In Luke 4, it is striking that the text refers to the opponent of Jesus, not as Satan, the “obstacle” or “roadblock” of the gospel, but as the deceiver, the Devil. It’s easy to dismiss this as poetic license or other such nonsense, but that is the point in the discussion when your English teacher (if she was worth her salt) would have dismissed you as lazy.
The Devil is not trying to block Jesus. He is trying to help him evolve into something greater. He wants to help Jesus achieve that for which every human being pines. He wants Jesus to grasp equality with God; achieve heights; seize power; to attain glory. So he tells Jesus a lie: It is not Elohim who provides shelter for you, but you who shelters him.
Luckily, Jesus is not a member of your Parish Council. Nor does he host symposiums on Temple growth, development, and expansion. He just places his trust in “the shelter of the Most High,” abiding “in the shadow of the Almighty,” Elohim, the only God whom he trusts.
Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Luke 4:9-12 (Episode 493)
