Luke 4:5-8 - It is written

4:5-8

There are two interesting points to this part of the episode. One is the temptation itself. Jesus was offered something, but only if He worshipped the devil. Now we need to be careful here. “Worshipping the devil” does not necessarily mean dancing naked round some idol or other at midnight, or some other Hollywood portrayal of devil-worship. In Ephesians 2:2 Paul says all who are disobedient are following the ways of the devil (called the prince of the air, there). Bowing down to the devil means following any unrighteous path, ascribing authority to the world and its ways. Worshipping the devil is a very mundane thing indeed. The parts of the church that choose to go along with the world’s agenda on sexual morality are bowing down to the devil. Jesus again quotes from Deuteronomy, this time from Deut 6:13. This verse comes from a passage where God is preparing the people for living in the Promised Land. They must not worship any false gods, nor follow the ways of the people they were displacing. Jesus was leading humanity out of captivity to sin into the kingdom of God. In the Kingdom only God is to be worshipped.

The second point is how much authority Satan actually has. There are passages in the Bible that show that he does have a degree of authority (John 12:31; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2). However, this authority is only for a time. All power and authority has now been given to Jesus, and He will keep this authority forever (Matt 28:18; Eph 1:21). To bow down to the devil, which means following the world’s ways, is a very foolish thing to do indeed, for it means bowing down to a defeated ruler.