The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Jesus began his ministry at his baptism. As soon as his ministry began, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness to test him. The Holy Spirit was going to prove to the angelic and human world that Jesus was the Son of God.
2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.
The Holy Spirit placed Jesus into the weakest human condition in order to prove his deity.
3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”
The "if" begins a first class conditional sentence, meaning "Since you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread". The devil is using the same strategy on Jesus in which he used on Adam and Eve. Jesus was the Son of God, so he could have rained down manna from heaven if he so desired.
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus was involved in spiritual warfare. He quoted directly from Scripture. He quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy.
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple,
The devil has the power of mass transportation.
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’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
The devil misquoted Scripture to Eve. He tried the same technique with Jesus. Notice that the devil has the Bible memorized. So do many of the leaders of the cults and isms. Bible knowledge and the ability to quote Scripture is not a test of a genuine believer. It may be the quality of a false teacher.
7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy again.
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.
The devil mass transported Jesus to a very high mountain. He showed him all of the kingdoms of the world. The devil possessed the power of mass illusion.
9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.”
The devil offered Jesus the kingdom without the suffering of the cross.
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy a third time. The devil hates the book of Deuteronomy, because it was used against him three times by Jesus himself. Deuteronomy is one of the most attacked books by liberal theologians.
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.
Notice how Jesus conducted spiritual warfare. He did not use the name of Jesus, walk around seven times, and bind the devil, as many of the charismatics do on television when they have a large audience. Charismatics cannot bind the devil. The devil will only be bound by Jesus at the end of the Great Tribulation, and then again at the end of the Millennial Kingdom. All Jesus did was quote Scripture and the devil left him. However, the devil left him "for a season", meaning that he did return with similar battles. Not all of these spiritual battles are recorded in Scripture.
Preaching in Galilee
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he went into Galilee.
John the Baptist was not a seeker-friendly pastor. He accused King Herod and his wife Herodias of incest. Herodias was the ex-wife of Herod's brother.
13 While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Jesus made Capernaum his headquarters. Zebulin was where Nazareth was located. Naphtali is where Capernaum was located.
14 so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
This location was predicted 700 years earlier in Isaiah 9:1–2 and Isaiah 42:6–7.
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles –
Galilee was mostly Gentile land. Those in Judea looked down upon this region, because the people were so wicked. Many of the Jews who were living in this area were there to make money.
16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”
These wicked people will see a great light, which is the Messiah.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
The good news at this time was not to believe in Jesus to be saved. This message of salvation would not be understood until after the cross. The message was that the Messianic King is here and his kingdom will be coming right behind him. Jesus knew this message would be rejected, but he still offered the Messianic Kingdom to the Jews.
The Call of the Disciples
18 As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, because he had to make an irresistible call to his elect. Simon Peter and Andrew were too busy to notice a man walking by the sea.
19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”
Notice that Jesus made the call. No one can come to Jesus unless he is called by God.
20 They left their nets immediately and followed him.
This call was irresistible.
21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then he called them.
Notice that Jesus made the call again.
22 They immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
Both of these examples show the doctrine of election and predestination at work. God does the calling and the believers do the believing.
Jesus’ Healing Ministry
23 Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people.
All of these wicked Jews who were living throughout Galilee heard the preaching of Jesus. Jesus preached about the kingdom to come. He healed all of the diseases and sicknesses of the people in order to authenticate his message of the kingdom.
24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them.
Jesus became very popular very quickly. He healed everyone who came in contact with him, which is something that the modern charismatics cannot do.
25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.
The crowds became larger and larger. They began to leave Judaism and follow Jesus. These crowds started in Galilee, and then spread to the Decapolis. The Decapolis was the ten Gentile cities of Greek origin. The crowds spread to Jerusalem, which really irritated the Pharisees and Sadducees. The crowds spread to Judea, which was Pharisee territory. The crowds even spread outside of the Jordan River, which was Gentile area. By the time Jesus went back to his own town of Nazareth, he was a celebrity.