Verse 5 says, “Then the Devil took Him into the holy city and set Him on the wing of the temple.” The Devil’s first temptation of the new King was in the matter of human living. Defeated in this, he turned his second temptation to religion, tempting the new King to demonstrate that He is the Son of God from the wing of the temple. In verse 6 the Devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down; for it is written, He shall give charge to His angels concerning You, and on their hands they shall bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.” There was no need for the Lord Jesus to do this. It was simply a temptation to show that as the Son of God He was able to do things in a miraculous way. Any thought of doing things miraculously in religion is a temptation of the Devil.
The second test is a matter of religion. The most exciting thing in religion is miracles. According to the human concept, any religion that does not have miracles is powerless; the most powerful religion is a religion of miracles. Therefore, Satan brought the new King to the wing of the temple and tempted Him to leap down from it by saying that the angels would protect Him. Do not think that you have never had the thought of doing this kind of thing. In my early days I often thought of doing things to show people that I was a supernatural person and that I had supernatural powers. Have you not had this kind of concept in your Christian life? Sometimes we are tested when there is a need to do something, and at other times we are tested when there is no need. In this instance, there was no need for Jesus to leap down from the wing of the temple.
Sometimes there does seem to be a need for a miracle. Once my youngest brother-in-law became seriously ill. At that time I was tempted to make a show of myself by praying for his healing. I thought, “Now is the time for me to prove to my in-laws and relatives that I am a wonderful person. I shall pray just one prayer, and my brother-in-law will be healed. Doesn’t the Bible say that Jesus heals, that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that we must pray for others? If I do this miracle for my brother-in-law, my mother-in-law will be convinced that I am a supernatural person. In her eyes I am too religious, daily talking about God, Christ, and faith. Imagine what would happen if I went to my brother-in-law and said, ‘Lord Jesus, heal him,’ and he immediately rose up! Not only would he be healed, but I would be manifested. What a wonderful person I would be in the eyes of my mother-in-law!” Was that the Lord’s anointing, the Lord’s leading and guidance, or was it a temptation? Surely it was a temptation. Have you not had such a temptation in the past?
Many young Christians have peculiar concepts regarding the performing of miracles. Some may say, “Since I am one following the Lord and I am in the Lord’s presence as my Emmanuel, I must do something to show others that God is with me.” I know of one dear brother who had such a thought. Convinced that the Lord was with him, he asked the Lord to give him two hundred thousand dollars within a certain number of days. He said, “Lord, You must show the people that You are one with me. You must show them that whatever I ask in Your name, You give me. Lord, I am asking You for two hundred thousand dollars. Within a certain number of days, You must give it to me.” This brother stopped eating and sleeping and began to pray for this amount of money. What kind of prayer was that? It was leaping from the wing of the temple to make a show of himself. In principle we have all done this many times. Every Christian has been tempted in this way.
If the Devil does not tempt us in the matter of our living, he will tempt us in the matter of religion. You may desire to be a great one in religion, to be recognized as a powerful person. Everyone else must walk down from the wing of the temple, but you, a supernatural person, one who is more powerful than others, can leap down. By doing this you become great in Christianity. All the religious “big shots” are those who have yielded to this temptation. If you have become famous in Christianity, if you have succeeded in becoming recognized as a supernatural person, then you have already yielded to this temptation. You have already been defeated by the enemy. However, if you desire to defeat the enemy in this test, you must not leap from the temple. Rather, you must walk down from it as slowly as possible. Let others think that you are weak and incompetent. But you must tell yourself, “I am not walking in power. I am walking in life. I do not care for power—I care for life.” It is easy to say this, but it is difficult to do it. When the opportunity presents itself, although you may not leap from the wing of the temple, you will run down, at least showing that you are a good runner, able to run faster than others. Nevertheless, if we would defeat the enemy, we must be a nobody. Never do anything to prove that you are somebody or something. Let others think that you are nothing. Actually, I am nothing, and my Christ is everything. If you take the standing of being a nobody, you will kill the enemy. You will slay the tempter.