Without focusing unduly on the various temptations Jesus faced, today’s Holy Nougat is worth reflecting on.
“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”” Matthew 4:8-9 NLT
Who We Worship
Jesus had been fasting. It was a 40-day fast, He should be hungry and tired. Yet, according to the report from the Gospel reports, the Devil had tempted Him twice already at the end. Knowing what Jesus had been doing, despite the exchange of Scripture, the slick and subtle enemy of our souls advanced again. This time he showed his hand: what he really wanted was for Jesus to worship Him!
Yes. Just like that.
Knowing Jesus’ true identity didn’t phase him. For Jesus was in human form. He had yet to come into His God-ordained Purpose. A few folks knew about His capabilities, but the ones who were around at His birth to experience God’s glory and the heavenly celebrations were either dead or family. If the Devil could thwart Jesus’ Destiny. What better way than to twist the Truth with an ‘offer Jesus couldn’t resist’: Fast Fame, Fast Fortune, Fast Gratification … the whole world – but there was a catch; only if Jesus would bow before him in worship.
Sounds familiar?
We hear of the downfall of famous people: movie stars, medics, humanitarian relief workers and – church workers and we can’t (well I) can’t help but wonder if they had faced that ‘final temptation’. For there are folks who, despite having a very intimate relationship with Jesus, who yield to the enticement of fame and fortune? I think very few of us perceive our future selves as poor materially and seemingly without influence. Isn’t that used as a selling point in crime syndicates – being party to criminality helps purchase one’s way out of poverty quickly?
Jesus wasn’t poor, but He wasn’t yet globally situated. And He had the decision of His lifetime to make. Many of us have faced/ are facing/ will face this cross-roads at some point. The offer might not be as overt or barefaced as the pitch to Jesus. But ultimately, it is similar. For worship at its basic definition is ‘giving reverence [ie honor] and adoration [ie extreme love and fond/high regard] to a deity’, person or thing.
The Greek, proskuneó, has the same sentiment, but is most frequently used to reference the act of kneeling and kissing the ground on which the deity walked (literally), and one commentator suggests that it amounts to doing everything humanly possible to show allegiance to and adoration for a god. So does it profit us to gain the whole world at the expense of our souls (see Matthew 16:26)? That and more as we reflect tomorrow.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
