And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Luke 4:9-11 ESV
Through the Bible: Matthew 4, Luke 4-5
In Luke 4, the devil tempts Jesus with Scripture. He quotes Psalm 91:11-12 correctly, word for word. If you’re the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple. Angels will catch you.
Here’s the scary part: the devil wasn’t completely wrong. Psalm 91 really does promise God’s protection. And just a few verses later, in the same chapter, Jesus seems to embody it. His hometown crowd drives him to the edge of a cliff, intent on throwing him off. And then, in one understated line, Luke says:
“But he passed through the midst of them and went away” (Luke 4:30).
No angelic fireworks. No pyrotechnic rescue. Just a calm, sovereign walk to safety.
The Mount of the Leap
Outside Nazareth stands a cliff now called Mount Precipice or the Mount of the Leap (Hebrew Har HaKfitsa, Arabic Jebel al-Qafzeh). Local tradition says that when the crowd tried to throw Jesus off, he leapt from the cliff and was miraculously borne up into the sky.
It’s a vivid story, but it’s not what Luke tells us. Luke’s Gospel is quieter: “He passed through the midst of them and went away” (Luke 4:30).
The folklore makes Jesus’ escape look like the very stunt Satan suggested in the wilderness: leap, let the angels catch you, turn Scripture into spectacle. Luke insists otherwise. No leap, no theatrics. Just calm, sovereign deliverance until the Father’s hour had come.
So in one sense, the devil was kind of right: God really did protect His Son.
But half right can still be dead wrong.
The devil twisted Psalm 91 into a dare: prove yourself, Jesus. Make a spectacle. Force God’s hand. Jesus would have none of it. He replied, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” The promise of Psalm 91 was never meant to fuel recklessness. It was meant to strengthen obedience.
And so, where Satan wanted spectacle, God provided sovereignty. Where the devil craved drama, the Father offered quiet deliverance.
Psalm 91 was true in Nazareth, but not on Satan’s terms. And when Jesus’ hour finally did come—when soldiers with clubs and a mob with crosses laid their hands on him—Psalm 91 was still true, but in a deeper way. God’s protection didn’t mean avoiding suffering; it meant resurrection life that no stone, no cliff, no cross could hold back.
So take heart: the devil may whisper half-truths to you too. He may quote the Bible to justify recklessness, presumption, or sin. But remember—half right can still be dead wrong. Hold fast to the whole counsel of God, and trust His timing. His protection may not always look spectacular. More often, it looks like Jesus walking quietly through a furious crowd, untouched until the Father’s purpose is fulfilled.
Related Content
- Day 278: Until an Opportune Time (Luke 4:13)
- Day 278 (Again): Quoting a Verse and Missing the Point (Luke 4:9-11)
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