Beware the rising pride

Beware the rising pride

Scripture: Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Matthew 4:5-7

Observation: Moving on to the second great temptation of Jesus, we see the devil take Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and having Him stand on the highest point of Herod’s rebuilt temple. There, the devil throws a fiery challenge to Jesus “If you are the son of God, throw yourself down”. This was a direct challenge to Jesus’ pride. Curiously, this type of challenge seems quite common in school, where naughty boys may challenge a foolhardy friend “Go on, show how brave you are, jump down from the 2^nd floor, leap over the wide drain”. When we, especially boys and men are challenged in such a manner, there is something in us that rises up and wants to retaliate. “I’ll show them”, we so easily think.    

To push Jesus even more, the devil then quotes from the Psalms how God has promised to send His angels to lift Jesus up so that He would not fall to the ground. What if Jesus really jumped? Would God have saved Jesus just as the devil said? Yes, Scripture indicates that God is faithful to His Word, and if Jesus, in His perfect faith, believed that God would send angels to save Him, that would happen exactly. At his arrest, Jesus told His disciples “Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will immediately put at my disposal 12 legions of angels?”

However, the point was not whether God would save Jesus if He jumped. The point was to jump in such a manner would be putting God to the test. Jesus reply was quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16 where Moses commanded the Israelites not to out God to the test as they did in Massah. In Massah, when the Israelites were thirsty and had no water to drink, they tested God by grumbling and saying “Is the Lord among us or not?” Their attitude was akin to a spoilt child who tells his father “Since you love me, buy me this toy”. The Lord would have listened and helped the Israelites most willingly if they had cried out to Him humbly and reverently. Instead, their attitude was unthankful and irreverent, even sort of challenging God “If You are God, give us some water to drink here.”

Application:

There are 3 main lessons we learn from this passage for ourselves. Firstly, beware of rising pride. An uncouth driver on the road, an impatient colleague, an intolerant spouse can so quickly cause rising pride in us that leads us to respond in a rash and unwise manner. Secondly, know that God is able to save us, even in impossible situations. We are not to foolishly put ourselves in dangerous situations, but if somehow we find ourselves in need of help, know that we can ask God for help, and He can even send powerful angels to help us. Thirdly, we need to examine our hearts to ensure we do not have an attitude that takes God for granted like the Israelites did, to the point that they were willing to test God to fulfill their selfish interests. 

Prayer:

Forgive me O Lord, for the times I have let pride get the better of me. Teach me patience O Lord, and give me a gentle spirit even in the face of nasty challenges and situations. Praise You, O Lord, for Your power and greatness, and how You look down to save us when You are in need. Help us always trust in You. Create in me a pure heart O Lord. Let my heart not grow cold and unthankful, but help me always remember Your goodness with love and thanksgiving. Praise Your Holy name, Amen.