Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” Matthew 4:10a (The Message)

Parks and Recreation is one of my favorite shows. I discovered it several years after it actually aired, and thanks to streaming, I was able to binge the entire show during those magical months we were all at home due to Covid. Leslie Knope is the cheerful, outgoing, liberal, and always-working deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department in the town of Pawnee, Indiana. 

Her direct superior and polar opposite is Ron Swanson. Ron is private, staunchly Libertarian, and always looking for ways to make government less effective. Despite their differences Ron and Leslie have a deep respect for each other, and the show itself is a delight. 10/10 highly recommend! 

One of my favorite Ron quotes is delivered after a waiter at J.J.'s Diner tells him the order he’s just placed is in fact a party platter of breakfast meats.

“I know what I’m about, son.”

Ron’s confidence in his beliefs and overall rightness occasionally shocks and ruffles feathers, but he’s never concerned about that. He knows who he is, he knows what he’s about, and no one is going to change his mind about any of it.

In Matthew 4, the Evil One attempts to change Jesus’s mind about the mission God has for him. He does so by trying to get Jesus to doubt who God said he is in the passage describing his baptism immediately prior. Shortcuts are offered to power, prestige, and recognition, and Jesus takes none of them. 

How does Jesus fight back against the seeds of doubt sewn by the Evil One? First, having just heard from his heavenly hype squad (see his baptism in Matthew 3), he was already confident in who he was. Second, Jesus quoted Scripture out loud in response to the Evil One’s “promises,” and third, he told Satan to, “Beat it!” 

Jesus knows who he is, he knows what he’s about, and the Evil One isn’t able to change his mind about any of it.

We’ll all find ourselves in a metaphorical desert of testing at some point in our lives, and it’s important to know who we are and what we’re about before we arrive at that point. It’s easier to turn down the temptations to take the short cuts if we’re unapologetically confident in those two things! Also important is being so familiar with God’s words that we can use them as weapons when we’re attacked. A firm, “Beat it,” is always effective, too! Be confident in who you are today (and every day): sons and daughters of the King, chosen, and marked by His love.