The devil came to Jesus the same way the devil comes to us—disguised as our own thoughts. As Jesus considered the course of his ministry, the devil tempted him to compromise the integrity of his mission. Jesus couldn’t be tempted by overt evil, so the devil tempted him with a trilogy of “good ideas.” The three good ideas suggested by the devil were to feed everyone, persuade everyone, and liberate everyone. And who could disagree with these ideas? They seem like good ideas. But there’s a devil lurking in those good ideas, a devil that Jesus discerned.
