The Temptation of Pride: 2 beautiful lessons from the 2nd Temptation of Jesus

Hello People,

So, as promised, this post is the 2nd in the 3-part series of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.

I am particularly excited about this series because of all the juicy insights I have gleaned and their applicability in my life.

I firmly believe that God's word is not just for some extraterrestrial beings somewhere in a spooky sphere but it is alive and active and is a mine of untapped treasures and riches which we must depend on to live life to its fullest and fulfill God's plan here on this side of eternity.

On this note, I welcome you to the 2nd part of a 3-part series of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. You know I must admit, I was awestruck when my eyes opened to the subtle element of intentionality shrouded in this particular temptation.

Read on and let us know if this blessed you...

The Temptation of Pride

 

Today, we discuss the 2^nd temptation (according to Matthew’s account) of Jesus in the wilderness post-baptism. I know that the 1^st temptation had an element of pride in it, but I have named this one ‘the temptation of pride’ because of the appearance of a ‘strong’ element of intentionality.

So, this drama played out in Matt. 4:5-6 and it reads thus “⁵Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Initially, I thought this was the devil trying to get Jesus to prove to the angels that He was the Boss so I felt, well, it’s not good to prove oneself per se (when you are not yeast, bakers will understand). However, a deeper dive into the temptation revealed something more sinister.

1.      The location

Why the change in geographic location from the 1^st temptation? What was special about the holy city and the pinnacle of the temple?

To answer this, imagine Jesus on the highest point of the temple, miles away from ground level and He throws Himself down. Imagine the plethora of angels that would be dispatched immediately to bear Him up lest he dashes his foot. What a scene! The awe….the theatrics…the proof of His heavenly citizenship…men standing in disbelief….the honour….the respect….the supposed pride in Jesus’ heart as Son….the everything. Imagine X-men or Star-wars! You know, men may have enthroned Him immediately and crowned Him as King. Kai! Where are those fireworks when you need them?

But Jesus answered and said: …”It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”. Tempt God? How? I was wondering, isn’t it Jesus being tempted here? Why drag God into this? You see, when you are tempted to prove yourself even after God has authenticated your sonship or spoken to you, understand that underneath that dark cloak of pride may be a warm invitation to something more – tempting God. Intentionally putting yourself in harm’s way and asking God to prove Himself.

Please, do not tempt God by proving anything…resist the temptation to always be ‘right’, this is dangerous because this is the realm where the enemy loves to operate. You see that person or circumstance dragging you to the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city so that you can ‘show’ yourself. Run!

2.      The act: Cast yourself down!

So, Jesus arrives at the pinnacle of the temple and satan says ‘cast yourself down”. Note here, that no one was to push Jesus down, He was to undertake the action Himself. This was not a case of ‘falling’ into temptation, rather this was a call to mastermind His fall. This was a deliberate and intentional call to doom even though it appeared like a call to glory.

When you sense a push to orchestrate your own temptation, to utilize your resources, to commute to the ‘holy city’, climb to the ‘pinnacle of the temple’, assume a vantage position and ‘throw’ yourself down. Just know that ‘na express you dey go so’. Feel free to make a mental note of your resources and as you pray “…and lead us not into temptation”, remember to point to yourself also.