Thursday, October 29, 2009
Matthew 4:1-25
Jesus goes into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasts and then the devil comes to Him at His weakest to try to ensnare Him. It's noteworthy that the devil tries to use scripture against Jesus sometimes, but Jesus always responds with scripture. Just like the devil said to Eve in the garden, "did God really say ...", he takes the word of God and twists it as he attacks Jesus. After Jesus fights off three (complete?) of the devils attacks, the devil departs and angels minister to Jesus.
Jesus also begins his formal ministry in this chapter. He starts with the same call as John the Baptist: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He also begins calling His disciples. He starts with two pairs of brothers: first Simon and Andrew and then James and John. Jesus begins his ministry in the Galilee, possibly to avoid conflict early with the Jewish leaders. The text says that He saw that John the Baptist was taken into custody so He went to the Galilee. I remember from our trip to Israel, that our guide, Pilar, also pointed out that this was a perfect place for Jesus to minister and have maximum effect. The Galilee was a major trade-route crossroads and he would interact with the most diverse people, both Jews and Gentiles, who would take His message all over the world.
Jesus also begins his formal ministry in this chapter. He starts with the same call as John the Baptist: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He also begins calling His disciples. He starts with two pairs of brothers: first Simon and Andrew and then James and John. Jesus begins his ministry in the Galilee, possibly to avoid conflict early with the Jewish leaders. The text says that He saw that John the Baptist was taken into custody so He went to the Galilee. I remember from our trip to Israel, that our guide, Pilar, also pointed out that this was a perfect place for Jesus to minister and have maximum effect. The Galilee was a major trade-route crossroads and he would interact with the most diverse people, both Jews and Gentiles, who would take His message all over the world.
Labels: Andrew, devil, Galilee, James, Jesus, John, John the Baptist, Simon, temptation
