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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Three Temptations of Christ, #28
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle [gable; edge] of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. (Luke 4:9-13)
The third area of redemption we have termed conquest. The resurrection and the rewards here are highly desirable. The necessary death is not to the world or sin but to self. Death to self is a difficult trial but the realm of spiritual victory into which it brings us contains the richest rewards.
The third area is the test of the gable.
The Third Temptation of Christ
We have mentioned before that the three temptations of Christ represent the three ways in which all people are tested: concerning survival (turn the stone into bread); concerning sin and the lusts of the flesh (worship Satan and gain the kingdoms of the world); and concerning obedience (jump off the gable of the Temple).
The third test, that of the gable, is a very difficult experience for some of us. The devil brings us to "Jerusalem" for this trial, Jerusalem being symbolic of the arena of religious activity.
Although the three deaths and three resurrections of redemption are not experienced one-two-three like the grades of an elementary school, yet the most severe of our "gable" tests take place after we have had some experience as a Christian.
The pinnacle of the Temple was a wing or gable, perhaps on the southeast corner of the Temple overlooking the Kidron Valley. There was a drop straight down of 450 feet or more. Jesus was perched on top of this gable. What a foolish, useless, and dangerous place to be! How ridiculous!
The Mosaic ordinances were being conducted beneath Him in the Temple according to the statutes He Himself—the Lord of Glory—had given Moses on Mount Sinai. The priests, scribes and Pharisees were busily engaged in the daily tasks and responsibilities of the service of God in the Temple, while the Lord whom they were supposed to be worshiping sat up on the pinnacle—a completely inappropriate situation.
What a contrast between Sinai and the pinnacle of the Temple!
What a contrast when we are removed from the place of glorious revelation and service and are thrown into the prison of weakness and futility!
On top of the Temple, Christ could behold the horizon, symbolizing the scope of God's plan for the redemption of the earth—the release from slavery of earth's prisoners. He knew also that in the Temple below Him were the priests observing sacraments and rituals He understood better than anyone else—He being the Author and the perfect fulfillment of them all.
Yet He was imprisoned on the gable without the opportunity to accomplish one thing. What a temptation to step off the edge of the Temple, demonstrate His power as the Son of God, and accomplish the burden of His heart!
To be continued.