Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, October 11, 2026
What do you see when you look at this shadow on our neighborhood trail? I first saw a cross, and then I saw the off-ramps.
Near the base of the cross was a shadow leading to the right, and above that were more of the same. I saw them as paths leading away from the cross, easy off-ramps.
Perhaps this came to mind because I’d recently been reading about Jesus’ baptism:
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 NKJV)
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit all together in a moment of supreme joy – immediately followed by the wilderness, the forty days and nights of fasting, and ravenous hunger.
Who then appears? Who has been waiting for this moment?
The diabolical deceiver, long ago hurled out of heaven:
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9 NKJV)
He has been busy deceiving and destroying ever since, and revved into high gear when Jesus was born. He has been stalking Him since birth, and is now ready to take advantage of His weak and weary condition.
He is ready to offer off-ramps to Jesus.
Off-ramp #1 speaks to His obvious need: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Off-ramp #2, spoken from the highest point of the temple, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”
Off-ramp #3 — Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9 NIV)
Notice how all the off-ramps are if-ramps. The devil, who had successfully and fatally planted doubt in Eve’s mind in Eden, tries to do the same here. “If you are the Son of God . . . if you will bow down and worship me.”
Despite all this bedevilment, Jesus in His weakness met each “If” with strong words from the solid word of God: “It is written . . .”
Three times the devil offered Him off-ramps, easy ways to avoid the pain and humiliation of the cross. Fresh from His baptism, Jesus could bypass the hard road ahead and accept all the kingdoms of the world as a gift Satan promised he could deliver.
I like to say that Jesus was cross-eyed and mission-minded. He kept His mind and His heart focused firmly on His Father, spending long nights in prayer to receive from Him the strength and power to resist any and all temptations that would take Him off course.
And there were so many, including one we can never face: He resisted the temptation to use His divine power for His own benefit. He poured it out, as He received it from His Father, for the blessing of others, but not for Himself.
As we step out into this brand new week, we must keep an eye out for any off-ramps the devil may offer us, any temptations to stray from walking with Jesus, by keeping both eyes, and our faith, fixed on our Savior.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen. (Jude 24, 25)