In this Rediscovering God episode we look closely at the temptation of Jesus and discover how these were actually addressing some of the fundamental challenges that Jesus faced as he began his ministry. When Jesus begins his ministry he moves from Nazareth to Capernaum and establishes his base at this city on the Sea of Galilee.
SHOW NOTES
Matthew 4
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
This is the first recorded time that Jesus is led by the Spirit. It is a new way of organising his life for Jesus and is a consequence of his baptism. His ministry will be Spirit led from now on.
While Matthew seems to indicate that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, Luke records that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and there he was tempted (4:3). Luke is suggesting that Jesus needed to meditate on the implications of the voice which was heard at his baptism. Mark comments that Jesus was compelled by the Spirit to go to the wilderness (1:13). The voice was the first recorded acknowledgement from heaven that Jesus was who Mary claimed he was, the Son of God.
Satan is there to challenge this identity. It is a continuation of the contest for which of the two morning stars is divine. This conflict will only end with the demise of one of them. Jesus must endure the emotional and physical violence of Satan effected through men and women in his determined rejection, torture and execution. Satan thought he had vanquished Jesus for a few hours but then Jesus rose from the dead.The last episode of this conflict will be Satan’s attack on the New Jerusalem (Revelation 20), the bride of Jesus Christ.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
Jesus fasted because he was caught up in the implications of his confirmed identity and thus the consequences for himself and his ministry. When he has exhausted his physical reserves then Satan comes to question his identity. It is interesting that Mark states that Jesus was tempted for the 40 days and not only at the end of this period (1:13). Perhaps Matthew is focussed on the most powerful temptations for Jesus.
3 During that time the devil (Gr. the tempter) came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Jesus is hungry. “If you are “ is a strong suggestion that you are not “the Son of God.” This is the same approach as the serpent had in the garden of Eden. “Has God said ?” Yes! God spoke in both events. Satan is directly challenging the voice at the baptism as he did the voice in Eden. Jesus’ answer affirms this challenge.
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. where Moses is reminding the Israelites, at the end of his life, that the manna which sustained them was the result of God’s verbal command for the good of the Israelites. Jesus is in fact saying, “God has cared for his people and I am his Son and he will care for me too. I am sure of this since he confirmed our relationship 40 days ago!”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Satan is quoting from Ps 91:11-12 to suit his agenda. The Jewsih tradition was that the Messiah would appear and no one would know where he had come from (John 7:27). This was a temptation for Jesus, but it is not a parallel to bungy jumping.If he suddenly appeared in the temple courts, he would be acclaimed and accepted as Messiah. The intense conflict over his identity would disappear.
Notice the implied disbelief “If you are the Son of God” is stated again. The identity controversy is the major part of this contest in the wilderness. The idea that God will protect him is a challenge to his identity. If he really is the Son of God he will be protected.
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’”
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16 where Moses admonished the Isrealites not to test God as they did when they complained about the water at Rephidim. They put God on the spot by complaining about his lack of care for them. This is what Satan is
proposing. Put God on the spot. Jump and he will be forced to protect you if you are the Son of God.
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
The gloves are off. Jesus knows that his next few years are going to be a hand battle between him and the devil. He is going to also have to convince the world that he is their loving Messiah. If they will only trust him their salvation is assured. The devil will be there to cause as much disbelief in Jesus as possible. If Jesus bowed the knee to the devil the devil was offering to bring the world to him in submission and respect. This is the most powerful of the three temptations.
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
This last statement implies Jesus was at the end of his human strength.
.The Ministry of Jesus Begins
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
Jesus avoided unnecessary conflict as much as he could. Part of the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness.
13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.
No reason is given for the move from Nazareth to Capernaum It could have been because of the rejection of Jesus in Nazareth and the attempt on his life.
14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
The First Disciples
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
There is more to this story. There was a reason the two sets of brothers are going to follow Jesus. These callings demonstrate the initiative of Jesus in bringing the good news to Israel. He is not waiting for me to come to him. He is going to them. He is mingling with, us desiring out joy and happiness.
In John (1:12-17) Peter and Andrew are disciples of John and when he announces Jesus as the Lamb of God they follow him. This was in the Jordan Valley where John was baptising. Later Jesus finds them fishing again and calls them back to follow him. They had no doubt talked to John and James and this is why they followed Jesus too.
Crowds Follow Jesus
23 Jesus travelled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.
Jesus did three things. He taught, he announced the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven and he healed all who came to him. In so doing he engaged the mind, the emotions and the physical body. Teaching brought clarity to those who were confused or in darkness. The Good News brought hope and happiness to the sad and depressed. Healing brought physical relief to the suffering. Jesus found us amd loved and served us. He the good shepherd.
It was a tsunami of joy from the heart of compassion and mercy of God. Nothing like this had ever happened before throughout history. God was smiling on people and they in turn were amazed and delighted.
24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.
The equivalent would be if the circus, the superbowl, and the world cup, were all in town at the same time. Everyone would have known about Jesus from Nazareth, the carpenter turned teacher, prophet and healer. He was an irresistible magnet. Everyone had to go and see for himself. Jesus literally stopped the clock for a time.
No wonder he restarted the dating of our yearly cycle over again. Imagine Jesus showing up today. Every cancer patient, every chronically depressed sufferer, everyone waiting for a joint replacement or heart surgery or cataract surgery would be making their way to Jesus, and if they managed to get there they were healed.
The medical profession was out of work for a while. Airlines were making additional flights available. Private aircraft were being chartered. Car hire companies were bringing in vehicles from far and near. The hotels around Jesus were swamped. Air B n B’s raised their prices ten- fold but it was worth it if Jesus magic was accessed.
There was a mixture of anticipation in the new arrivals and celebration for those who had been healed. It was like an orca feeding frenzy when they found a large pod of dolphins. There was no time to lose, all had to get to Jesus of Nazareth before he left or slept or disappeared.
25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.
Did this summary of geographic locations exhaust Matthew’s understanding of his knowledge of the immediate communities which received the blessings Jesus brought?
Verses 23-25 introduce the message and the ministry of the Messiah. This section ends in 9:35-38 with an almost identically worded conclusion. This was the way writers made sections in their writings 2000 years ago since there were no chapter and verse divisions in their manuscripts.
Ian Hartley, June 2024
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