Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’” [Matthew 4.5-7]
I want to explore this event a little more in depth than conventional teaching.
The law of reciprocity (give, and it shall be given unto you) is what is being tested in this particular temptation of Jesus. The enemy encouraged Jesus to do a miracle for no other reason but to prove that his power worked. What seemed like it could only be a harmless action would have short-circuited the spiritual law of reciprocity in Jesus' life and therefore rendered Him powerless going forward.
In other words, had Jesus done miracles for Himself, He would have given away His ability to do miracles at all. A careful look at Jesus' life reveals that every miracle He performed was for the benefit of, and ministry to, others.
If ever a person truly lived the Golden Rule, it was Jesus. And, the Golden Rule exercises the law of reciprocity (give, and it shall be given unto you...).
We must convince ourselves that God's promises ARE indeed for us. However, if our goal is to be blessed by God (for ourselves) without being a blessing from God (to others), we have inadvertently short-circuited the power of God on our behalf. We have allegorically "jumped off the Temple" and WE WILL NOT walk away from the event in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Selfishness renders us powerless even though we have been given every good gift from God. Selflessness, on the other hand, unlocks the power of God through our lives.
Father, thank You for giving us Your promises. And, thank You for giving us the key ingredient to unlock the power of Your Holy Spirit through us.
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