Authority over Satan

Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness by rejecting his temptations and lies. The effects of that victory were demonstrated when he exercised authority over demonic forces in the village of Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. The first incident occurred in the local synagogue, typically, a place where Jews would gather to study the Torah and pray.

The Kingdom Herald

Following his baptism, the Spirit “drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights.” Like Moses on Sinai, the Messiah of Israel was alone in the desert where he was tested by the Devil and molded by God. He was tempted like Israel, only he overcame every challenge and emerged victorious and “full of the Holy Spirit.” Only then did he proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, starting in the villages of Galilee.

Servant or Caesar?

Satan tempted Jesus by offering him political power over “all the kingdoms of the world,” an offer he emphatically refused. Instead of power and grandeur, he submitted to the way of the ‘Suffering Servant’ that led inevitably to death on the Roman cross. The most startling detail of this encounter is that Jesus did not dispute the Devil’s claim to have jurisdiction over the political systems of the world.