88
The Desire of Ages
the desert, and which had the appearance of loaves, the tempter said,
“If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made
bread.”
Though he appears as an angel of light, these first words betray
his character. “If Thou be the Son of God.” Here is the insinuation
of distrust. Should Jesus do what Satan suggests, it would be an
acceptance of the doubt. The tempter plans to overthrow Christ by
the same means that were so successful with the human race in the
beginning. How artfully had Satan approached Eve in Eden! “Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Genesis
3:1
. Thus far the tempter’s words were truth; but in his manner of
speaking them there was a disguised contempt for the words of God.
There was a covert negative, a doubt of the divine truthfulness. Satan
sought to instill into the mind of Eve the thought that God would not
do as He had said; that the withholding of such beautiful fruit was a
contradiction of His love and compassion for man. So now the tempter
seeks to inspire Christ with his own sentiments. “If Thou be the Son
of God.” The words rankle with bitterness in his mind. In the tones
of his voice is an expression of utter incredulity. Would God treat His
own Son thus? Would He leave Him in the desert with wild beasts,
without food, without companions, without comfort? He insinuates
that God never meant His Son to be in such a state as this. “If Thou be
the Son of God,” show Thy power by relieving Thyself of this pressing
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hunger. Command that this stone be made bread.
The words from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased” (
Matthew 3:17
), were still sounding in the ears of Satan.
But he was determined to make Christ disbelieve this testimony. The
word of God was Christ’s assurance of His divine mission. He had
come to live as a man among men, and it was the word that declared
His connection with heaven. It was Satan’s purpose to cause Him
to doubt that word. If Christ’s confidence in God could be shaken,
Satan knew that the victory in the whole controversy would be his. He
could overcome Jesus. He hoped that under the force of despondency
and extreme hunger, Christ would lose faith in His Father, and work
a miracle in His own behalf. Had He done this, the plan of salvation
would have been broken.
When Satan and the Son of God first met in conflict, Christ was
the commander of the heavenly hosts; and Satan, the leader of revolt