Matthew 4: Temptation to Victorious Discipleship

​Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall 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 and 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 will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--
16 the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And 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, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
 
Meditation
Jesus defeated the temptation of the enemy and launched into victorious ministry, inviting His disciples to live triumphantly from His victory.
 
Three different names are used for the enemy in Jesus’ temptation:
 
“The Devil” (1, 5, 8) is the accuser who desires to see God’s people condemned (Rev 12:10).
 
“The Tempter” (3) entices with the intentions to trip up (Genesis 3:1-7) and tear up God’s people (1 Thessalonians 3:5).
 
“Satan” (10) is the adversary, the enemy of God’s kingdom and people (Job 1:6) who desires to devour (1 Peter 5:8-9).
 
Our enemy is the “ruler of demons” (Matthew 9:34), “Lord of dung” (Matthew 12:24), the “evil one” (Matthew 13:19), the “father of lies” (John 8:44), and “deceiver of the world” (Revelation 12:9).
 
As representative of humanity, Adam fell prey to the enemy’s ploys and death entered God’s design (1 Corinthians 15:21). As representative of the redeemed, Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations and later received our condemnation, dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin (Romans 6:23). 
 
The enemy desires to devour and destroy. Jesus “gave Himself to rescue us from this present evil age.” (Galatians 1:10) Jesus demonstrated His authority through fulfilling God’s plan of salvation (12-17), calling disciples to follow Him (18-22), and disarming the disorder and disease of the world (23-25). Jesus defeated and disarmed the devil (Colossians 2:15) so believers can receive grace, resist the devil (James 4:7), and grow in godliness.
 
Followers of Jesus live from the victory of Jesus, ultimately portrayed by Jesus’ empty grave. Armed with the authority of God’s Word, God’s people live victoriously from God’s finished work in Jesus.

Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the descriptions of the devil?
 
-Where do you live as if the enemy is not defeated and that you do not have a second Adam who represents you victoriously? How is that working for you?
 
-The word of God equips the people of God to live victoriously from the work of God in Jesus. How can you wield the word to resist the devil? Be specific and reach out if there are any places we can help you find specific verses to empower your discipleship to live victoriously.
 
Key Verse
1  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil