His baptism by John fully represented what happens to us when we are baptized by the Spirit. In this he was just like any other man who lived at that time. Until that time, though he was born of the spirit of God, his only approach to his Father was via the (Old Testament) Scriptures. The heavens being opened unto Jesus means that he saw spiritually for the first time. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. The event which immediately preceded Jesus’ journey in the wilderness was that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, at which time heaven opened unto him.Īnd it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. Why?īefore we can understand why Jesus went into the wilderness, it is necessary to understand the event which immediately preceded it, and its significance. Yet God saw fit that His son should spend 40 days and 40 nights away from civilization, away from any opportunity to help or bless people. The Sunday School Lesson is written by Ed Wilcox, pastor of Centerville Baptist Church.Have you ever wondered why Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days? Here he is, the son of God, sent to save the world, having only a short time in which to fulfill his earthly ministry. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. There is victory in Jesus who loves and understands us. Jesus responded, “Get thee hence, Satan,” and then quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13 said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus could have these if He bowed in worship of Satan. The final temptation came as Satan took Christ to a high mountain where he pointed out the world’s kingdoms. In this case, he might have hoped to cause Christ to kill Himself.
JESUS GOES INTO THE WILDERNESS STORY HOW TO
The devil knows how to use Scripture to tempt people. The devil takes advantage of people in high places because they have so far to fall. No doubt, this would have drawn widespread and immediate attention to Jesus in Jerusalem. “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,” Jesus said, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. If He was truly God’s Son, jump from that height and angels would prevent Him from being harmed. In the second temptation, the devil put Jesus on a pinnacle of the temple. Instead, He would trust His heavenly Father to care for Him. Quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” As a man, Jesus felt real hunger, but He would not work a miracle for himself. Now he asks if God would really deprive His Son of food. In the Garden he asked if God would really deprive them. Knowing Christ Jesus was hungry, Satan asked, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” The devil’s methods never change. While it was necessary for the Savior to suffer and die for us, it was in God’s divine plan that Satan would only bruise the least part of Christ’s body. Christ bruised Satan’s head since He was victorious in this instance of temptations and at the cross, effectively crushing the power of Satan over mankind.
Matthew 4 clearly reveals, in part, the fulfillment of what God said long ago. In the Garden, God told Satan, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. The devil rejoiced, believing he had successfully closed the door to Paradise. Because of his sin, the first Adam fell and sin entered the human race. What happened here is one of the most beautiful events in the Gospels, and here is the reason why that is so. Matthew said, “And when the tempter came to him,” as if to say it is only to be expected Satan would attack in times of solitude and physical weakness. Jesus fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness. Then, the apostle said, the Savior was led by the Holy Spirit “into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Matthew said Christ Jesus was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan River.
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