The Narrow Path Ministries

I raise this question because as I was listening to a sermon today I was struck by the fact that it seems the devil is able to transport human beings from one place to another. This, of course, appears to have happened during the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Satan took Jesus to a couple of high spots on earth. This made me think about this as I have never before. Is it true that Satan can do this or was this a once only deal?

Any thoughts.

Isnt it possible that Satan created "images" as opposed to actually transporting Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, e.g.? that is how i always viewed this. of course i could be wrong. i personally dont think that Satan has the power to "beam" people somewhere. does he?

TK

I've wondered about this too.

The NIV wrote: Matthew 4
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said....

Mark 1
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Luke 4
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry....

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him....

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:5 was the verse that sort of freaked me out when I first read it. Jesus being led by the devil? How could that be? Was He led by the Spirit for a while then by the devil? Who was He following? I wondered.

If we look at what Matthew said, it sums it up. Jesus was led by the Spirit for the purpose of being tempted by the devil.

Mark said it in short form: "just what happened".

Luke goes further than both by giving details: 1) Jesus was led by the Spirit for, 2) the purpose of being tempted by the devil, and, 3) the devil does it by "leading Jesus" (Luke tells us how it happened).

Jesus' being "led" by the devil doesn't mean He had an allegiance to him. Or that He was following the devil as His ultimate leader. What Luke's version of the story tells us is just how totally human Jesus really was..."in all points tempted as we, yet without sin."

Like Christ was tempted, so God permits us to be tempted -- by the tempter. Like Jesus, we are tempted in our minds..."we bring every thought into the captivity of Christ," wrote Paul. The devil tempts us in our imagination which is what I believe happened when the devil "showed him (Jesus) in an instant all the kingdoms of the world" (I don't think the meaning is: the devil sort of "flew" Jesus around the planet, literally).

The devil can and does tempt us anyplace, including holy places. A "high place" in Bible times was where holy men of God went to pray or receive revelation, like Moses on Mount Sinai. The "highest point of the temple" was either the highest place of the temple itself or the the pinnacle of the temple: a 100 foot high corner of the wall surrounding the city. Tradition says that James the Brother of the Lord was brought to the pinnacle of the temple by the Pharisees and was encouraged to denounce Christ in front of all the people. Of course, he didn't deny the Lord and was killed....

Like Jesus we can be led through temptation ("lead us not into temptation") and be delivered from the evil one ("but deliver us from evil"). Humans have a propensity and/or weakness to be led astray by the devil, who tempts and prompts, offering his "leadership" no matter where we are...even in church, a sacred place of prayer, or a very holy religious site (like the temple for Jesus)....

When Luke says Jesus was led by the devil; I see it more as what we would call "being led on". He was transported only in his imagination, being tempted inside His mind...just as we can be and are, imo.
Thanks Allyn,
Rick

P.S. I wasn't trying to make this like, a sermon, or anything, lol

Is it possible that Jesus was fighting His inner demons so to speak? Is it possible that it was an inner struggle that all us humans experience in the temptation of pride and desire and importance? Your comments have made me think of this now.

Maybe it wasn't the devil in appearance but the mind games that temptation puts us through and Jesus fought this struggle and won. He was tempted in every way.

Maybe it wasn't the devil in appearance but the mind games that temptation puts us through and Jesus fought this struggle and won. He was tempted in every way.



Some people think the devil is not a real being but the way he is described in scripture as a whole makes him sound real. Jesus said to the Pharisees "your father the devil", therefore did Jesus mean that their temptations were their father. Or the devil "was a liar from the beginning" , our temptations may lead us astray but generally they are not lying temptations just tempting temptations.

Hi again Allyn

You wrote:Is it possible that Jesus was fighting His inner demons so to speak? Is it possible that it was an inner struggle that all us humans experience in the temptation of pride and desire and importance? Your comments have made me think of this now.{/quote]

Maybe it wasn't the devil in appearance but the mind games that temptation puts us through and Jesus fought this struggle and won. He was tempted in every way.

This passage immediately comes to mind!

John 14, NASB wrote: 28"You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you ' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29"Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
30"I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
31but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me Get up, let us go from here.

v. 30b: ESV has "he has no claim on me"

In a very non-literal sense, I think I might know what you mean about Jesus fighting His inner demons (as a kind of popular psychology analogy of self-identity or "dealing with personal issues"). Jesus definitely had some personal issues, being the Son of God and so on!!!

Yet where does spiritual warfare happen? Inside! Jesus fought demons, binding and casting them out. Yet the devil himself was trying to get inside of Jesus! Not "a" demon or demons. I can't imagine a human being being totally owned (possessed) by the devil himself! But it sure seems like Jesus could and did imagine what this would be like in His mind...the devil himself was right there making the offer: follow me ("led").

The Bible doesn't say if Jesus saw the devil during the temptation in a physical, semi-mystical or other way. We do know Jesus "saw Satan fall like lightning" for however awesome and terrible that may have looked.

Inspiring thread, Allyn...Yer makin it real, Bro! JESUS Reigns!!!

Rick,

You've done a great job of describing how I've always felt about this. Interestingly, this is exactly the point I am to in Steve's "Life of Christ" series.

Perry

Perry, Thanks...I had to study it out a while back
'Good series (Life of Christ) which I haven't heard all of...which lecture you on now? PM me on it if you want.

Perry, Steve, Allyn,

Are mind games games?
Perhaps, metaphorically speaking.
But in real life they're Serious Biznis!

Tennis mind game analogy:
Christ's temptation & ministry: "Jesus' Ad"
Trial & Crucifixion: "Deuce"
Jesus died: "devil's Ad"
The REZ: "Jesus' Ad"
Ascension & Enthronement: "GAME!"

To extend this to the temptation, Jesus was "led by the devil" like how a tennis player is led to the ball that's been hit in whatever direction...I need sleep, lol

Of course I was just using the venecular of the day to describe a thought about this temptation of Christ. I had always considered before that Satan was there standing in the desert and Jesus was there, vulnerable. And then Satan actually took Jesus here and there. But when I heard this reference to the temptation of Christ in this sermon on the radio, it suddenly occurred to me to question my first belief. I think it is that I never really gave it any thought before and now that I am I see that it was a much deeper attack on Jesus then just the physical.

I am sure, since most of you have seemed to be beyond my original beliefs on this subject, that this is elementary to you, but I just love it when inspiration takes hold and reveals deeper truth.

I like that analogy Rick C! I'll have to remember that one.

I truly think that the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness was more than just him dealing with inner struggles. I think the devil was really there, perhaps not visibly, but i really think he was there, in that spot, egging Jesus on. i think the occasion required the devil's best efforts.

TK