Matthew 4
Matthew 4:1-25
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ “
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU,’ and, IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’ “
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD.’ “
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.’ “
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES:
16 THE PEOPLE WHO SAT IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT, AND UPON THOSE WHO SAT IN THE REGION AND SHADOW OF DEATH LIGHT HAS DAWNED.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
From a time of isolation to the popularity of great multitudes, there was a sequence that propelled Jesus from baptism to widely effective ministry. Forty days of complete separation from much more than just food, but social interaction and the support of the temple worship He loved so much left Him with nothing in His flesh as a source of strength or reliance. However, it also removed those things completely as diversions from a clear perception of the truth. It wasn’t some blatantly evil temptations He was presented with, but scriptural references that, if there was any fleshly motive remaining, could have been effective considerations. As His understanding of the Word, though, was not confined to narrow perceptions obtained from popular presenters, He was able to avoid the pitfalls of religious pride and remain true to the overall intent and purpose of scripture. For Him, the Word was not a means of acquiring personal promotion, status, or gain, but simply a way to complete submission to His mission in the heart of His Father. If for a moment, He would have faltered in this spiritual perception through the Word, He would have been diverted from His purpose and set off the path as the Lamb of God. It wasn’t the reality of His Sonship that qualified Him for sacrifice, but obedience to the actual, unpersonalized and unpampered Word of God that positioned Him to effectively lead the 12 fishermen to be fishers of men and leaders in the kingdom. The demons and sickness He would encounter and so effectively overcome were unaffected by scriptural ignorance or personal consideration in His perception of them. This sequence He personally submitted to was possibly a personal experience He was speaking from when later instructing the disciples as to their need for fasting and prayer to precede certain cases of demon possession. Like Jesus Himself, Sonship alone will not be enough to overcome an enemy that threatens to divide and conquer. It is understanding of the Word that has been stripped from personal motive or singular intent of ear scratching that will empower with confidence the heart that has been reborn and welcomed the continual residence of the Holy Spirit of Truth. Succumbing to any temptation for personal spiritual and positional ascendance from a scriptural reference will not be following the voice of the Master, but rather that of the deceiver, and will not qualify for representation in the Kingdom.