He Parleyed not with Temptation
Jesus did not condescend to explain to His enemy how He was
the Son of God, and in what manner as such He was to act. In an
insulting, taunting manner Satan referred to the present weakness and
the distressed appearance of Christ in contrast with his own strength
and glory. He taunted Christ with being a poor representative of the
angels, much less of their exalted Commander, the acknowledged King
in the royal courts, and that His present appearance indicated that He
was forsaken of God and man. He said that if Christ was indeed the
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Son of God, the monarch of heaven, He had power equal with God,
and He could give him evidence of this and relieve His hunger by
working a miracle, by changing the stone just at His feet into bread.
Satan promised that if Christ would do this he would at once yield his
claims of superiority, and that the contest between himself and Christ
should there be forever ended.
Christ did not appear to notice the reviling taunts of Satan. He
was not provoked to give him proofs of His power, but meekly bore
his insults without retaliation. The words spoken from heaven at His
baptism were precious evidence to Him that His Father approved the
steps He was taking in the plan of salvation, as man’s substitute and
surety. The opening heavens and descent of the heavenly dove were
assurances that His Father would unite His power in heaven with that
of His Son upon the earth to rescue man from the control of Satan,
and that God accepted the effort of Christ to link earth to heaven, and
finite man to the infinite God.
The tokens received from His Father were inexpressibly precious
to the Son of God through all His severe sufferings and the terrible
conflict with the rebel chief. And while enduring the test of God in
the wilderness, and through His entire ministry, He had nothing to
do in convincing Satan of His power and that He was the Saviour of
the world. Satan had sufficient evidence of His exalted station. His
unwillingness to ascribe to Jesus the honor due to Him, and to manifest
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