For forty days and forty nights,
He fasted by religious rites;
No nourishment sustaining him beneath the burning sun.
And so it passed that he should meet,
Amidst the desert's scorching heat,
The mastermind of all deceit, the undeserving one.

The devil, in his deft demeanor,
Notice that the Lord was leaner,
And preyed upon his hunger, for surely he did pine.
"If thou art truly Heaven's prize,
"Then suffer not, but improvise,
"Make bread of stone, foul of flies, and spit can be your wine."

"Tempt me not," our Savior spake.
"Go back into your burning lake.
"Man lives not by bread alone, but also by his deeds.
"I'll not submit to your allure,
"Nor from my father will implore,
"But suffer here forevermore, or wither father needs."

Then later, on a temple high,
"Cast thee off and thou shalt fly,
"Lest at any time thou dash thy foot upon a stone."
So spoke the fallen angel, he,
Who wouldn't let our Savior be,
But schemed instead ferociously, for the soul he'd love to own.

"What need have I to take this fall;
"To prove to you my wherewithal?
"Why should I, at your request, do what you should ask?
"Such beauty from this altitude,
"To leave abruptly would be rude,
"But if you need I'm sure that you'd be perfect for the task."

The devil, with his final test,
Took Jesus to a mountain's crest,
And showed to him the kingdoms of the Earth, and all their glory.
"This and more I'll give to thee,
"I'll crown thee king, eternally,
"If thou would only worship me, praise me, and adore me."

"I have but one I call my Lord,
"No pain of death by flame or sword,
"Could ever cause me to betray, nor covet what you sell.
"Thrice you've tempted me, an so,
"You'll thricely reap the grief and woe,
"Of every horror that I know, now get thee back to hell!"

And so it ends, this tale of tales,
Where good doth triumph, evil fails,
But sadly, as we often see, the world's a good mans fall.
So ask yourselves, true and wholly,
Something you must answer solely,
At what price will your own soul be, when the devil comes call.

-adapted from Matthew 4:1-11