Category: Cheon Seong Gyeong

Was Jesus’ Death Predestined by God?

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Adam’s family stands in a representative and central position. For that reason, you must have the concept that your couple is the representative family of all of the world’s people, and the central family of the world. That is the way the sons and daughters of God should be, isn’t it? Because you are families that will enter the heavenly kingdom, you must be like that. Therefore, Blessed Families must know the Family Pledge in order to enter Adam’s family. (265-253, 1994.11.23

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f you keep pace with the Unification Church by way of the principled standard, good spirits and ancestors in the spirit world who used to cooperate with the national fortune will work for you. Externally, you may appear unlucky with a flat face and small ears, but the spirit world sees you as a lucky child. Your ancestors within ten generations are anxious because the history of restoration is realized based on ten generations. Yet when an evil descendant appears, ancestors within ten generations judge him by saying, “Hey you! You are going to ruin us!”

Richard: Doing ministry, and specifically Home Church is like playing chess.  If you are not even playing, then how can God help you? The term “playing” means that you are doing Home Church in your 360 home area. If you are doing your best, God can arrange the chess pieces and game so that you will win (the goal of saving people will happen, and the sub-goals will happen along the way)  This process takes requires patience and takes time.

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12. The Agony of Christ’s Passion and Crucifixion

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

People say that Jesus came to die. Was his death indeed predestined by God, or was it an event brought on by circumstances? You should know that it was something that came to pass suddenly and unexpectedly. We can discern this from the New Testament’s account of the Transfiguration: “And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure [his crucifixion] which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:30-31)
    When Jesus later informed Peter that he would suffer in Jerusalem and be crucified, Peter violently protested, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22) Then Jesus lashed out at him, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God but of men.” (Matt. 16:23)
    Conventional Christians understand this passage to mean that Jesus was supposed to die on the cross, and because Peter tried to stop him, Jesus called him “Satan.” What Jesus actually meant was this: Peter had witnessed the trance-like scene on the Mount of Transfiguration alongside Jesus; hence he should have heard sometime during that event, the instruction to Jesus that he should go to his death. However, Peter had dozed off and never heard it. Yet now that Jesus’ death was decided, Peter had no business telling Jesus what to do or not to do.
    The decision [to alter Jesus’ course] been made on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus had originally come to fulfill God’s Will both spiritually and physically, but he was driven into a situation where unless he sacrificed himself, he would have to turn the nation and the people over to Satan. In that situation, by going the way of crucifixion God strove to lay at least a spiritual foundation. In other words, God had determined to lead him on a secondary dispensation, one that would give birth to Christianity. (73:218, September 18, 1974)
 
Jesus walked a wretched path, the path of the cross. Evil men whipped and beat him. They ripped his clothing, drove him along the street, and forced him to the ground. In that situation, if Jesus had been like Elijah, he might have said to the people, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left.” (1 Kings 18:22) But when Jesus left his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane and went to pray, he said, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” (Luke 22:42) This was his greatness. He understood that his body was a sacrificial offering for the nation, a sacrificial offering for humanity and a sacrificial offering for God’s providence.
    Therefore, although Jesus felt his own bitter sorrow, he was more concerned for God’s sorrow. God had sent Jesus for the sake of the nation; instead he felt God’s sorrow to see him betrayed by his own people. Jesus was the Messiah. He was the Crown Prince of Heaven and the central personage of the entire universe. If he chose, he could have given way to self-pity and lamented his miserable fate. He could have set the entire universe in lamentation with him. Yet, he understood that his position was not to sigh in despair. Instead, he even went so far as to feel apologetic toward Heaven for having been rejected.
    Jesus bore the responsibility to rally the religious establishment, rally the nation, build the Kingdom of Heaven and return the world to the Father’s bosom. Yet when he was forced to abandon that mission and walk the way of the cross, he did not feel enmity toward anyone. He did not pray, “Let this cup pass from me,” for fear of death. Rather, he prayed this way because he knew his death would add to the grief of the nation and to God’s grief.
    Jesus knew that if he died on the cross, there would be an even heavier cross remaining for the future generations. It would mean that humanity’s sorrowful history would not end. He knew that the path of Golgotha would not end with him; those who followed him would also have to go the same way. Jesus knew that an even more difficult course lay beyond the cross.
 
