CHAPTER 5 JESUS AND SATAN

Satan tempts Jesus for forty days
Stones into loaves of bread
The roof of the Temple – jump off
A very high mountain – the nations of the world
The thistles and the wheat
What the Pharisees said…
A divided kingdom
Speaking against the Holy Spirit
A tree and its fruit
Three days and three nights – and a greater than Jonah is here
A greater than Solomon is here
The farmer planting grain
Live as I tell you to
Jesus’ power from God
Jesus and the evil prince
Satan’s power

Satan tempts Jesus for forty days
Matthew 4:1
Then Jesus was lead out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted there by Satan.
Mark 1:12-13
Immediately the Holy Spirit urged Jesus into the desert. There for forty days, alone except for desert animals, he was subjected to Satan’s temptations to sin (to think, speak and act against the Laws of God).
Luke 4:1-2
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the river Jordan, being urged by the Spirit out into the barren wastelands of Judea where Satan tempted Him (to disobey the Laws of God by thoughts, speech and actions) for forty days.
He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry.
Matthew 4:2
For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry.

Stones into loaves of bread
Matthew 4:3-4
Then Satan tempted him to get food by changing stones into loaves of bread.
“It will prove you are the Son of God,” he said.
But Jesus told him, “No! For the Scriptures tell us that bread won’t feed men’s souls: obedience to every word of God is what we need.”
Luke 4:3-4
Satan said, “If you are God’s Son, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
But Jesus replied, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘Other things in life are much more important than bread.’”

The roof of the Temple – jump off
Matthew 4:5-7
Then Satan took him to Jerusalem to the roof of the Temple. “Jump off,” he said, “and prove you are the Son of God; for the Scriptures declare, ‘God will send his angels to keep you from harm,’…they will prevent you from smashing on the rocks below.”
Jesus retorted, “It also tells us not to put the Lord God to a foolish test!”
Luke 4:9-12
Then Satan took him to Jerusalem to a high roof of the Temple and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say that God will send his angels to guard you and to keep you from crashing to the pavement below.” Jesus replied, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Don’t experiment with God’s patience.’”

A very high mountain – the nations of the world
Matthew 4:8-10
Next Satan took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. “I’ll give it all to you,” he said, “if you will only kneel and worship me.” “Get out of here Satan.” Jesus told him. “The Scriptures say, ‘Worship only the Lord God. Obey only him.’”
Luke 4:5-8
Then Satan took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time; and the Devil told him, “I will give you all these splendid kingdoms and their glory – for they are mine to give to anyone I wish – if you will only get down on your knees and worship me.” Jesus replied, “We must worship God, and him alone. So it is written in the Scriptures.”
Matthew 4:11
Then Satan went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.
Mark 1:13
And the angels came and cared for him.
Luke 4:13
When the devil had ended all the temptations, he left Jesus for a while and went away.

The thistles and the wheat
Matthew 13:36-43
Jesus said, “I am the farmer who sows the choice seed. The field is the world, and the seed represents the people of the Kingdom; the thistles are the people belonging to Satan. The enemy who sowed the thistles among the wheat is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
Just as in this story the thistles are separated and burned, so shall it be at the end of the world: I will send my angels and they will separate out of the Kingdom every temptation and all who are evil, and throw them into the furnace and burn them. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (and bitter disappointment). Then the godly will shine as the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Let those with ears, listen!

What the Pharisees said…
Matthew 9:34
But the Pharisees said, “The reason he can cast out demons is that he is demon-possessed himself – possessed by Satan, the demon king!”
Mark 3:20-21
When Jesus returned to the house where he was staying, the crowds began to gather again, and soon it was so full of visitors that he couldn’t even find time to eat. When his friends heard what was happening they came to try to take him home with them. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
Matthew 12:22-24
Then a demon-possessed man – he was both blind and unable to talk – was brought to Jesus, and Jesus healed him so that he could both speak and see. The crowd was amazed. “Maybe Jesus is the Messiah!” they exclaimed.
But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle they said, “He can cast out demons because he is Satan, king of devils.”
Mark 3:22
But the Jewish teachers of religion who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “His trouble is that he’s possessed by Satan, king of demons. That’s why demons obey him.”

A divided kingdom
Matthew 12:25
Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “A divided kingdom ends in ruins. A city or home divided against itself cannot stand.”
Mark 3:23-24
Jesus summoned these men and asked them (using proverbs they all understood), “How can Satan cast out Satan? A kingdom divided against itself will collapse. A home filled with strife and division destroys itself.”
Mark 3:26
“And if Satan is fighting against himself, how can he accomplish anything? He would never survive.”
Matthew 12:26-30
“And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting himself, and destroying his own kingdom. If, as you claim, I am casting out demons by invoking the powers of Satan, then what power do your own people use when they cast them out? Let them answer your accusation! But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. One cannot rob Satan’s kingdom without first binding Satan. Only then can his demons be cast out! Anyone who isn’t helping me is harming me.”
Mark 3:27
“(Satan must be bound before his demons are cast out), just as a strong man must be tied up before his house can be ransacked and his property robbed.”

Speaking against the Holy Spirit
Matthew 12:31-32
“Even blasphemy (that is, evil thinking, reasoning, speaking and writing about and) against me or any other sin, (that is, disobeying God’s Laws in thought, speech and action) can be forgiven – all except one: speaking against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.”
Mark 3:28-30
“I solemnly declare that any sin of man can be forgiven, even blasphemy against my Father, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can never be forgiven. It is an eternal (everlasting and unceasing) sin.” He told them this because they were saying he did his miracles by Satan’s power (instead of acknowledging it was by the Holy Spirit’s power).

