Temptation #2
After the first temptation, "the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple." I had always assumed that this meant that Satan had shown Jesus the perspective from the pinnacle of the temple in some sort of satanic "vision." The JST of Matthew 4:5 changes the meaning from Satan taking Jesus up there to "Then Jesus was taken up into the holy city, and the Spirit setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple." An article entitled " " points out that "This important distinction clarifies that Jesus traveled with the Spirit and not at the whim and will of the adversary." I always wondered why Jesus had seemingly dropped everything that he was doing to follow Satan into whatever place he wanted to take him. The biblical verse makes it sound like Satan kidnapped Jesus, which has many implications such as Satan being able to over power us to tempt us, and we know that those beings with bodies have power over those who do not. Satan cannot overpower us without our consent, he does not have more power than we do, but this verse sure makes it seem like he does. No wonder Satan wanted it changed.
When I imagine the "pinnacle of the temple" I think about our current temples, and I assume that "pinnacle" means "highest point" so I imagine Jesus standing on the top of angel Moroni's head and I think "why would the Spirit take him there?" Satan's temptation was for Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple and cause a scene, but when I imagine Jesus standing on top of one of our temples, I think "he's already causing a scene." If Satan's temptation is for Jesus to make a scene, that implies that Jesus wasn't already making a scene, which indicates that the place that Jesus was standing at the time Satan came was a common place for people to be. If no one was ever standing on the pinnacle of the temple, then that in itself would be a disruption, but the way Satan says it, it makes it sound like, up until that point, Jesus had gone relatively unnoticed. Where Jesus was and how the scene was set up makes much more sense after doing a little bit of research on the temple during Jesus's time. In the Ensign article entitled " " we learn that "the entire Temple area was enclosed by a high retaining wall. Since the southwestern corner of the wall provides the best angel for looking out over the city, a few recent researchers believe this is the Pinnacle of the Temple where Jesus was tempted. In the ruins of that corner, researchers discovered a carved platform stone with a Hebrew inscription, indicating that this is where a herald would stand to blow the shofar, signaling the advent of holy days. The south eastern corner of the traditional candidate for the Pinnacle of the Temple. It is the highest point along the whole length of the walls of the Temple Mount- 211 feet, or 64 meters. From the top of this point to the bottom of the Kidron Valley was a drop of more than 400 feet- the highest man-made height ever achieved anciently in the Holy Land." The pinnacle of the temple referred to one of two places on the wall surrounding Herod's temple in Jerusalem. It would have been common for people to be on the wall walking around, guards for sure, but probably common people as well. Surely if Satan's temptation was for Jesus to make a scene, then he must have been inconspicuous at the time of the suggestion.
Assuming that Jesus is standing in a place that is common for people to stand, but high enough to get a good view of the city, what would be the appeal in Satan's suggestion: "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." Satan tries a "it is written," to convince Jesus that what he's suggesting is a legitimate option. He also tempts with the option to confirm what Jesus already believes, that He is the Son of God, and that the Father will save him. Jesus has already passed on the temptation of confirmation, so it would make sense that Satan had another reason for this temptation to be appealing. In "The Temptations of Christ," Elder Howard W. Hunter teaches, "There lurked in this appeal from Satan another temptation of the human side of mortal nature- the nature to perform some dazzling feat, some astounding exploit which might bring crowds of amazed and attentive onlookers. Surely leaping from the dizzy heights of the temple turret and landing in the courtyard unhurt would be such a feat." Would Jesus really be tempted by fame? No, I sure wouldn't be. But there is another facet to this temptation that is really appealing, especially to those who love the gospel and want the same happiness it brings for others. Elder Hunter continues, "This would be public recognition that Jesus was a superior being and did have a message from on high. It would be a sign and a wonder, the fame of which would spread like wildfire throughout all Judaea and cause many to believe that the Messiah had indeed come." This is a perspective that appeals to me personally, the concept that I could be involved in something so miraculous that people can't help to believe. I would look at this opportunity and think "that's totally worth it," to be able to "convince" others of the gospel and help them come unto Christ, that's what the gospel is for, I could totally see myself thinking "yeah, that's a good idea."
