Matthew 4:9

Thursday, 19 September 2024

And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9

“And he says to Him, ‘All these I will give You if, having fallen, you will worship me’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the Traducer took Jesus up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. Matthew next records, “And he says to Him, ‘All these I will give You.’”

Though many disagree that he actually possessed the things he now offers, that is incorrect. In Luke, these words are included, “for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”

Whether it is possession of, or simply authority over, is almost a matter of semantics. The Traducer has the right to pass on the authority of those things. As this is so, it means he still actually has the final authority over them. Whoever he decided to give them to would be subject to him.

The temptation is one of “taking the easy path.” Jesus came to regain what was lost for His Father. If He was given these things by the Traducer, who would really be the one in charge? The answer is clear with the next words, “if, having fallen, you will worship me.”

The lesser bows to the greater. This is to be taken as an axiom. The matter of allegiance is what is now under consideration. God Himself united with human flesh in the womb of Mary. Can God be divided? The human temptation of Jesus would mean there was a disconnect between His deity and His humanity.

To give His obeisance to the Traducer would mean His humanity had missed the mark (meaning sinned) against His Father. In sinning, His human life would end, and the grave would be the end for Him. There would be no resurrection, and there would be no true right to reclaim humanity from the power of Hades (Sheol of the Old Testament).

God Himself would have failed in His mission to reclaim the authority over the dead because God was the One who overshadowed Mary. Jesus is the result of that incarnation. The fall of man would be eternally vindicated in the failure of Jesus.

But the fall of man brought about the knowledge of good and evil, something man needed to have a fuller and more personal relationship with God. Rather than vindicating the fall through a permanent state of death in man, Jesus’ prevailing in His mission would vindicate God’s plan of humanity being able to appreciate Him in a way that could never have otherwise been realized.

As for the word translated as “worship,” it is proskuneó, coming from pros (towards) and kuneó (to kiss). It is thus a sign of showing allegiance, such as to a king. In this, a sense of worship can be implied depending on the situation, something which is certainly the case here.

Life application: As we look at the world around us, we may not fully understand the ramifications of the fall. This is certainly so when we see death, war, terrible immorality, hatred, oppression, and so forth. It may seem as if God’s plan is completely out of control.

And yet, as noted, man could not have appreciated God in a meaningful way without the fall. As terrible as the world may be, this is a truth stated in Genesis –

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:15-17

...

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22-24

Death came through Adam’s rebellion, paradise was lost, and man has continued in a fallen world since then. However, man also gained the knowledge of good and evil. In this, we can now appreciate God and what He has done in a way that would not have been possible otherwise.

God knew the outcome, weighed out the costs (metaphorically, that is), and knew that allowing man to fall was still the best path to a personal, eternal relationship with His creatures. In sending Jesus, a right relationship with God is restored. Someday, we will understand those things that we cannot even comprehend at this time.

So, when you see wickedness, sadness, and loss all around you, remind yourself that Jesus has prevailed. Restoration lies ahead for those who trust in the Lord. Hold fast to this thought. It is the reality of God in Christ. The Lamb has prevailed!

Lord God, we are grateful to You for the coming of Christ Jesus. And this will eternally be the case. You are to be exalted and glorified forever and ever because of what You have done for us. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.