As he was made to wear a crown of thorns, and the nails were hammered into his hands and feet, and his side was stabbed with a spear, Jesus knew that these events would have impact far beyond his own death. When he turned to God and said, “It is finished,” he did not mean that the world’s path of the cross was finished. He meant that his heart’s tearful plea of concern over the cross had reached Heaven. We need to know that Jesus comforted God by offering himself as a living sacrifice and taking upon himself all the mistakes committed by past prophets and patriots.
    More than that, as he neared death Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) God had a mind to pass judgment immediately, a judgment even more terrible than in Noah’s time. But Jesus died clinging to the nation, clinging to the religious establishment and clinging to the cross. For this reason, God could not abandon humanity, but held on to us. Because this bond of heart existed between Jesus, the future generations of humanity and the remaining people of Israel, God could not abandon the religious organizations that turned against him, nor the people of subsequent generations. Instead, God has clung to them. (378:314, May 21, 2002)
 
 
 

Can You Understand the Heart and Situation of Jesus?

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Blessed families should establish a family tradition and create a family code of conduct. You should also create a standard of education for children and rules of conduct for the family. If the parents have not done so, they will have nothing to say when they commit an error and their children press them hard. (21-87, 1968.11.3)

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If you carefully study the contents of the Bible, you cannot deny the fact that due to the illicit love the human ancestors connected themselves to the devil, Satan, with a relationship of father and children. Human beings are precious beings who were supposed to inherit God’s lineage and be born as His own sons and daughters within His absolute love. However they were born into lineage of devil, Satan, as his sons and daughters. In the eighth chapter of Romans, it is recorded, “…but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly, as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” An adopted child has a lineage different from that of his foster parents. This is the reality of human beings. (53-261, 1972.3.1)

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11. Jesus’ Wept Out of Love for the People and Agonized Over Their Unbelief, Even as His Closest Disciples Proved Faithless

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Does God live only for Himself and His glory, or is God totally selfless, living for the well being of the entire creation? Which is true love? In fact, the true God comes to us fallen people, shedding tears. People weep either when they are sad or happy. What about God? Does He shed tears of grief looking at human misery, or tears of laughter as He saves people? Think about it. If you ever lost a loved one and then found him again years later, what would you do? You would weep, first with grief and then with joy.
    Therefore, God wants to meet His beloved ones on the path of tears. Would you like to experience God’s tears? Have you ever cried, so shaking with sobs that water runs from your nose and mouth, your entire body drenched in sweat? Until you experience what grief is, you cannot taste true love. (102:163-64, December 17, 1978)

In the world dominated by Satan, God’s providence requires battles. God has to set up fights. Jesus certainly made some people angry when he criticized the Jews living in peace and comfort, calling them “hypocrites” and a “brood of vipers” and casting curses upon them. If Jesus had praised the rabbis, scribes and priests, telling them that they were doing a wonderful job for God, would he have been killed? Confucius and Mohammed—all the saints without exception—declared to the world something it did not want to hear. By doing that, they created the momentum for change. (95:276-77, December 11, 1977)

The people who were the closest to Jesus caused him the most sorrow. His sorrow was not so much from rejection by the people of Israel whom God had prepared, or from rejection by the Jewish authorities. His greatest sorrow came when his beloved disciples—some who had followed him for as long as three years—lost faith when he needed them to believe, did not testify when he needed them to testify, did not fight when he needed them to fight, and ran from death when he needed them to face death. (3:142, October 18, 1957)

Who followed Jesus to the end without forsaking him? The twelve disciples? No, even the three chief disciples among the Twelve did not keep faith and follow Jesus to the end.
    Although Jesus tried to introduce the love of God to humankind and tried to put that love into practice, he died without building a substantial relationship of love with a single human being. Although Jesus conveyed words of heavenly love, and although his heart burned with love, he died without having found one person whom he could tightly embrace and exchange the affectionate words, “My son!” “My father!” sharing the love that runs between a parent and child.
    Can you understand the heart and situation of Jesus as he cried in anguish through the sleepless night in the Garden of Gethsemane, even as the disciples were dozing off? Many people today appreciate Jesus’ words of love, but 2,000 years ago, Jesus did not have anyone to whom he could give his love. (3:58, September 22, 1957)

Jesus lived barely thirty years, a life filled with sorrow. Jesus spent three years of public life, offering everything he had; yet who knew his heart, and who knew his situation? Not even one person.

Even the disciples, who attended him as their teacher, who shared his joys and sorrows, who were sad when he was sad and lonely when he was lonely—they did not know, either.

