The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 4:8-11, “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.’

10 “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’ 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”

Following Matthew’s account of Satan’s temptation of Jesus, we must first note that “the devil took Him…” Previously, the Holy Spirit had led Jesus up into the wilderness where He was to encounter and overcome tempation, proving Himself superior to all other powers. We surely cannoit believe –and I do not!—that the Spirit simply abandoned Jesus to the clutches of the devil.

But the passage does say, the devil took Him (??????????? paralambano, meaning to receive something or someone from another). It was as if a parent yielded a child briefly to someone else. It happens all the time, when parents allow a soccer or baseball coach to take nominal charge of their children for a specific purpose. Such is paralleled in the Holy Spirit lending Jesus to Satan for the specific purpose of the temptation, but standing close by to observe what would occur.

The kingdoms of the world were glorious! Such a thought reminds me of flying into Stockholm at night. The entire city was encircled by streetlights of various colors. It resembled a crown like a king would wear on a formal occasion. Fame, wealth, power, authority –all could be His for one small concession: just “fall down and worship” Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4).

Satan, as we observe him, never gives up in his effort to turn Jesus away from His Heavenly Father. Nor does he give up on us, as he plays the piper in the effort to seduce us away from truth, righteousness, and even from Jesus Himself. Yet, Jesus’ resistance and His resolve were superior. “Begone, Satan! Depart from me!

And relying once again upon the Scriptures, He shouted, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only!”

It was on October 29, 1941, at Harrow School in Great Britain, that Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the school saying, “…surely…this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never –in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” And so it must

always be with us.

James emphasizes not giving up when he writes, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). We can and we must. Never give up resisting! Never, never, never!

Prayerfully and lovingly yours,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Explanation: Yesterday’s letter was interrupted by an early phone call from Rose Marie.

Her INR had soared out of control and her HBG had dropped significantly (Medical

people will understand). She is currently in Regional hospital and has received

two units of blood. She is much better and will shortly be returning to rehab,

where she is making significant progress. Please just keep praying for her.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”