And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”
The story seems incredible and the ilk of legends. How the devil confronted Christ in the wilderness and showed him all the kingdoms in a moment. Amazing. As I reflect on it I am drawn to the conclusion that it comes from the very lips of Jesus.. perhaps it was part of a teaching told to the disciples? The story paints a troubling picture of the devil as a powerful entity on planet earth. Yet the power he exerts is resisted with the words "it is written".
I find it interesting how the Lord uses his voice to combat evil, sickness and lies as he ministers. In this instance he does not argue with the devil but merely speaks the scripture to him. It is an powerful example to us of how we should handle temptations. First we must embrace the word of God as powerful - we must read and believe it. And when we are tempted to worship another we will have the power to resist by speaking the precious word.
You alone are worthy of my worship Lord. I bow to you alone.
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