Matthew 4:1-11 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness..."

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 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, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.—Matthew 4:1-11

Question:

I am teaching this passage and wanted to get a better understanding of its metaphysical meaning. Also, I’m looking for the meaning of the word “worship,” which is not in the metaphysical dictionary.

Comment:

The essence of this important passage is the danger of misusing our spiritual powers, once we are awakened to their presence within us. Jesus has just realized, through his symbolic baptism by John the Baptist, the truth of his Christ identity, and the spiritual purpose for which he had assumed human form. The question is, “What next?” He undertakes a sort of vision quest, and the temptations are strong. Because he knows the spiritual truth, and others do not, he could easily use his awareness to achieve riches (rocks turned into bread), fame (the Temple) and power (“all the kingdoms of the world”). The only requirement is that he make these temporal purposes his God—that is, worship “the tempter” instead of God.   Charles Fillmore describes “worship” as “the effort of man to sustain a right mental attitude toward God.” We worship God when we see God clearly, see our own divinity clearly, and accept the spiritual purpose implicit in that divinity as the guiding purpose of our life. We worship the tempter when we accept its temptations as the guiding purpose of our life. While we need not forego riches, fame and power, we must not make them our primary purpose. As Jesus explains in his Sermon on the Mount, shortly after this experience of focus and temptation, we ought to focus our worship on God: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).   And so, rather than take advantage of his unique awareness, Jesus sets about a ministry devoted to awakening that same awareness in all people. The kingdom of heaven can’t be achieved alone; it is as the collective Christ in expression that will bring it into being.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed