Matthew 4

Wednesday,  January 13, 2016




Who led Jesus into the wilderness (desert)?   The Holy Spirit.   Why did He lead Him out there?  To be tempted by the devil.


It must have taken 40 days of training and preparation for what was about to happen next.  The evil one would come and try to convince God the Son to worship him.  Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance.    I used to think satan was especially sneaky and crafty, given that he used bread to tempt a man who had not eaten in 40 days.   I haven't fasted for that length of time, but I have fasted...  and I can tell you that day one and two are the hardest days.   After that, your will seems to win the battle over your desires.  You still want to eat, but it isn't quite as tempting.    I wonder if by the end of 40 days of saying "no" to food, and knowing that this "all important day" was coming, Jesus didn't find this to be the easiest of the temptations.  I'm sure none of the temptations were easy...but you get my point.      Looking back at it, the Holy Spirit set Jesus up for success.  He does the same thing today for you and me.


Fasting and self denial are an integral part of the Christian life.  In fact, I would say that without denying self you cannot be a Christian.   I would also add to that: the more that you indulge yourself the less you will grow.   I think that's because our "self" is in rebellion against God.  When you read the Lord's Prayer, it expresses a desire to have what God wants, not what we want.  "Your will be done" is the heart cry of the Christian.


I found myself wondering how these events were ever recorded in the Bible.  Have you ever thought of that?   There weren't any disciples yet...no one knew anything about Jesus being divine, He hadn't done any miracles yet.    Matthew, who wrote this, wouldn't join him for weeks yet...maybe months.
There's only one explanation.  Jesus must have told them.  I imagine Jesus sitting around a small campfire at night, or perhaps leaning back against a stone, sitting in the grass looking out over the sea of Galilee, and sharing these stories with His disciples.   We can all agree that we don't know everything that Jesus said and did.  There are stories of healing, and miracles that we don't know anything about.   We only have enough to help us draw the right conclusion:  Jesus is God the Son, who came to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins, so that anyone who believes in Him can be free from sin and inherit eternal life.


I look forward to hearing the rest of the story in heaven..


PR