The disciples, who should have clung to Heaven and appealed with earnest hearts, concerned that their teacher might go the path of death, instead were confused, asking, ”Who is Jesus?” (7:45, July 12, 1959)

On this earth, who knew the heart of Jesus? Not a single person recognized Jesus, a man filled with apprehension, who experienced and felt keenly Heaven’s sorrow, who felt Heaven’s lament over humanity. Jesus did not have even one disciple who exclaimed, “My Lord!” intimately feeling God’s heart…

Enable us to sympathize with the heart of Jesus, who had to leave behind disciples ignorant of his great sorrow, with the heart of Jesus, who died without seeing his life bear fruit, even though he lived his entire life for humankind. (5:137-38, January 11, 1959)

After this Many of His Disciples Drew Back

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If a grandmother comes and asks, “Is the church leader here?” and you look at her and reply, “No, he’s not here,” you will be punished. Just see what happens when she asks, “Where did the church leader go?” and you answer, “Why do you ask, grandmother? We have no need for an old grandmother.” God will scold you saying, “You good-for-nothing! Where did you come from?” Denying aged grandmothers and grandfathers is the same as denying your mother and father. That is why you can only be a devoted son when you serve and support your aged parents and grandparents. (56-38, 1972.5.10)

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When dealing with people, you must not do it unsatisfactorily. The work of resurrection does not occur in a course that is mandatory. It has to be exciting. You must stay up at night without even realizing it is night. You discover the value of heaven only when you get to the point at which you can say, “The place where I am now is heaven.” Isn’t that right? Even with trees, unless they are completely bonded, they don’t engraft. (75-177, 1975.1.2

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10. Jesus Performed Miracles, but They Were Not Conducive to Faith

The apostles returned to Jesus… and he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. As he landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And the disciples said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Mark 6.30-44

When the disciples said, “O Jesus son of Mary! Is your Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven?”42 He said, “Observe your duty to God, if you are true believers.” They said, “We wish to eat of it, that we may satisfy our hearts and know that you have spoken truth to us, and that we may be witnesses thereof.” Jesus son of Mary said, “O God, our Lord! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of sustainers.”
Qur’an 5.112-114

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”…
    Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day…”
    Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?… The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.
John 6.25-67

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Jesus was willing to do anything for the sake of the Father’s Will… Touring with his disciples, when he saw that the people were hungry, he performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. He gave everything he could. (4:83, March 9, 1958)

Jesus did not delight in performing miracles. If you think he performed miracles in comfort and joy, you are greatly mistaken. When he felt compelled by a painful situation to show mercy upon the people, he raised his hands and cried out, “Father!” This is when the miracles took place. They took place when Jesus cried out in excruciating sadness, as if his bones and flesh were melting. Do not think that Jesus performed miracles because he liked them or was reckless.
On the hill of Bethsaida, 5,000 people waved their arms and shouted out, “Jesus, you are our Savior! You are the chosen leader of Israel!” They sought him out because they expected to obtain some benefit from him. However, after some time passed they began to see that Jesus’ standard of heart was different from theirs. They could not relate to his internal situation and ideals, which came from a different, higher realm. That was when they turned their backs on Jesus and abandoned him. Yet all the while, Jesus was giving them his utmost love. (3:291, February 1, 1959)

The multitudes that followed Jesus believed he was the Messiah and their Savior when he showed them the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Yet when Jesus was about to be killed, everyone abandoned him and scattered.
If the people who followed Jesus had understood his internal heart toward Heaven, if they had understood that he possessed a deeply penetrating heart toward God, and that he came to take responsibility for the whole of the God’s historical providence, they would have understood his predicament and followed him to the end. (3:291, January 19, 1958)

He Who Loves Father or Mother More than Me Is Not Worthy of Me

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Who has had to walk this path, that you know – the path of the servant of servants and of the adopted son? It was I who had to walk that path. I am building the bridge because I have walked that way, survived the fight, and triumphed. Whenever you see a pitiable person on the street, remember that I have been in that kind of situation. Don’t you think that I was indignant when I was being stepped on, tortured and kicked by the communists? But I never prayed, “O God, strike these enemies with a thunderbolt and slaughter them all.” Although my body was bleeding, I was praying for them to receive blessings. (63-88, 1972.10.8)

