In the second temptation, it is not probable that they left the wilderness, but that Satan was allowed to sug- gest to our Lord's mind the ]dace and the marvel that could be wrought there. They stood, it has been sug- gested, on the lofty porch that overhung the valley of Kedron, where the steep side of the valley was added to the height of the Temple (Josephns, A nt. xv, 1 1 , h), and made a depth that the eye could scarcely have borne to look down upon. "Cast thyself down" — perform in the holy city, in a public place, a wonder that will at once make all men confess that none but the Son of (iod could perform it. A passage from Psalm xci is quoted to give a color to the argument. Our Lord rejilies by an allusion to another text that carries us back again to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness: " Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah" (Deut. vi, 16). Their conduct is more fully described by the psalmist as a tempting of God : "They tempted (iod in their heart by asking meat for their lust; yea, they spake against God: they said, Can God furnish a tal)le in the wilderness? Behold he smote the rock that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? Can he provide flesh for his people?" (Psa. Ixxviii). Just parallel was the temptation here. God has protected thee so far, brought thee up, put his seal upon thee by
TEMPTATION OF CHRIST 269 TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
manifest proofs of his favor. Can he do this also? Can he send the angels to buoy tliee up in thy descent? Can he make the air thick to sustain and the earth soft to receive thee? The appropriate answer is, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy Gotl."
In the third temptation it is not asserted that there is any mountain from which the eyes of common men can see the world and its kingdoms at once displayed; it was with the mental vision of One who knew all things that these kingdoms and their glory were seen. Satan has now begun to discover, if he knew not from the beginning, that One is here who can become the King over them all. He says, " All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me." In Luke the words are fuller: "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them, for tliat is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it;" but these words are the lie of the tempter, which he uses to mis- lead. " Thou art come to be great — to be a King on the earth ; but I am strong, and will resist thee. Thy followers shall be imprisoned and slain; some of them shall fall away through fear; others shall forsake thy cause, loving this present world. Cast in thy lot with me ; let thy kingdom be an earthly kingdom, only the greatest of all — a kingdom such as the Jews seek to see established on the throne of David. Worship me by living as the children of this world live, and so honor- ing me in thy life: then all shall be thine." The Lord knows that the tempter is right in foretelling such trials to him ; but though clouds and darkness hang over the path of his ministry he must work the work of him that sent him, and not another work : he must worship God, and none other. " Get thee lience, Satan ; for it is writ- ten, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." As regards the order of the tempta- tions, there are internal marks that the account of Matthew assigns them their historical order. Luke transposes the last two, for which various reasons are suggested by commentators (Matt, iv, 1-11 ; Mark i, 12, IS'^; Luke iv, 1-13).
The three temptations are addressed to the three forms in which the disease of sin makes its appearance on the soul — to the solace of sense, and the love of praise, and the desire of gaiu (I John ii, 16). But there is one element common to them all — thej- are attempts to call up a wilful and wayward spirit in contrast to a patient self-denying one. — Smith. See Tempt.
The author of Ecce Homo, although he takes too sub- jective a view of the last temptation scene, has admi- rably developed the thought, as lying at the foundatiou of Christ's whole public demeanor, that he was con- stantly on his guard against the prevailing notion of an establishment of the Messiah's kingdom hy force in- stead of the influence of love; and he well observes that the temptation to this course was one that must have presented itself at some time to the Redeemer's mind.
II. CrediMlify and Design of the Narrative. — That when our Lord retired to the interior part of the wil- derness the enemy of mankind should present the most plausible temptation to our Redeemer, under these try- ing circumstances, is perfectly consistent with the ma- levolence of his character. The grand question is. Why was Satan suifered thus to insult the Son of God? Wherefore did the Redeemer suffer his state of retire- ment to be thus disturbed with the malicious sugges- tions of tlie liend? It maybe answered that herein (1) he gave an instance of his own condescension and hu- miliation, (2) he hereby proved his power over the tempter, (3) he set an example of firmness and virtue to his followers, and (4) he here affords consolation to his suffering people by showing not only that he him- self was tempted, but is able to succor those who are tempted (Heb. ii, 13; iv, 15).— Buck.