Fast 40: Practicing the Ancient Spiritual Discipline of Lentಮಾದರಿ

It is no coincidence that when the Devil took Jesus up to the mountain, he tempted Him with the highest form of evil.

The greatest sin is pride, but the greatest expression of pride is idolatry—when we turn something good into God. Idolatry happens when we turn creation into the Creator and exalt the means over the End.

In this passage of Scripture, the Devil tempted Jesus to worship him, to quite literally become a Satanist. But why would Jesus even consider doing that? Because of the bribe. The Devil, as the father of all manipulators, offered Jesus the “kingdoms of the world"—fame and fortune, gold and glory, prosperity and popularity—in return for a single worship service.

I imagine the Devil whispering in Christ’s ear: “Think of the Christian influence you’ll have if you just compromise.” And that temptation continues throughout the history of the Church. Think of the bribes our world offers Christians: money, success, power, status, acceptance, etc., if we will only compromise our morality; if we will only make the Gospel more palatable; if we will only tolerate error and evil; if we will only give the Devil a foothold.