Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 4:9

"And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:" — Luke 4:9 (ASV)

Luke records this temptation in the last rather than second place (cf. Matthew 4:5–7). The essence of this temptation is that of presuming on God and displaying before others one’s special favor with him. In this instance the devil quotes a passage of Scripture (Psalms 91:11–12) out of context—the mere use of Bible words does not necessarily convey the will of God (v.10).

The rabbinic tradition that the Messiah would appear on top of the temple may provide a background that accounts for the form of this temptation, even though the idea of jumping down from the temple is absent. Again Jesus responds with Scripture (v.12), this time quoting Dt 6:16. Jesus applies the words to his own refusal to tempt God. That is, he will not repeat the sin that Israel committed in the desert by putting God to the test. To do that would be to provoke God in unbelief by making inappropriate demands for a divine sign to be used for display.