A tree and its fruit
Matthew 12:33-37
“A tree is identified by its fruit. A tree from a select variety produces good fruit; poor varieties don’t. You brood of snakes? How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For a man’s heart determines his speech. A good man’s speech reveals the rich treasures within him. An evil hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it. And I tell you this, that you must give account on Judgment Day for every idle (useless and causing or likely to cause injury) word you speak. Your words now reflect your fate then: either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.”

Three days and three nights – and a greater than Jonah is here
Matthew 12:38-41
One day some of the Jewish leaders, including some Pharisees, came to Jesus asking to see a miracle to prove that he was really the Messiah.
But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, faithless nation would ask for further proof; and none will be given except what happened to Jonah the prophet! For as Jonah was in the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Mankind, will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. The men of Nineveh shall arise against this nation at the judgment and condemn you. For when Jonah preached to them, they repented and turned to God from all their evil ways. And now a greater than Jonah is here – and you refuse to believe him.’

A greater than Solomon is here
Matthew 12:42-45
“The Queen of Sheba shall rise against this nation in the judgment, and condemn it; for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and now a greater than Solomon is here – and you refuse to believe him.”
“This evil nation is like a man possessed by a demon. For if the demon leaves, it goes into the deserts for a while, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the man I came from.’ So it returns and finds the man’s heart clean but empty! Then the demon finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and all enter the man and live in him. And so he is worse off than before.”

The farmer planting grain
Matthew 13:18-19
“Now here is the explanation of the story I told about the farmer planting grain: The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who hears the Good News about the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it; then Satan comes and snatches away the seeds from his heart.”
Mark 4:14-15
“The farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God’s message to others, trying to plant good seed within their lives. The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message; Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it.”
Luke 8:11-12
“This is its meaning: The seed is God’s message to men. The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and being saved.”

Live as I tell you to
John 8:31-59
Jesus said to them, “You are truly my disciples if you live as I tell you to, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
“But we are the descendants of Abraham,” they said, “and have never been slaves to any man on earth. What do you mean, ‘set free’?”
Jesus replied, “You are slaves to sin (to thoughts, speech and actions against the Laws of God), every one of you. And slaves don’t have rights, but the Son has every right there is. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. (Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham!) And yet some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not find a home within your hearts. I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”
“Our father is Abraham,” they declared.
“No!” Jesus replied, “for if he were, you would follow his good example. But instead you are trying to kill me – and all because I told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham wouldn’t do a thing like that! No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way.”
They replied, “We were not born out of wedlock – our true Father is God himself.”
Jesus told them, “If that were so, then you would love me, for I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you are prevented from doing so. For you are children of your father the Devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth – there is not an iota (a grain) of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. And so when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe it.”
“Which of you can truthfully accuse me of one single sin (of one single thought, speech or action against the Laws of God)? (No one!) And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don’t, it proves you aren’t his children.”
“You Samaritan! Foreigner! Devil!” the Jewish leaders snarled. “Didn’t we say all along you were possessed by a demon?”
“No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honour my Father – and you dishonour me. And though I have no wish to make myself great, God wants this for me and judges (those who reject me). With all the earnestness I have I tell you this – no one who obeys me shall ever die!”
The leaders of the Jews said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the mightiest prophets died, and yet you say that obeying you will keep a man from dying. So you are greater than our father Abraham, who died? And greater than the prophets who died? Who do you think you are?”
Then Jesus told them this: “If I were merely boasting about myself, it would not count. But it is my Father – and you claim him as your God – who is saying these glorious things about me. But you do not even know him. I do. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you. But it is true – I know him and fully obey him. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He knew I was coming and was glad.”
The Jewish leaders said: “You aren’t even fifty years old – and you’ve seen Abraham?”
Jesus replied: “The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!”
At that point the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus was hidden from them, and walked past them and left the Temple.

Jesus’ power from God
Luke 11:14-26
Once, when Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, the man’s voice returned to him. The crowd was excited and enthusiastic, but some said, “No wonder he can cast them out. He gets his power from Satan, the king of demons!” Others asked for something to happen in the sky to prove his claim of being the Messiah.
He knew the thoughts of each of them, so he said, “Any kingdom filled with civil war is doomed; so is a home filled with argument and strife. Therefore, if what you say is true, that Satan is fighting against himself by empowering me to cast out his demons, how can his kingdom survive? And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own followers? For they cast out demons! Do you think this proves they are possessed by Satan? Ask them if you are right! But if I am casting out demons because of power from God, it proves that the Kingdom of God has arrived.”
“For when Satan, strong and fully armed, guards his palace, it is safe – until someone stronger and better armed attacks and overcomes him and strips him of his weapons and carries off his belongings.”
“Anyone who is not for me is against me; if he isn’t helping me, he is hurting my cause.”
“When a demon is cast out of a man, it goes to the deserts, searching there for rest; but finding none, it returns to the person it left, and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. Then it goes and gets seven other demons more evil than itself, and they all enter the man. And so the poor fellow is seven times worse off than he was before.”

Jesus and the evil prince
John 14:30-31
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, for the evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will freely do what the Father requires of me so that the world will know that I love the Father.”

Satan’s power?
Luke 22:52-54
Then Jesus addressed the chief priests and captains of the Temple guards and the religious leaders who headed the mob. “Am I a robber,” he asked, “that you have come armed with swords and clubs to get me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day! But this is your moment – the time when Satan’s power reigns supreme.”
So they seized him and led him to the High Priest’s residence, and Peter followed at a distance.
John 16:11
Jesus said, “There is deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged.”
Luke 10:18
“Yes,” Jesus told them, “I saw Satan falling from heaven as a flash of lightning!”