The Father of Deception

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all (Luke 4: 9-15).

As the devil continues his temptation of Christ, the Spirit of Truth gives us some amazing revelation here. The tempter’s primary weapon has always been and will always be deception. He failed to get Jesus to exercise His power for selfish and fleshly purposes… “Command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3). He failed to get Jesus to worship someone other than God… “If you, then, will worship me” (Luke 4:7). Today we see that he failed to get Jesus to test God’s faithfulness to His Word… “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”. In this final temptation, the Spirit shows us that though he relies on deception as his primary weapon in tempting us, it is the devil himself that is truly and thoroughly deceived. He was so humiliated that he abruptly departed, to return for one more miserable and failed effort to tempt Christ at what he thought was a more opportune time, Calvary’s cross. Truly, the Spirit inspired Luke to record here the revelation of Satan, the father of deception.

God’s Son is the pinnacle of our life. Satan was deceived when he thought he could install Christ on the highest point of the temple. God had already ordained that Christ was to be the head of God’s temple, the church… “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent” (Colossians 1:18). The Spirit teaches that true believers are God’s temple today… “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Diligent disciples who make Christ the head of their lives and local churches that focus their efforts on making disciples while trusting Christ to build His church will experience victory over the father of deception.

God’s Word is the point of our faith. Satan’s selfish corruption of God’s Word in tempting God’s Son is a warning to earnest disciples to diligently seek the whole truth of God’s Word in order to recognize and resist deception. Like the devil, there are teachers and preachers who selectively teach and preach parts of God’s Word for corrupt and selfish purposes… “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Earnest disciples who love and abide in the whole truth of God’s word will enjoy victory over the father of deception.

God’s Spirit is the power of our victory over temptation. When the devil suddenly departed, Jesus was left clinging to the pinnacle of the temple. In the next sentence we see that Jesus… “Returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee”. The same Spirit that led Him into the wilderness had never left Him throughout His confrontation with the devil, and now carefully carried Him down from the highest point of the temple and empowered Him to begin His ministry in Galilee. Effective disciples are not only immersed in the truth of God’s Word, we are also immersed in the power of God’s Spirit… “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Productive disciples do not operate in their own strength, but we wait patiently and expectantly for the power of the Holy Spirit… “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Prevailing disciples who trust in the power of the Spirit will encounter victory over the father of deception.

As we grow up into Christ as our head and are immersed in His Word and His Spirit we will recognize and resist the temptations of Satan,

The Father of Deception.