Jesus faced the temptation to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, and He refused by quoting Scripture.
Satan took Jesus into the holy city, set Him on the temple pinnacle, and said, 'If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.' He even quoted the promise of angelic protection. Jesus answered, 'It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,' refusing to test God's protection. Les Feldick teaches that this was an appeal to the lust of the eye.
Matthew 4:5-7 — This is the direct scriptural record of the second temptation and Jesus' response.
1 John 2:16 — This verse provides the category of temptation Les uses to explain the second temptation: the lust of the eye.
According to Matthew 4:5-7, 'Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'
Les Feldick teaches that the second temptation was an appeal to the lust of the eye. He points out that Jesus was placed on a high point of the temple complex in Jerusalem, where crowds would have been gathered. Satan's proposal was essentially a public spectacle: Jesus could cast Himself down, and angels would catch Him before He struck the ground, fixing every eye on the dramatic display. Les calls it 'the show of shows.'
Les Feldick observes that the devil took Jesus to the holy city and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple. In Matthew 4:6, Satan quoted a promise about angels bearing Jesus up, and Les says Satan knows Scripture and can quote it with the best of them. Yet the underlying appeal was to the eyes of the crowd below, not to genuine faith in God's Word.
According to Matthew 4:7, Jesus answered, 'It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.' Les points out that Jesus refused even this spectacular temptation and that His answer was again a direct quotation of Scripture. The second temptation ended for that moment, and Satan came back with the third temptation.
Les teaches that the second temptation was the appeal to the eye because the crowd would have witnessed Jesus's miraculous plunge from the pinnacle of the temple. He compares it to the way a crowd stops to look up when someone in a busy city suddenly looks up. The same pattern appears in Eve's temptation when she saw the fruit. Les sees this as the Biblical category of the lust of the eye.
The Three Temptations Everyone Faces — Eve to Jesus Explained
forty days in the desert, Matthew 4, verse 3, the tempter came to him and said, If, that's a strong word isn't it, If, Matthew 4, verse 3. And oh Satan says, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Well if he's hungry, what does the thought of bread do? Boy, it just sends those taste buds going crazy.
A spectacle for the eyes of the crowd
Les explains that the second temptation appealed to the lust of the eye by offering Jesus the chance to perform a public spectacle that would fix every eye on Him.
The show of shows
Les describes the proposal as a theatrical event in which angels would catch Jesus before He hit the ground, and then notes Jesus' answer: 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'
Satan quotes Scripture
Les shows that the devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and quoted God's promise of angelic protection to urge Jesus to jump.
Jesus refuses to tempt God
Les highlights that Jesus refused the second temptation with the words 'It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,' and Satan then moved to the third temptation.
Did Adam Sin Out of Love? The Hebrew Servant Explained
I can make it on my own, and to submit to a sovereign God and admit that He is what I need, no thanks, is what most of the world says. All right, so look at them again. It's the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. All right, now I said the Lord Jesus faced those same three set of circumstances.
An appeal to the eyes
Les connects the second temptation to Eve's experience by explaining that both appeals worked through the eyes—the fruit looked appealing, and a dramatic temple plunge would appeal to the crowd's eyes.
Did Adam Sin Out of Love? The Hebrew Servant Explained
When he will return with the clouds of glory, and by the rod, it says, or the word of his mouth, he will destroy all the kingdoms of this world and set up his own kingdom. Well, all of this now then leads to what? The pride of life. Oh, the temptation was, you can have it all if you'll just fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:5-7: Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
This is the record of the second temptation and Jesus' direct response.
Psalm 91:11-12: For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Satan quoted this promise when asking Jesus to cast Himself down from the temple.
1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Les uses this verse's categories to explain the three temptations, identifying the second as the lust of the eye.
Les Feldick explains that the second temptation appealed to the eye because a miraculous plunge from the temple pinnacle would have been a spectacular public display. The crowds below would have been drawn by the show, making it an appeal to what could be seen.
Yes. In Matthew 4:6, Satan quoted God's promise that angels would bear Jesus up and keep His foot from striking a stone. Les notes that Satan knows Scripture and can quote it with the best of them.
Jesus answered in Matthew 4:7, 'It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.' Les highlights that Jesus refused the temptation by quoting Scripture.
Watch the Teaching: The Three Temptations Everyone Faces — Eve to Jesus Explained