Tell the Story
The Temptation of Jesus
4 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,’
“‘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.”1
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.”2 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.
By now you know that the Biggest Story is all about Jesus. He’s our Deliverer–Savior–Snake Crusher–Lord. You also know that he’s the fulfillment of lots of old promises and amazing prophecies.
But that’s not all. Jesus didn’t just fulfill specific verses from the Old Testament. Jesus lived out and transformed the whole story of the Old Testament. Jesus was the long-awaited Son of David and the long-predicted seed of Abraham. He was also the one to relive Israel’s story and finally get it right.
Israel left Egypt, crossed through the Red Sea, and then wandered in the desert for forty years.
Jesus left Egypt in Matthew 2, entered the Jordan River in Matthew 3, and then was tempted in the wilderness for forty days in Matthew 4.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he wasn’t just being tested by the devil. He was being tested like Adam was in the garden of Eden and like Israel was in the desert of Sinai. Except where they failed, Jesus would not.
Three times the devil tempted Jesus.
Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days and forty nights. “Why not turn these stones into bread?” the devil hissed.
“Because man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took him to the top of the temple. “Why not jump off and let the angels catch you?”
“Because it is wrong to put the Lord your God to the test.”
A third time the devil tempted him. “Look at all the kingdoms of the world. Why not bow down to me, and they can be yours?”
“Because you shall worship the Lord your God and him alone.”
The devil wanted Jesus to clamor for bread (like Israel had done) and put God to the test (like Israel had done) and worship other gods (like Israel had also done). Three times the devil tried. Three times he failed. Three times the Son of God was tempted. Three times he passed the test.
Jesus loved God’s word more than he loved the easy way out. He trusted God’s way more than he trusted the slithering serpent. Jesus knew his Father was on his side, even when it might not have felt that way, and that the devil was not on his side, even when he pretended to be.