Why did Jesus decline throwing Himself from the pinnacle of the temple and having the angels catch him? As tempting as it might have been to "convince" some of the gospel, we know that faith must precede the miracle. Miracles don't convert, they can only strengthen the faith that is already there. Throwing Himself off of the temple would not have given anyone the strength of testimony that would be required for a disciple. Additionally, the IM tells us, "The Savior's refusal to throw Himself from the temple and trust the angels to prevent His fall provides two important insights into His character. First, He refused to make a self-serving display of His power as the Son of God." Jumping from the temple and being saved would have been a miracle for sure, but who would it have benefitted? No one, really. No one would have been helped physically bettered, spiritually more aware, it wasn't like any of his other healing miracles or the ones he did later to ease burdens or bring comfort or to open understanding. Satan's suggestion would have done none of those, it only would have brought temporary fame to the Savior.
The IM continues, "Second, He was unwilling to deliberately place Himself in circumstances from which He would need divine rescue. The Savior's example encourages us to likewise avoid situations, activities, and materials that are potentially harmful." This is like those times when people are inspired to do things to avoid a situation where their only option out would be a miracle. For instance, Alma sneaking out at night with his people away from their Lamanite captors. Joseph taking Mary and Jesus to Egypt to get away from Herod. Abraham telling Sarah to tell the Egyptians that she is his sister so they won't kill him. Joseph Smith going into hiding when persecutions abounded. There are so many times in the scriptures and church history where I think "why is the Lord telling them to take the easy way out, why don't they just command God's power to save them or get the job done?" This is why, JTC says, "It is truly a blasphemous interference with the prerogatives of Deity to set limitations or make fixations of time or place at which the divine power shall be made manifest as it is to attempt to usurp that power. God alone must decide when and how His wonders shall be wrought." If we are commanded to do something, we are required to do it, not wait until a miracle is the only possibility for our rescue. God can save us from anything or anyone, but we are to trust His judgment when he tells us what to do, even if that is not the fantastic display of miracles that we want or expect.
Jesus replies "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Interestingly, this isn't a reference to Satan tempting the actual Lord his God, but a reference to, as JTC tells us, "the lines of the psalmist were met by the binding fiat of the prophet of the exodus, in which he had commanded Israel that they should not provoke nor tempt the Lord to work miracles among them." This was a reply, again drawn from the scriptures, which was specific to the concept of tempting God to work miracles. I thought that that was interesting.
When I imagine the "pinnacle of the temple" I think about our current temples, and I assume that "pinnacle" means "highest point" so I imagine Jesus standing on the top of angel Moroni's head and I think "why would the Spirit take him there?" Satan's temptation was for Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple and cause a scene, but when I imagine Jesus standing on top of one of our temples, I think "he's already causing a scene." If Satan's temptation is for Jesus to make a scene, that implies that Jesus wasn't already making a scene, which indicates that the place that Jesus was standing at the time Satan came was a common place for people to be. If no one was ever standing on the pinnacle of the temple, then that in itself would be a disruption, but the way Satan says it, it makes it sound like, up until that point, Jesus had gone relatively unnoticed. Where Jesus was and how the scene was set up makes much more sense after doing a little bit of research on the temple during Jesus's time. In the Ensign article entitled " " we learn that "the entire Temple area was enclosed by a high retaining wall. Since the southwestern corner of the wall provides the best angel for looking out over the city, a few recent researchers believe this is the Pinnacle of the Temple where Jesus was tempted. In the ruins of that corner, researchers discovered a carved platform stone with a Hebrew inscription, indicating that this is where a herald would stand to blow the shofar, signaling the advent of holy days. The south eastern corner of the traditional candidate for the Pinnacle of the Temple. It is the highest point along the whole length of the walls of the Temple Mount- 211 feet, or 64 meters. From the top of this point to the bottom of the Kidron Valley was a drop of more than 400 feet- the highest man-made height ever achieved anciently in the Holy Land." The pinnacle of the temple referred to one of two places on the wall surrounding Herod's temple in Jerusalem. It would have been common for people to be on the wall walking around, guards for sure, but probably common people as well. Surely if Satan's temptation was for Jesus to make a scene, then he must have been inconspicuous at the time of the suggestion.
