The Temptation of Jesus
Matthew 4:5 “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,”
pinnacle
of the... This was probably a roof with a portico at the southeast
corner of the temple complex, where a massive retaining wall reached
from a level well above the temple mount, deep into the Kidron
Valley. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, this was a drop
of nearly 450 feet.
The second test by Satan appealed to personal display or popularity. This test built on the first, for if He is the Son of God and the Messiah, nothing could harm Him. Satan took Him to… the highest point of the temple. Whether this was actual or simply a vision cannot be determined dogmatically. Here Satan made a subtle suggestion to Jesus as the Messiah. In effect he was reminding Jesus of Malachi’s prophecy (Mal. 3:1), which had led to a common belief among the Jews that Messiah would suddenly appear in the sky, coming down to His temple.
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