Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he
fasted and became very hungry. 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."
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.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to
the highest point of the Temple, 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.'"
Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also
say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'" 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. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you
will kneel down and worship me." "Get out of here, Satan,"
Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures
say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'" Then the
devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. Matthew 4:1-11
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| Camel Crossing The Judean Wilderness - Israel |
Wilderness. Fasting. Temptation.
Alone in a dry
and barren desert. That has to be the ultimate of loneliness. But Jesus wasn’t
alone really. The Holy Spirit led Him out to that wilderness…and God the Father
was always with Him. I’d never thought of that before…maybe you had. Jesus was
not to be pitied. He was not just some guy out in a barren wasteland. He used
that time in the desert to fast and pray. But forty days is a long time to go
without food. Can you imagine His hunger and thirst? Then the ole wily devil
came to tempt Him, but Jesus wisely applied the truth of Scripture to rebuttal
the temptation from Satan, who had twisted scripture for his own use.
Prayer.
That was Jesus connection and communication
with His Heavenly Father. Before going out to the desert He was baptized
in the Jordan River, where He heard His Father’s voice and saw the Spirit as a dove.
After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of
the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like
a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my
dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." Matthew 3:16-17
Into the desert for a time with no
distractions—only total prayerful focus on His Father, His mission, and probably the
ministry that lay ahead of Him. We don’t know the details; just that temptation
followed the fasting and obedience.
Since today is Sunday, it is not a day of
fasting for Lent, but consider fasting soon, if even just for one meal. Use
that time to pray and focus on God and your relationship with Him…Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
Prayer
~ Jesus, thank you for being such an
obedient example to us. Although You were totally human You were sinless, pure,
and hungry. You used the Scriptures so wisely there in the desert. Help me to
remember Your Word and use it wisely.
©
2020 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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