avoiding false gods. So, instead of using the negative words of the first commandment, Jesus quoted two positive commandments from Deuteronomy 6. They are:

1. worshipping God

2. serving him only

Jesus responded to the Devil by declaring two commandments which were much more challenging than the prohibition ‘you shall have no other gods before me.’

The Wrong Interpretation

Once again, Jesus responded:

Worship the Lord your God and serve him only (Luke 4:8).

What did he mean by that? There is confusion in Christian churches about what it means.

Was Jesus telling the Devil that the Devil had to repent and start worshipping God and serving God? No. Was Jesus telling the Devil that the Devil had to start worshipping and serving him, Jesus? That would be a very poor interpretation, but some pastors perform their hermeneutical gymnastics to make the text say that. They are very wrong.

Jesus was telling the Devil that Jesus could not entertain the thought of worshipping the Devil for this singular reason: He was laser-focused on worshipping and serving God--and God alone! That's the interpretation. Jesus worships God!!!

Jesus was telling Satan that he worships and serves God. This is a truth that's very difficult for many Evangelicals to comprehend. They think that Jesus and the Father are one Being, so of course it's difficult to understand. Their problem is that they don't know who God is and they don't know who Jesus is.

Jesus' Interpretation

The way Jesus took the Deuteronomy 6 term fear and interpreted it to mean worship is because the word fear means to show reverence. That is, fear in the Old Testament fundamentally means to worship. Either way, whatever words Jesus chose to use, Jesus wants the Devil to know that Jesus both fears God and worships God.

In the same book of Deuteronomy, four chapters after the verse Jesus quoted, there is a verse which is very similar. It's possible that Jesus was thinking of this one and not Deuteronomy 6 as his source.

Either way, the point is clear! Jesus obeyed the Scriptures which commanded him to revere God and to serve God.

Yahweh your God, you shall revere him, you shall serve him, and to him you shall cling (Deuteronomy 10:20; LEB).

God Alone

Temptations will get tougher for all of us. When they come, will you be crystal clear about who you worship? Will you resist the temptation to bow before the savior of the World, the Antichrist? The only way to be strong is through a firm commitment to worshipping and serving God—and God alone.

That is the conviction that strengthened Jesus when he was under temptation. It will work for you too. But let's say it doesn't. Let's say you don't feel strong enough. If you don't, then when the Devil comes knocking at your door, ask Jesus to answer! He knows how to deal with the Devil.