Assuming that Jesus is standing in a place that is common for people to stand, but high enough to get a good view of the city, what would be the appeal in Satan's suggestion: "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." Satan tries a "it is written," to convince Jesus that what he's suggesting is a legitimate option. He also tempts with the option to confirm what Jesus already believes, that He is the Son of God, and that the Father will save him. Jesus has already passed on the temptation of confirmation, so it would make sense that Satan had another reason for this temptation to be appealing. In "The Temptations of Christ," Elder Howard W. Hunter teaches, "There lurked in this appeal from Satan another temptation of the human side of mortal nature- the nature to perform some dazzling feat, some astounding exploit which might bring crowds of amazed and attentive onlookers. Surely leaping from the dizzy heights of the temple turret and landing in the courtyard unhurt would be such a feat." Would Jesus really be tempted by fame? No, I sure wouldn't be. But there is another facet to this temptation that is really appealing, especially to those who love the gospel and want the same happiness it brings for others. Elder Hunter continues, "This would be public recognition that Jesus was a superior being and did have a message from on high. It would be a sign and a wonder, the fame of which would spread like wildfire throughout all Judaea and cause many to believe that the Messiah had indeed come." This is a perspective that appeals to me personally, the concept that I could be involved in something so miraculous that people can't help to believe. I would look at this opportunity and think "that's totally worth it," to be able to "convince" others of the gospel and help them come unto Christ, that's what the gospel is for, I could totally see myself thinking "yeah, that's a good idea."
Why did Jesus decline throwing Himself from the pinnacle of the temple and having the angels catch him? As tempting as it might have been to "convince" some of the gospel, we know that faith must precede the miracle. Miracles don't convert, they can only strengthen the faith that is already there. Throwing Himself off of the temple would not have given anyone the strength of testimony that would be required for a disciple. Additionally, the IM tells us, "The Savior's refusal to throw Himself from the temple and trust the angels to prevent His fall provides two important insights into His character. First, He refused to make a self-serving display of His power as the Son of God." Jumping from the temple and being saved would have been a miracle for sure, but who would it have benefitted? No one, really. No one would have been helped physically bettered, spiritually more aware, it wasn't like any of his other healing miracles or the ones he did later to ease burdens or bring comfort or to open understanding. Satan's suggestion would have done none of those, it only would have brought temporary fame to the Savior.
The IM continues, "Second, He was unwilling to deliberately place Himself in circumstances from which He would need divine rescue. The Savior's example encourages us to likewise avoid situations, activities, and materials that are potentially harmful." This is like those times when people are inspired to do things to avoid a situation where their only option out would be a miracle. For instance, Alma sneaking out at night with his people away from their Lamanite captors. Joseph taking Mary and Jesus to Egypt to get away from Herod. Abraham telling Sarah to tell the Egyptians that she is his sister so they won't kill him. Joseph Smith going into hiding when persecutions abounded. There are so many times in the scriptures and church history where I think "why is the Lord telling them to take the easy way out, why don't they just command God's power to save them or get the job done?" This is why, JTC says, "It is truly a blasphemous interference with the prerogatives of Deity to set limitations or make fixations of time or place at which the divine power shall be made manifest as it is to attempt to usurp that power. God alone must decide when and how His wonders shall be wrought." If we are commanded to do something, we are required to do it, not wait until a miracle is the only possibility for our rescue. God can save us from anything or anyone, but we are to trust His judgment when he tells us what to do, even if that is not the fantastic display of miracles that we want or expect.
Jesus replies "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Interestingly, this isn't a reference to Satan tempting the actual Lord his God, but a reference to, as JTC tells us, "the lines of the psalmist were met by the binding fiat of the prophet of the exodus, in which he had commanded Israel that they should not provoke nor tempt the Lord to work miracles among them." This was a reply, again drawn from the scriptures, which was specific to the concept of tempting God to work miracles. I thought that that was interesting.
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