the devil's desperate hope.
no better illustration of the mission of the devil on the earth can be found than the story of the temptation of jesus. you remember, that, when jesus was grown to manhood he went to the river jordan and was baptized by john. "then," we are told, "was jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered."
this was a very important and a critical moment in the history of the world. jesus was about to begin the splendid ministry which was to culminate in his death on the cross for the redemption of the world. if he should succeed in his mission, the power of evil would be broken, and it would become possible for man to return to the presence of god. of course, satan was much disturbed at such a thought. he had gained such power on the earth that he had come to be called the prince of this world. it angered him to think that he might lose that power. in desperation, he determined to try his strength with jesus. if he could but bring about the downfall of the son of god, god's plan would certainly be thwarted, and satan might hope utterly to possess the earth. it was a wicked ambition; but it was in fulfillment of his mission among men. so satan set about to tempt even the only begotten of the father.
the temptation of jesus.
"and when the tempter came to him (jesus), he said, if thou be the son of god, command that these stones be made bread. but he (jesus) answered and {62} said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god. 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. again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, all these things will i give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. then saith jesus unto him, get thee hence, satan: for it is written. thou shalt worship the lord thy god, and him only shalt thou serve. then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."
the application.
this impressive story of the strength and ultimate victory of innocence and purity is full of significance. in the performing of his mission of evil, satan never stops with one kind of temptation alone. he attacks man at every point where weakness may lie. first he appealed to the appetites of the flesh. but though jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, and was hungry, yet he resisted the evil suggestion of the tempter. then satan appealed to the love of glory and the praise of men. but jesus was content to wait, knowing that the glory and praise which would come to him, from {63} honest and worthy endeavor, would be greater and far more lasting than that which might come from mere display. finally, satan appealed to the love of riches and power. but jesus had the will and the strength to command him to depart; for the riches and the power gained through evil are necessarily but fleeting, whereas the blessings derived through the service of god endure forever. thus did jesus overcome the great temptation, and show all men how to resist evil.
guard against suggestions of the devil.
you may readily understand, that because of his own experience, jesus appreciated fully the tempting power of the devil. in the parable of the sower, you remember, jesus urges men to guard against the suggestions of the devil. it is because of the hearkening to those suggestions that so much of the seed fails to bear fruit. and not only do those suggestions withhold men from good deeds, but they inspire evil thoughts and draw men into sin. there are in history many examples of this truth; but there is none more shocking than the example of judas iscariot, who betrayed the christ to his enemies. "when he (jesus) had dipped the sop," we read in the gospel of st. john, "he gave it to judas iscariot, the son of simon. and after the sop (the devil having now put into the heart of judas iscariot, simon's son, to betray him) satan entered into him." judas had not the strength to resist the suggestions of the devil, and thus brought condemnation upon himself.
why there is evil.
but you are still wondering why there is evil in the world. why should even jesus, the christ, be subjected to temptation by the devil? let us consider the source of our love and adoration of jesus. if god had made it no trial {64} or task at all, but altogether pleasant, to redeem mankind, should we experience the affection and the worship that we now feel for jesus? if he had not suffered; if he had experienced no pain; if he had passed through no agony of body nor anguish of heart, could we feel indebted to him as we do now? if he had suffered no temptation, if it had never been a struggle for him to do the right—as it was in gethsemane—could we admire his strength, and profit by his teaching? in short, could the atoning death of jesus be called a sacrifice, if there had been no suffering, no overcoming of temptation and evil? it was through overcoming that jesus proved himself worthy to be the son of god.
the trial of man.
in just the same way, evil is put before man to tempt him, that he too may show his worthiness or unworthiness. we admire the boy who has the the trial of courage and the will-power to say no to the suggestion of evil. we recognize in him strength of character. we see in him a pillar of strength for the future. we are likely to despise the boy who always yields to temptation, who allows his character to be broken down by evil, and who finally becomes a slave to satan. such a boy is a weakling; he will be of little or of no service to the world.
a state of probation.
with these facts in mind, it is easy to understand the words of jesus in the spirit world. at the great council of the spirits—about which we have already learned—jesus said to those around him, "we will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these (spirits) may {65} dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the lord their god shall command them." and in our own dispensation, jesus said to the prophet, joseph smith, "it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves, for if they never should have bitter, they could not know the sweet."
the free agency of man.
here of course lies the secret of the matter. god has endowed us with free agency. he does not try to force us to be good, but we may do good or evil as we ourselves please. and as we gain strength to overcome evil, we grow in character and in power, and become more nearly worthy to return to the presence of god. it was partly because he wanted to destroy the god-given free agency of man, that lucifer was cast out of heaven. only the person who sturdily and persistently resists temptation retains his free agency. he who yields to temptation becomes soon a servant to the devil, and loses the free agency with which god endowed him.
through overcoming temptation and evil jesus triumphed over the devil and redeemed the world. through overcoming temptation and evil, man, too, may triumph over the devil, and have glory added upon his head for ever and ever. "wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given unto them which are expedient unto man. and they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great mediation of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil."
{66} the references
matt. 4:1-11. abraham 3:24,25.
matt. 13:19. doc. and cov. 29:39.
john 13:2-26, 27. 2 nephi 2:27.
the questions
1. why should the devil be concerned after the baptism of jesus?
2. discuss the temptation of jesus.
3. to what do the suggestions of the devil lead?
4. how did jesus prove himself worthy to be the son of god?
5. how may man prove himself worthy to be a son of god?
6. why was man placed upon the earth?
7. what is the meaning of free agency?
8. why is evil upon the earth?
