Luke 4:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Instead, be filled with the Spirit and develop a disdain for earthly pleasures. If you desire to prevail, consider fasting. The devil will certainly attempt to tempt you through others. While Jesus confronts the evil one directly, he instead uses others to entice you. When someone advises you, "You’re strong, indulge in food and drink, and you'll remain strong," recognize those words as coming from the devil. Do not place too much confidence in your own strength, and do not hesitate to seek assistance that Christ, who required no aid, understood you would need. He taught, “See that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness” (Luke 21:34). Paul was unashamed to acknowledge his need for support when he expressed, "I do not run aimlessly” (1 Cor. 9:26). The apostle did not merely flail about; he triumphed over the spiritual forces of darkness. He disciplined and brought his body into submission so that after preaching to others, he would not be disqualified (1 Cor. 9:27). Simultaneously, the devil reveals his own impotence and malice, as he possesses no ability to inflict harm unless a person chooses to fall. When one turns away from the heavenly towards the earthly, they essentially cast themselves into destruction, losing their secure footing in life.

Let us explore this temptation more closely. As St. Matthew recounts, the devil transported Him to the holy city. The term used here is understood by some to imply that he lifted Christ and carried Him through the air, but this interpretation is mistaken. St. Matthew conveys the sense of journeying rather than being airborne, similar to the account of the Lord's ascent with His disciples to the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1); this understanding is corroborated by St. Luke, who states, "and led him to Jerusalem."

A pertinent question arises: why did the Lord permit such insolence? Why did He submit to the devil's movement from place to place? Fortunately, early interpreters have provided insight into this matter. They identified this act as a manifestation of Christ's profound self-denial. Gregory the Great remarks that it is not surprising for Christ to allow Himself to be guided by the devil, as He permitted His own members, such as Pilate and the Jews, to crucify Him. Blessed Jerome also aptly observes that this act does not stem from the Lord's weakness, but from the pride of the enemy, who mistakenly believes that he can manipulate the Savior's will.

St. Matthew categorizes Jerusalem as a holy city, a title carried from the Old Testament (Isaiah 48:2; 52:1; Nehemiah 11:1), signifying it as the city of God, the city of the Great King (Matthew 5:35). If the tempter dares to approach the sacred places of God, it shows his utter contempt for these sanctified grounds. By the culmination of the earthly age, as the Apostle Paul testifies, the audacity of this evil spirit will grow to the extent of infiltrating the temple of God, positioning himself there as if he were God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Considering this, it seems fitting to add that the devil, in employing Scripture during this second temptation, selected a setting universally acknowledged as one where God's presence was especially manifest. For those who are pure, all things are pure, but for those who are impure, nothing remains pure. Satan deliberately seeks the purest locations to corrupt, as evidenced by his choice of the temple of Jerusalem to challenge the Lord. He set Him upon the edge of the temple — the "wing of the church," which likely refers to one of the side structures of the temple—naos, comparable in form to the outspread wings of a bird. However, it is difficult to definitively identify which specific building it was.

Among the known side buildings of the Jerusalem temple are the king's vestibule on the southern side and Solomon's vestibule on the eastern side. The first was perched upon a deep precipice, so high that to gaze down from above was to tremble. Solomon's vestibule, being in a more accessible location, had a spacious courtyard before it where people could gather. If the devil harbored hopes that Christ would leap from heights due to vanity at his suggestion, he presumably chose Solomon's narthex for this temptation. For, indeed, if Christ were to fall to the ground unharmed before the people, it would not only be an extraordinary miracle but also a manifestation that would illuminate the temple's glory and exalt the Messiah.

The Jews hoped for such a sign from the Messiah to affirm His divine identity: "We want to see a sign from You" (Matthew 12:38). The Old Testament prophecies regarding the glory of God revealed over Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:1-2) lent credence to this expectation. The tempter insinuates, as if to say, let us not dwell on the ordinary, but ascend to the heights of the temple; if You are the Son of God, who must demonstrate Your power through signs and wonders, this is the perfect opportunity. If You need proof from God's own mouth, here it is (Matthew 6:6): "They shall give their angels charge over You, and in their hands, they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone" (Psalm 90:11-12). With these words, the devil reminds the Lord that supernatural aid is at His disposal, rendering it safe for Him to descend.

The essence of this temptation lies in inciting Christ to compel a divine miracle, revealing vanity and spiritual pride within Him. If assistance is promised to all who trust in God, as the devil insinuates, then surely such support would be even more available to the Son of God, with the angels ensuring His safety. The 90th Psalm, which the tempter references, pertains not specifically to the Messiah but applies to all believers. Nonetheless, it could be argued, as Origen, St. Chrysostom, and Blessed Jerome have suggested, that Satan misapplies this in reference to Christ, because the promise contained within the Psalm for believers can also be relevant to Christ, who represents all believers.

Satan's deceit does not stem from the application of the cited words but rather from the strategic omission of crucial elements that alter the nature of the quoted passage. After "I will command My angels concerning You," he neglects to include: "to keep You in all Your ways." This omission is noted by St. Luke in his account, where the tempter's words include "preserve You." Matthew’s text lacks this but, in the Slavonic translation, it is sourced from Luke’s Gospel. The devil intentionally omits these words since the paths referred to in the Psalm embody innocence and holiness, contrasting sharply with the paths of vanity and pride into which he tempts Christ.

He also dismisses the subsequent verse, which foretells his own downfall: "You shall tread upon the lion and the serpent" (Psalm 91:13). Although the adversary omitted reference to his defeat, he cannot escape it: "But Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:7; see also Luke 4:12). This citation is again from Deuteronomy (6:16), employing the Septuagint translation. In the original Hebrew text, the address is in the plural; however, due to the singular use in the preceding and subsequent verses, the Septuagint wisely adopted the singular in verses 16 and 17, anticipating that the Lord would employ this to counter the devil's challenge.

