The Temptation of Christ - From Satan's Perspective

“You know,” I started, “I could eat these all day long.”  

As I laid back against a large rock, I rolled my eyes back in my head as I bit another piece of fruit.
 
Sighing contentedly in the dry breeze, I called out, “This world you made has pleasures aplenty! Why suffer needlessly?” 

I offered a piece of fruit to him again, as I had so many times in the past weeks. His starving eyes wouldn’t even look at it. I protested in a taunting voice, “It’s the last one.”  

He just laid in the dust amidst the rocks on top of this mountain where he had been for the past couple of days, he no longer had the strength to stand on his own.  

“You really outdid yourself on them,” I squinted into the glaring sun and pointed to the vultures circling overhead, “They always know before any other animal.”  

I looked back down to the failure on the ground before me as I ate the last of the fruit I brought with. “Well, it looks like it won’t be much longer anyway. Aren’t you hungry?” 

He nodded slowly. 

“You see that rock next to you?” I asked. “Eat it.” 

He closed his eyes and shook his head. I jumped down to where he was and walked up to the rock. “I’ve seen you do much greater things than this.” I tapped the rock closer to his face, “Come on. Turn it into bread and eat it. You know how much your body needs it.” 

His mouth was moving with hardly any sound coming out. I knew he said something, so I got closer. In a faint whisper between labored breaths, he said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live… by bread alone… but..’” he paused to get his breath, “but by every word that comes from God’s mouth.” 

My upper lipped curled in disgust. “You really believe that?” 

He nodded slowly and turned his head away from me. 

Speaking through my teeth, I said, “Let’s see how much you really believe that.”  

I gathered him up and threw him over my shoulder and began walking. I called out to the vultures, “We’ll be back! Stay hungry!” 

It took the rest of the day to walk back to the city. In fact, by the time we came to the city gates, it was well into the night.  

“It’s funny how protected they think they are with these walls,” I said as I pulled them open. “As if they have any strength against me.” 

I carried him up and came to the temple mount. Part of this structure was settled on the edge of the cliff down into the valley below. When we got there I set him on the edge overlooking the valley.  

“So, you really believe that you live by every word that comes from the mouth of God?” I asked, “Then jump!”  
I waited for him to consider what this would do. What a sign it could be to verify his identity. Everyone would believe him, not just a select few.  

“If you are the Son of God, you are certainly in safety to jump. Didn’t God say, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone’?” 

He languished as he answered, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

I stood there for a while staring at the valley floor below, desiring to shove him off and be rid of him. 

I cannot tell you how wonderful my freedom had been these several thousand years. After being unceremoniously thrown from the garden, I made quite a name for myself. People served me all throughout the world, I even had several of my lieutenants possessing people throughout this little country to show everyone that incarnation is not such a unique feat as they would make it out to be. But in the midst of my freedom I’ve never been able to fully achieve what I set out to get. I wanted to be like God, but there was something missing. There was something missing and I was going to give up everything I had to gain possession of it. This man was here to win back what I took, and I was going to give it all to him for an insignificant recognition. 

 His voice seemed to hang in the air, “You can’t be serious,” I said.  

I picked him back up and slouched his lifeless frame over my shoulder, this time with annoyed force, “Follow me,” I sneered, “and I’ll make you the owner of all men.” 

I walked through the night in silence. “Would this work,” I thought to myself, “to give up everything that I have to gain possession of the one thing I’ve always wanted?” To be exalted over the realm of creation is high, to be sure. But what I wanted more than anything in creation was to be like the Most High. The only thing missing is the worship of the Son of God. I craved it. Not because I liked this sack of humanity on my shoulder, but because his exaltation of me would finally make me like God. I knew the power he had in his worship, I have seen it before.  
As we approached where we left from the day before, I threw him back down to his favorite spot there in the rocks. The morning sun was coming up and it was already becoming hot.  

“I wonder where those vultures went,” I said, squinting into the sun, “they are about to miss breakfast.” 

“You know,” I started, “you don’t need to go through all of this to win back the world.” I stopped to let it sink in. “I’ll give it to you right now.” 

He didn’t move. 

“Countries, kingdoms, fame, people, and worship. It’s all mine now, but it could be yours.” 

Again, he didn’t move.  

I looked down to him again, “Living on every word from God isn’t so enjoyable in the desert is it?”   

Again, he lay there nearly motionless, just a still small breath in him.  

“All these I will give to you if you just worship me.” 

From his dried and cracked lips, he quietly said, “Get out of here.” Although quiet, his words threw me flat on my back amidst the rocks. As I shook off the daze of confusion, I heard him say, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and only serve him.’” 

Hopeless. Utterly hopeless. This man was on the verge of death to worship God. I would have given him the whole world just to redirect his worship of God to me and he won’t take me up on it.  

“Fine!” I sneered as I walked away, “Go ahead and die!” 
​
After leaving him I looked back to see angels coming down out of heaven to feed and take care of him. I sat down here and am watching from a distance. If God is not going to let him die here, then I’m going to have to kill him myself. He will die and darkness will cover the land again.