Satan Tempts Jesus – Matthew 4, KJV
1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God. ”
8Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Re-interpretation
This story, is a merging of three different visits by the devil, and the very last thing that happened was the testing for 40 days and 40 nights. I’ve tried to word it more accurately, but I too have distorted the truth, somewhat, to do that. To make it more understandable in the context of the original summarisation.
Jesus did not fast for 40 days and nights, he was tested for 40 days and nights. At the end of this, Jesus was “hungry” for us all to return home. The Devil said “IF you want them to wake up, command them to”, but Jesus said “You know it has to be their decision, each of them must choose to walk the path home I am offering”. “That path, has always been there and can never be removed. I am simply here to show it, and show that it is they themselves that have hidden it.”
Then the Devil took him to the Temple, and said “God said he would give his angels charge over you, to help you. Where are they now?”, and Jesus replied, “You are that angel, and I welcome your help.”.
The devil said, “But are they not supposed to bear you up”, and Jesus said, “here we are, up!”, “You have born me”.
Then the devil took Jesus to the highest mountain, and together they surveyed the kingdoms below.
The Devil said “God made me to challenge you, to see if your belief in him can penetrate the fear I and my followers have taught you to have since childhood, only those that can see it is themselves behind this fearful mask can pass, you have passed, these kingdoms are yours, but those kingdoms still have to accept it.
I will continue to make them fear, I will continue to squeeze them. I can only do this, while they will it to be, we shall see what they want”.
Then the Devil left him. And the angels that came to guide him back, they warned him that he might not take the people back home this time. And so Jesus understood that he might die, that they may have to do this, to prevent his full actualisation.