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Furthermore, only when we establish True Parents’ Day throughout all of heaven and earth will the sorrow of restoration be completely removed. Even though we have established True Parents’ Day and True Children’s Day, we have not established True Parents’ Day on the levels of an individual, a family, a people, a nation, the world and the cosmos. The same is true for True Children’s Day, and for the Day of All True Things. Only when we have developed to the point where we can be governed by the standard in which True Parents’ Day, True Children’s Day, and the Day of All True Things have globally triumphed will God’s original purpose of creation be completed. Only then will True Parents’ Day finally become True Parents’ Day for all humankind and at the same time True Parents’ Day for Heaven itself. In the same way, True Children’s Day and the Day of All True Things will be True Children’s Day and the Day of All True Things both for all humankind and for Heaven. When we have reached such a position, then the time will have finally come when God can say that everything has finally been accomplished. We must establish True Parents’ Day, True Children’s Day and the Day of All True Things on all levels from the individual, through the family, peoples and nations. Only when we have established these days on the level of one nation can they become the central days of the nation and of the entire world. This is the issue. (13-294, 1964.4.12)

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9. Jesus Gathered Disciples and Trained Them for the Kingdom

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.  
    Matthew 4.18-22

He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.  
    Matthew 10.37-39

A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for all is now ready.” But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.” And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.” And another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.” And the servant said, “Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.” And the master said to the servant, “Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.”
    Luke 14.16-24

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
    John 15.4-11

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Jesus Walked Into the Wilderness Alone, Without a Friend

#97-Why is the Truth about the January 6th US Capitol Protest Being Obfuscated? – VisionRoot The Richard Urban Show

Why is the Truth about the January 6th US Capitol Protest Being Obfuscated? – Editorial

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The purpose of a church is to find and establish God’s nation; it is not to find and establish a church. God’s original ideal for creation was to establish one world centered on a nation. Hence, the destination of the church is to find that nation. (149-48, 1986.11.2)

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What do the words “Principle of the Unification Church” mean? Why is it called the Principle? The purpose of the Principle is to show clearly the borderline between the realm of dominion based upon accomplishments through the Principle and the realm of direct dominion.Adam and Eve, as firstborn children, had to grow through the stages of formation, growth and completion. This is the way of the Principle. Even within the realm of indirect dominion, human beings must fulfill their portion of responsibility if they are to perfect themselves. It means that until you reach maturity you should never have a love relationship. Before reaching adult-hood, Adam and Eve should not have committed themselves in this kind of relationship. That is why a boundary line was set and God told them, “Wait; do not take and eat!” (137-252, 1986.1.3)

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7. The Three Temptations in the Wilderness

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hun-gry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered,

“It is written,‘‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,‘‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! for it is written,‘‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.  
    Matthew 4.1-11

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Jesus defeated Satan by overcoming the three temptations in the wilderness, the last of them on a mountaintop. Yet we should realize that when Jesus journeyed to the wilderness after being rejected by John the Baptist and his followers—a situation that made likely his rejection by the Jewish people as well—he carried a heart of sorrow the like of which no one on the earth had ever experienced.
    Jesus appeared as the only Son of God, who came to resolve the 4,000-year history of God’s providence. He came as the seal of victory that God could boast about before that generation and countless generations to come. Yet it was with a sad heart Jesus that walked into the wilderness—alone, without a friend, leaving his family, the chosen John the Baptist, the religious authorities, and his people behind.
    Jesus set out, filled with determination and sense of mission to pay the debts of history. What did he think about during his 40 days of fasting? He felt an acute sense of responsibility to restore through indemnity, by himself, the rueful course of his forbearers…
    No one ever had more determination and resolution to fulfill God’s will than Jesus Christ. He went to the wilderness with a burning heart to capture and subjugate Satan. He stood alone on that mountain with a firmer determination than any ancestor in history. (5:194-96, January 25, 1959)

Satan tempted Jesus three times. First, while he was fasting for forty days, Satan tempted him with food. He appeared before Jesus and asked him to change a stone into bread. This would be good news to a starving person, but Jesus refused. He clearly stated, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This means that Jesus refused to yield any conditions to Satan pertaining to the necessities of life.     
    Throughout history up until that time, people had been fighting over material wealth. However, Jesus’ victory over Satan’s first test made it possible to bring and end to this interminable struggle for material goods.
    What trial did Jesus have to face next? Satan led him to the top of the Holy Temple. There he tested him, saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” Jesus came with the religious teaching that could educate Judaism and the people of Israel. When Satan said, “throw yourself down,” he meant for Jesus to bow down before the conventional Jewish doctrines and traditions and abandon his role to educate and lead them. But Jesus did not fall for Satan’s test. Instead he won the victory.
    What was the third test? “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” Here Jesus rejected Satan’s demand in order to fulfill the Will of God. Far from needing Satan’s help, Jesus came bearing the universal teaching by which he would build God’s nation, the Kingdom of God. (3:121, October 13, 1957)