The Danger of Shortcuts

As the new year stretches before us, once again I’m looking for shortcuts to make life easier in the coming months.

I’m always up for learning a new way of doing things to save time, energy, or in some cases, my sanity. Those short videos on social media illustrating life hacks or cooking hacks draw me in faster than the proverbial moth to a flame. New products promising to make life easier always catch my attention. True confession: learning about lasagna noodles that don’t need to be boiled in advance was a game-changer for me in the kitchen.

Computer hacks? I’m all ears. Discovering Word shortcuts such as Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + X to cut, or Ctrl + V to paste was a huge help to this writer. And the ability to capture a screenshot with Shift + Windows + S made life much easier.

Then again, have you ever had a shortcut backfire on you? An idea that sounded good at the time, but in 20-20 hindsight you deeply regretted?

Examples of unwise shortcuts abound. Writers who lied about life experiences to spice up their memoirs, only to be outed upon discovery. Or convicted celebrity parents who paid to have their children accepted to the colleges of their choice. On a more relatable level, skipping oil changes to save money, only to discover the car engine overheated because the oil hadn’t been changed in years.

Which brings me to the devil’s temptation of Jesus.

Satan’s Temptation of Jesus

You may be familiar with the gospel account in Matthew 4:1-10 (NIV).

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

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.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Have you ever considered these temptations as dangerous shortcuts?

Think about it. Could Jesus have commanded the stones to become bread? Of course He could. After all, He changed water into wine (John 2:1-11) and multiplied a handful of rolls and two sardines to feed 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21). So this temptation would certainly have been within His power.

Or how about the second temptation? “Throw yourself down” from the highest point of the temple. Surely the One who walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33) would have been able to survive such a display of power. And the third temptation: receive all the glorious kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshiping the devil. A simple enough act in exchange for avoiding the cross.

Jesus succeeded where humanity failed. Fully God and fully human, Jesus lived a sinless life. Failing in even one of these temptations would have disqualified Him from being the perfect, spotless Lamb of God sacrificed to pay for your sin and mine.

Without that perfect payment, we would not have the promise of heaven. The shortcut of bowing down to the devil and receiving all the kingdoms of creation would have given Jesus glory without suffering . . . and heaven without the redemption of humanity.

Choices in the New Year

Shortcuts can be helpful or harmful. As we journey through the days, weeks, and months of 2025, may we weigh the benefits of shortcuts against the cost of those choices. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we retain an eternal perspective that looks beyond immediate gratification to God’s plans and purposes for us. And may our choices honor His timetable and agenda instead of our own.

Share a favorite shortcut in the comments.
And if you’re really brave, share a shortcut that backfired!