Unitarianism.net

All of These Kingdoms - A Unitarian Argument from Jesus's Temptations

The synoptic Gospels record an account of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness after His baptism (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13).

In this narrative, Jesus is tempted to:

  • Turn rocks into bread, to break His fast (Matthew 4:1-4, Luke 4:1-4). He responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3
  • Cast Himself from the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 4:5-7, Luke 4:9-12). He responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16
  • Worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-10, Luke 4:5-8). He responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13

This article will focus on this third temptation, wherein Jesus is offered the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshipping Satan.

The Kingdoms of the World

The text of the account of Jesus's temptation to worship Satan is as follows:

Matthew 4:8-10 (WEB)

8 Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.
9 He said to him, "I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"

Luke 4:5-8 (WEB)

5 The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 The devil said to him, "I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.
7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered him, "Get behind me Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"

Observe the following things about this narrative, from a Trinitarian perspective:

  • From a Trinitarian perspective, Satan, in this temptation, is asking God to worship him. It is absurd, unless one thinks that Satan is totally and completely senseless (Scripture indicates he is clever - Ephesians 6:11, Revelation 12:9), to imagine that a being like the primary adversary of God, the Devil, would attempt to get God to worship him. Presumably, Satan is aware of the identity of Jesus, hence why he is tempting Him. However, throughout the temptations, Satan challenges Him on proving Himself as the "Son of God" (Matthew 4:3, 4:6, Luke 4:3, 4:9). The "Son of God", then, is who Satan believes he is tempting, and he clearly believes that this Son of God may actually worship him - something which no sensible being in the universe would suppose of God.

    From a Trinitarian perspective, the very act of "tempting" God is completely fruitless, and could only be attempted by a being with a total lack of understanding of all things related to the nature of God. Under no circumstance could God sin, nor could anything sinful - which is contrary to the nature and will of God, by definition - ever seem appealing to Him, to where He would even consider doing it

  • From a Trinitarian perspective, Satan is offering the kingdoms of the world to God, in exchange for worshipping him. Dominion over the kingdoms of the world, as a sort or "prize" or "reward", means nothing to God. He already has it. He created the entire universe. The Prophet Isaiah says of God, "All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity" (Isaiah 40:15-17). God is already sovereign over all the rulers of the nations of the world (Daniel 2:21), even if, as Satan claims, He has delegated some aspect of that decision-making to other, lower beings. If Jesus were God, this temptation would mean nothing to Him, because He would already have what He is being tempted with

  • Satan says, in Luke's account, "I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want" (Luke 4:6). Here, Satan presents this authority as having been "given" to him. Presumably, by who? It seems as though, regardless of whether he is telling the truth or not, he is presenting this authority as having been delegated to him, ultimately, by God. So, from a Trinitarian perspective, he would be saying that God gave him this authority, and he will give it to God (Jesus), if God worships him. How could any being say something so ridiculous, unless they had absolutely no ability to reason at all?

  • Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, saying, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only" (Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8). Here, Jesus is apparently saying that He will not worship Satan, because He honors God's command to only worship God. If God were Himself, it would be a very strange statement indeed. He would be saying, in essence, that He will not worship Satan, because only He can be worshipped. But, that is not what He says. Instead, He can most naturally be interpreted to be saying that He worships God, something that makes little sense for God to say, or do

Therefore, both Jesus and the Devil behave in this account in a way that would be utterly strange if Jesus were God. There is no Biblical reason, however, to think that the Devil was somehow ignorant that Jesus was more than "just" the Son of God, or that the Devil is woefully unintelligent and incompetent to the extent that he would issue this sort of temptation while knowing that Jesus is God. Additionally, if Jesus were God, the temptation itself would be trivial, as He would not be tempted at all, because nothing wrong would ever be appealing to Him, and He would already have what He is being tempted with.

Conclusion

The account of Jesus being tempted to worship the Devil in exchange for the kingdoms of the world collapses into a very bizarre account, if Jesus is in fact God. The account instead makes far more sense when considered in light of the Biblical identity of Jesus as a chosen agent of God, who is not Himself God. Additionally, in this light, His obedience becomes a real triumph over temptation, rather than a foregone conclusion.