Jesus after being baptized of John and full of the Spirit had gone into the wilderness for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. The wilderness was a dry and lonely place that we may find ourselves being tempted before the anointing can be obtained. After the devils 3 failed attempts to tempt Jesus, he left him. (Matthew 4) Then the angels came and ministered unto Jesus. I found it interesting that right after Jesus was baptized the first place of business was found in the wilderness. I have found that everything Jesus did had an important significance to it so when I was studying on Apostle Peter this really stuck out to me. I have witnessed many baptisms in my 32 years of living for the Lord. There are many people who have an idea that once they give their life to Jesus that everything in life should just be great from then on. However, I have also seen many fall-way due to this idea, because in life we have to go through tests and trials. So, I felt that Jesus going directly to the wilderness was a very important key.
What does the wilderness represent? When we think of a wilderness, we tend to see a dry, barren, and lonely desert. Everything seems lifeless and quite depressing. However, this is not the case in the bible. The wilderness is often the background of significant events. God had Moses led His people out of their 430-year bondage from Egypt. Did they go directly to the Promised Land? NO! They were led to the wilderness for 40 years. Why would they leave bondage to spend so many years in the wilderness? God wanted to reveal Himself to them.
"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 29:5-6. Some of the greatest men of the bible at one point of their ministry spent time in the wilderness such as David, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist which none of them were there by accident. God brought them to the wilderness to separate them from the influences of this world. No one likes the wilderness, but each of these men stories of their time in the wilderness is found full of miracles, signs, and wonders. God used their difficult times for something meaningful and powerful as God revealed himself to each of them in their own personal experiences to bring them to a place of their own personal anointing.
Jesus didn't go to the wilderness for 40 days by accident he went on purpose. The synoptic gospels indicate that Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil in Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-2. God designed each one of us to be unique, but we are the same as God created us with three parts as Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 "And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your
spirit and
soul and
body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." So how fitting is it that the Word of God tells us the three temptations of Jesus and how do these go hand in hand together? Let us find out together.
My Pastor has just been teaching/preaching to us about the 3 dimensions of a man and how it intertwines with the tabernacle of the Old Testament. The Holy Tabernacle also has three parts, the outer court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies which these represent the three parts of man. Jesus would later tell a Samaritan woman that the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. We can read in 1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in your midst? So how fitting to come across how Jesus being tempted in the wilderness right after being baptized is tempted with three temptations that essentially represent the 3 dimensions of a man designed by God as stated earlier are the
spirit,
soul, and
body. It was these three temptations that birthed the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. The devil speaking with Eve the mother of all; had her to look upon the forbidden fruit through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to be like God, but it wasn't until Adam partook that sin entered into the world it was conceived by both male and female as they are one. We see this again when God called Moses to lead his people out of Egypt, he sent them into the wilderness of sin to see what was in their hearts according to Deuteronomy 8:2. They murmured and complained of hunger and thirst, they tested God and disobeyed, and they worshiped the golden calf. Here in the wilderness we see those same 3 temptations that test the 3 parts of man. The devil is foolish to think he is so clever to do the same thing to Jesus, but Jesus is perfect and defeated the devil in the wilderness being the first of three defeats. He also was setting the stage for many of his teachings to come regarding these three temptations as well as restoring the connection back between God and man. Let's look into these 3 attempts of testing:
1. The first temptation is of the bread which is symbolic of the
body. It is the physical symbolism of life that contacts the material world, such as food, clothing, gas, money. Things we may hunger for in this physical life or feel is essential to our physical daily life.
Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Here Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they were unable to provide for themselves, but God took care of them and they did not go hungry. The New Testament John tells us in chpt 6:33,35-36 that Jesus is the bread. 33 F
or the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 35-36 Jesus said,
"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." Jesus will provide us with eternal life and we will never hunger again.
2. The second temptation is of the kingdom of this world which is symbolic of the
soul. This is where our mental reasoning, thinking, and memory is found as well as our emotions. This is also where we find our personality that makes us unique from others. It is the medium that connects our body and spirit.
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and seeth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash they foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Once again Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. What is Massah? This goes back to the Israelites who were in the wilderness of sin that is found in Exodus chapter 17:1-7 The people had no water to drink and went complaining to Moses. Moses went to God concerning the people who he felt were about to stone him. God instructed Moses to take elders of Israel and go ahead of the people to the rock in Horeb and to smite the rock and water will come out. Moses did what God instructed and he called the place Massah because the people tempted the Lord, saying is the Lord among us or not? In the New Testament once again John tells us in chapt.4 that
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Jesus will provide us with everlasting life and we will never thirst again.
3.The third temptation of high place or mountain is symbolic for the
spirit. Our worship, dedication, and loyalty. This is what we live, eat, breathe, and love for. It is that which sits on the throne of the kingdom of your mind within the deepest parts of who we are. It is the special place intended to belong to God.
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Deuteronomy 6:13-14
Thou shalt fear the LORD they God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; This goes back to Exodus 32 Moses went up on the mountain to talk with God for 40 days. The people below went to Aaron and asked him to make them a god since Moses brought them out of Egypt and they didn't know where he went. When Moses came down he seen the people worshipping and dancing around a golden calf and out of his anger broke the two stone tablets for the sin of the people was great worshipping other gods. So in Deuteronomy God promised to give the Israelites the Promised Land if they followed him and him alone. In order for us to get to the Promise Land we must worship God and him alone. Jesus tells us in John 4 that they day will come where we can worship him in spirit and in truth. Nicodemus wanted to know how we could be born again as Jesus told him in John 3:5 that,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Jesus told his disciples in John 14 that he has to go to prepare a place for us that where he is we could go to, but he would not leave us comfortless that he would come to us. Right before Jesus ascended into Heaven he told the disciples in Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptied with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
After the third failed attempt of tempting Jesus the devil departed and the angels ministered unto Jesus. After Jesus left the wilderness he left with power and the anointing to start his ministry to fulfil his purpose to bridge that gap of the body and Spirit. He went to Capernaum to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. He walked by the Sea of Galilee and called disciples to become fishers of men. He began to preach, heal the sick, and perform miracles to be the Light in the darkness. One of Jesus disciples later would ask in Matthew 22:36-37 what the greatest commandment was in the law and vs 37 says,
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Again Paul tells us by doing this that our spirit, soul, and body will be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. By being completely filled with God in all three parts of man, God can then be expressed through us. Through the Israelites we can understand that God allows us to be tested to see what is in our hearts to help us grow in faith and understanding of our purpose in His kingdom. Through every test we learn to depend on God and His Word to overcome life's difficult challenges and through that we grow spiritually and find God's anointing in our lives. Just remember that the wilderness is just a season that you find yourself in the middle of, but you are never alone as God is always right there wanting to show himself to you to prepare you for something of great significance. Let him lead you and guide you. Stay faithful and depended on Him. God Bless!
Next Study: Turning Water into Wine
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