What is most interesting about this second temptation is that the devil couldn’t offer all of the kingdoms of the world to Jesus unless he, the devil, owned them. All the kingdoms of the world, Luke is telling us, belong to a fallen spiritual force. I don’t know a passage in any of the literature of the world that is as critical of political power as this one!

Whereas many (if not most) cultures both ancient and modern tend to apotheosize their political leaders, the Bible sees right through politics and politicians. One of the most important contributions of the Scriptures to contemporary politics, at least in the West, is this deep suspicion that power tends to corrupt. The institutionalization of this suspicion in complex systems of checks and balances is a healthy outgrowth of the biblical view.

To be sure, scripturally minded people should not allow their suspicion to give way to a complete cynicism regarding politics. Since God is powerful, power in itself cannot be construed as something evil, and indeed the Bible frequently states that legitimate political authority participates in God’s own governance of the cosmos. But given the general human tendency toward self-absorption and violence—about which the Bible is remarkably clear-eyed—one should never put one’s total trust in political systems, leaders, or programs. And one should be ever aware of the fact that human legal arrangements are under the judgment and authority of God.