Thursday, January 15, 2009

Matthew 4

I noticed four things about the temptation temptation of Jesus:
  • Satan assumes it is within his power to turn stones to bread with a word! Otherwise, it wasn't much of a temptation.
  • Satan transported Jesus to two unique, physically challenging places, in order to perform his temptation. The physical changes necessary for those temptations would have been very unusual.
  • The first two temptations were identity temptations, "If you are the son of God. . ."
  • Satan believed the glory of the world was his to give Jesus, if Jesus would worship him. Jesus did not challenge him on that point.
Jesus' move to Galilee (Matt. 4:13), prompted by John's imprisonment, was well into his ministry. One of the evidences is the calling of the disciples. What person in their right mind would leave their family, leave their job, and follow a perfect stranger? Probably not even disciples. They must have known him and had some kind of experience with him before he asked them to become fishers of men. There is no substitute for experience with Jesus.
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3 comments:

Diane said...

Verse 2 reads: And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.

I've heard someone call this hunger--after fasting for forty days and nights--the second hunger, the one that means your body needs food or it risks shutting down and dying.

Have you noticed how Satan always seems to come to us when we are physically weak, emotionally weak, morally or spiritually weak? He certainly doesn't play fair, and by ourselves we aren't much of a match for him.

I also noticed that Jesus deflected Satan with scripture. I believe this sets an example for us to learn scripture so that we too may have the armor to deflect the devil's temptation.

Thank you Jesus, for being what you are, able to deflect the firey darts of the evil one. God is on the throne!

10:20 AM
RevReav said...

I totally agree with you about Satan bothering us most when we're weak. Thanks for reminding us of that. And, thanks for reminding us the Scripture is THE way to defeat him, tired and hungry, or not.
Scott

10:38 AM
Anonymous said...

When I read through this I was struck by the fact Jesus didn't tell Satan to go away till the 3rd time he was tempted. I wait way too long to tell him to "bug" off.

As a mom I need to prepare my daughters for God's calling, which won't be for a while. But I need to be ready to LET GO when that "call" comes in. I don't know what Zebedee felt at the moment he was left behind. But he didn't run after them and stop them!

3:01 PM

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