Overcoming Temptations - Lessons From Jesus’ LifeSýnishorn

The Second Temptation of Christ 

In the second temptation of Jesus according to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is taken on top of the temple and asked to jump in order to prove His identity. The location is very important here because the temple is very political in nature. Under the Roman rule Herod had put a statue of a golden eagle to show allegiance to Augustus. This was abominable to the Jews. When patriotic Jews had tried to break it down, Herod rounded them up and executed them. For the Jews, the temple was seen as a place that either Rome ruled or God ruled. If Jesus had jumped from the top of the temple and landed unharmed, then it  would be direct proof to all the Jews that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and would have crowned Him their King. 

Though politically this would have seemed very appealing and the easiest way to claim His position as the ‘Son of God’, Jesus refuses the offer. Jesus showed that His identity was not something for Him to claim through such acts of glory, but by an act which was completely contrary, through the cross. Jesus refuses any offer other than what is rightfully given to Him by the Father. He is unwilling to test God and take the easy way out. 

We, as human beings, always have the tendency to take the easy way out—to get benefits without hard work, to want more appreciation than what we deserve, to gain more material possessions than what is rightfully ours. Our tendency to make ourselves much greater in the eyes of the world far outweigh our security in our identity as children of God. We fail to see the great value that God gives us as His own children and accept offers that can leverage our standings in the world, whether it is our jobs, in the church, within our family or anywhere else. 

But in this passage we see Jesus completely secure in his identity as the Son of God. He does not get enticed by the offers of the world which ultimately lead to devastation. May God open our hearts and our minds to truly understand our worth and value as His children that we may not be seduced by the offers of the world.