All the Kingdoms of the World

For some reason I've been thinking the last couple of days about Christ's temptation in the desert. We all remember the Sunday school lessons on Satan's attempts at leading Jesus away from God, and how Jesus uses Scripture to turn Satan away. In some ways it's fantastical because there's no way we'll ever be tempted to turn stones into bread to satisfy our hunger (that's a unique temptation to the Son of God since no person could ever do that). And I doubt anyone in their sane mind would want to jump off a building to see if angels come and swoop them up. But Satan's third temptation, the one where he promises Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, has been on my mind.

I'm not sure why I've been thinking about this, but I started thinking about what can I learn about my life and how I'm supposed to live through what Jesus went through in the desert. I've never been taken to the highest mountains and been shown all the world by Satan. But who of us hasn't been shown vast material wealth on television? Who of us doesn't have or know of a friend/acquaintance/colleague who's struck it big and leads a lifestyle of the rich and famous? We're constantly fed images of wealth and material accumulation. So much so in fact that we begin to think that our goal in life is to gather assets and watch those assets grow.

I vaguely remember watching some made for TV movie where Satan was a man in a black suit and he took a person (who I think was Jesus--remember, made for TV, not great quality!) high up on some mountain and showed them the world. Now most, and I daresay all, of us will never be supernaturally taken to some high point and tempted in this manner, but it happens to us everyday. Everyday I'm thinking of ways to make money, gather assets and hoard. I see what someone I know has, and my mind whirls into action into how I can get that same thing.

I guess for me a realization was that Jesus' temptation in the desert is not some fantastical event that can only happen to the Son of God. We undergo the very same temptations each and every day. We so often forsake God for quick satisfaction of our physical needs (turning stone into bread). We so often go against God when someone belittles our assumed abilities and dents our pride (jump and be saved by angels). We so often covet and lust when we see the riches of the world (bow down to Satan and receive the kingdoms of the world). Satan shows us the kingdoms of the world every day, and how many of us fall for it? How many of us have that idol in our heart?

We need to look to Jesus, who was able to resist temptation by shining the truth of Scripture on the lies of Satan. How often do we fail because our hearts listen to the lies of temptation?