“IF YOU WORSHIP ME, IT WILL ALL BE YOURS” (V. 7)

“IF YOU WORSHIP ME, IT WILL ALL BE YOURS” (V. 7)

We cannot imagine Christ ever being the least bit tempted to worship Satan, but can we not imagine that He might have been tempted to rip Satan’s authority out of his hands?

Christ didn’t challenge Satan’s ability to make such an offer. We can assume Satan had the authority as the prince of this world. It’s true the authority God has allowed Satan is limited and temporary, but it is nonetheless very real.

Can you imagine how Christ must feel as He watches the state of the world under the influence of the evil prince’s authority? Oppression, violence, and deception characterize the world God loves. Surely Christ is counting the days until He grabs the deed restriction to the world and reigns in righteousness.

Satan was hoping Christ would be so anxious to secure the world that He’d worship him. Needless to say, Satan was wrong. Christ will most assuredly reign over this world, but not until all things have happened according to God’s kingdom calendar.

Once again Christ called on Scripture, this time with the specific application: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only” (v. 8). Christ adamantly resisted worshiping Satan as a way to gain the world. So Satan moved to his third temptation.