Read Matthew
4
Sometimes,
looking at the original language is helpful.
Sometimes it is confusing.
Language is no currency exchange where on any given day there is an exact
exchange rate. Language is always an
approximate fit.
Even today,
language varies from decade to decade. Sometimes
it seems to vary year to year. There are
new words and new idioms and of course, there is slang.
When I was
in the United Nations, we had officers from 32 different nations. English was the official language. We had 10 radio channels of which not all
were assigned. Channel 1 was not
assigned, so if a Russian in the Southern Sector wanted to talk with one of his
countrymen in the Northern Sector, he would ask that officer to switch to
Channel 1 for a national conversation. Then
the two officers would speak in their native Russian.
One evening
we were passing the time in the desert talking about all manner of things, and
I mentioned that the Americans could never have a private conversation because
everyone had to speak English and it didn’t matter what channel we were on,
anyone could listen in.
I was
surprised when many officers told me that when two Americans were talking to
each other, nobody else knew what they were saying. Language is not always as straightforward as
it might seem. Exploring various
translations of the original language can be helpful or sometimes a rabbit
trail that does not produce much fruit, but it is interesting to consider some
various translations of a few words in this first
verse.
Then Jesus
was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The root
word here is anagó. It is a verb that means, by most
translations, to be led or led up, but consider the other meanings attached to
it: bring, brought, launched, led, put
out to sea, putting out to sea, set sail, setting sail.
Last
week when I talked about the baptism
of Jesus being like the commissioning of a ship, many of your just thought
I was using nautical analogies because all of my cruises were canceled. Consider the validity of this analogy.
The ministry
of Jesus set sail. He was underway. The Spirit put him out to sea. In this case, the sea happened to be the
wilderness, but Jesus was underway in his ministry and his ministry began with
a head-to-head encounter with the devil.
Jesus fasted
40 days and nights. That will bring you
to the point of physical weakness that none of us have experienced. He was as weak in the flesh as a person can
be, and then he faced the temper—the devil.
We know what
comes next. Jesus was hungry. There was no way he was not starving at this
point and the devil said, why not just make some bread out of these stones? C’mon now.
You’re the Son of God. This would
be easy stuff for you, C’mon!
You know the
response. Man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Think to John
4 when Jesus tells the disciples that he
has food they know nothing about.
His food is to fulfill the will of his Father, to do the things he was
sent to do.
Think to his
baptism. Jesus was baptized to fulfill
all righteousness. It all comes down to
doing what God says to do, even if you are starved and could turn rocks into
rye bread.
The devil
didn’t pack up and leave, he took Jesus to the highest part of the temple in
Jerusalem. He double dog dared Jesus to
jump off. C’mon, you know that your
Father will dispatch angels to save you.
You won’t even hit the ground hard.
The angels will set you down gently.
C’mon.
The devil
knew God’s words as well, at least one psalm.
Jesus Knew
his Father’s
words as well. Do not put the
Lord, your God, to the test. Read all of Deuteronomy
6 to get the full context. Here’s
the short version. God gets really angry
if you test him by putting other gods before him. Just do what he says.
Is
there ever a time to put God to the test?
This part is
prelude to the next temptation. The
devil took Jesus up on the highest mountain and told him to take a good look
around. For the simple act of bowing
down and worshipping his tempter, Jesus could have everything that he saw.
C’mon
man. This is the deal of deals. Whatever your Father has sent you to do is
going to be difficult at times. This is
all yours for one simple act of worship.
C’mon.
What’s the
real offer here? Skip the trip to the
cross and take the immediate payout.
Jesus told
the devil to hit the road. It is
written: Worship the Lord, your God, and
serve him only. Deuteronomy
6 was a popular chapter in this encounter.
Perhaps
these temptations remind you of Jacob
and Esau. Esau was famished and sold
his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Imagine being 40 days famished and staying the course of what your
Father in heaven sent you to accomplish.
It would be
so much easier to take immediate gratification.
Who could blame a starving man for eating? Who among us could have held out a moment
longer?
But Jesus
would fulfill all righteousness. The devil hit the road and angels came to
attend to Jesus.
Understand
that Jesus could have done everything he was tempted to do. We know the 4 gospels. Jesus turned water
to wine. He fed
multitudes
with a couple fish and a few loaves of bread.
The wind
obeyed him.
Jesus could
have done a triple backflip off the top of the temple and landed more gently
than if he was diving into a pool.
Of greater
importance to Jesus was to do the will of his Father. He did.
Now it was time to preach and minister.
Jesus identified himself as the light
of the world in John’s gospel. Isaiah
told the world that this light was coming.
Jesus—the light
of the world—has come. Hear the message
of the Lord as he began to preach.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
near.
Amen.
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