God Speaks
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
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.’”
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.’”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your 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.”
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.
12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 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. 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.”
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.
23 Jesus traveled 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. 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. 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.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 4.
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. Jesus, as the God-man, provided a real-life example of how people should handle the temptations that Satan, the world system, and our own bodies and human nature throw at us. We must depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and skillfully use the words of scripture that we know well.
2. People from various occupations are called to repent, to turn to God, and to follow Jesus. He will train and equip us to “fish for people.” Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit will enable us to heal people who are ill with all kinds of sickness and disease, those are demonically oppressed, epileptic, or paralyzed. Whatever the problem is, we can bring it to Him.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew?
Dear LORD, thank You that Jesus stood up to temptation. He countered every attempt with the Word of God. Please help me to do the same. Please also help me to be aware of the areas in which I am particularly vulnerable so that I can avoid them, if possible. Show me the people who are living in the darkness of sin and under the shadow of death among whom You can use me to shed the light of Christ. Lead me to join with other believers so that we can team with You in teaching about the kingdom of heaven, preaching the good news of Christ, healing people of various diseases and afflictions, dealing with the demonic, and setting people free from all kinds of bondage. I want with all my heart to follow You faithfully, Lord Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 4?
- I will study and memorize at least one Bible verse to help me deal with temptation.
- I will, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, look for at least one way to turn my areas of weakness into areas of strength in Christ.
- I will reach out to at least one person on whom I can shine the light of God’s love.
- I will make at least one friend that I can team with to minister to others as You direct and strengthen us.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.