Moses here reminds the Israelites of a well-known historical event in the wilderness when they, parched for water, grumbled against their leader and against God, explicitly demanding a miraculous supply. Indignant, Moses rebuked them, "Why do you reproach me? Why do you tempt the Lord?" (Exodus 17:2). Although the Lord did provide water from the rock to quench the stubborn people's thirst, Moses named the site Massah and Meribah—temptation and rebuke (Exodus 17:7)—demonstrating to the Israelites the inappropriateness of their boldness in testing the Lord.

The words spoken by Moses resonate poignantly during Christ’s temptation. By referring to this passage in Deuteronomy, Jesus highlights the insolence and malice inherent in Satan's suggestion. If Moses recognized it as a provocation to God to demand a miraculous satisfaction of thirst, it would be all the more a provocation to require divine assistance with no genuine need, simply to satiate a vain wish for spectacle before the tempter’s eyes. "God provides help to those in peril, not to those who tempt—for those who are in need, not for those who seek empty glory."

Thus, Christ draws upon the armory of God's Word, wielding a dual-purpose weapon—offensive and defensive. With His declaration, the Lord exposes the devil’s malicious manipulation of Scripture while offering us an example of how to rightly employ the Word: by grasping the full spirit of Scripture, we can discern its harmony and interpretation, thus providing ourselves with solid support in our struggles against temptation.

Therefore, if You are the awaited Savior, if You are genuinely the Son of God, You must reveal Yourself to Your people with heavenly majesty, with angels descending directly from heaven...! You base Your actions on Scripture; You have already declined to turn stones into bread because Scripture states that man shall not live by bread alone; remember that the same Scripture declares, 'He will command His angels to guard You, and they will uphold You in their hands, lest Your foot strike against a stone.' The angels will uphold You in their arms! What an incredible chance! Cast Yourself down! For the angels will swiftly lift You up and present You to the astonished crowd—bringing You from heaven to earth, directly to Your people, who will surely rejoice to receive You in such a magnificent manner! Why opt for a different method of revealing Yourself, one fraught with hardship for both Yourself and those who will believe in You? Would it not be better to reveal Yourself to Israel right away, free of suffering, in the splendor of celestial power? You trust in the Holy Scriptures, do you not?! Do you truly believe that the angels will protect You to the extent of not allowing Your foot to touch the stone, but will carry You in their arms? If you have that faith, and certainly if you are the Son of God, there is nothing to fear! Therefore, demonstrate that You are indeed the Son of God. Make Your choice! Cast Yourself down. Cast Yourself down. Cast Yourself down. It is important to note that in the second temptation, the devil intentionally left out crucial words from the psalm to which he referred. David's psalm states, ‘For He will command His angels concerning You—to guard You in all Your ways’ (Psalm 90:11); however, the devil omitted the phrase, 'in all Your ways,' as it contradicted his suggestion for throwing Himself down from the temple's pinnacle. To leap from the temple’s roof is to employ a means that directly opposes the Redeemer’s mission or to pursue His objective in ways not designated by the Father.

The specific location of the temple's pinnacle is unclear; it could be the roof of the royal portico on the temple's southern edge, which overlooked the steeply descending Kidron Valley from a dangerous height, as described by Flavius Josephus, who noted that the abyss could induce dizziness in anyone who dared to peer down. Alternatively, it might be the top of Solomon's porch, where, according to tradition, St. James, the brother of the Lord, was cast into the courtyard. Both locations served the tempter's aim to provoke within Jesus a sense of pride and vanity. If He truly were the Son of God, why should He not leap from such a dizzying height to demonstrate His divine nature before all in the city, thus hastening the realization of His mission? As the Son of God, He could certainly trust in angelic protection, for it is proclaimed, "He will command His angels concerning Thee, and they shall bear Thee up in their arms, lest Thou stumble at a stone with Thy feet" (Psalm 90:11-12). Would this not serve as a remarkable testament to His boundless faith in God and the fulfillment of prophecy? The temptation was crafted with sophistication and depth, as the devil even quoted Scripture to validate his ploy.

Upon this portico, referred to as Solomon's Porch (John 10:23; Acts 3:11), the devil positions Jesus, hoping to instill in Him a sense of pride by virtue of His elevated stance above the temple.

To further his deception, the tempter employs passages from Holy Scripture, but as noted by Blessed Isidore of Pelusium, he is condemned rather than praised for his knowledge; his understanding is rendered pointless as he fails to act according to the Scriptures, wielding them for malicious intent rather than righteous purpose. The devil aims to stir in the Lord feelings of vanity, arrogance, and spiritual pride. Yet the Lord, with calm and simplicity, counters this temptation, using the same scripture to strike back: “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 6:16). These words were originally spoken by Moses to the Israelites who called for a miracle due to their thirst (Exodus 17:1). In the mouth of Jesus, they convey the message that one should not seek to compel God’s omnipotence to perform miracles unnecessarily.

God does not perform miracles devoid of moral necessity or without the prompting of those in need. His miracles align with divine wisdom and purpose, and are not meant merely to stimulate outward emotions or create spectacles. As noted by Blessed Isidore, God aids those who are truly in peril, not those who pursue temptations for mere display or empty glory. In rejecting this temptation from the devil, the Lord elucidates that we can truly expect divine assistance only when we responsibly use the natural abilities and resources bestowed upon us by God, avoiding both neglect and misuse.