<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">4:5&nbsp;</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Then the Devil took him into the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">- The Greek for &quot;took him&quot; is often used in a non-literal sense, with the idea of receiving someone into an office or situation. The same word is used in :8 about the Lord being taken up a high mountain. The idea may well be that He was imagining being received into rulership of the Messianic Kingdom, and was wondering whether that would be possible through accepting 'the devil', be it His own flesh or the Jewish system, who humanly speaking seemed able to offer a path to this. Likewise '</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">set him</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">' later on in :5 carries the idea of being appointed, established in authority.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>The Synoptics speak of how satan &lsquo;comes to&rsquo; and tempts and challenges the Lord Jesus to claim earthly political power, which &lsquo;satan&rsquo; can give him (Mt. 4:8,9). But John describes this in terms of &ldquo;the people&rdquo; coming to Him and trying to make Him King- which temptation He refused (Jn. 6:15). Likewise it was &lsquo;the devil&rsquo; in the wilderness who tempted Jesus to make the stones into bread. But in Jn. 6:30,31, it is the Jewish people who offer Him the same temptation. In the wilderness, the Lord responded that man lives by the bread which comes from the mouth of God. In Jn. 6:32, He responds likewise by speaking about &ldquo;the true bread from heaven&rdquo;. The temptation from &lsquo;the devil&rsquo; to publicly display His Divine powers in front of Israel in the Jerusalem temple (Mt. 4:5,6; Lk. 4:9-12) is repeated by John in terms of the Lord&rsquo;s brothers tempting Him to go up to the same temple and openly validate Himself &ldquo;to the world&rdquo; (Jn. 7:1-5).&nbsp;</p>