John the Baptist was thrown in prison, so Jesus returned to Galilee from Nazareth. He went to Capernaum in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali to fulfill Isaiah’s words. Jesus preaches how the kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus began to call his disciples. He first called Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, who were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. He next called james and John who were in a boat with their gather, Zebedee.
Jesus began to travel through Galilee, preaching the Good News and healing people of diseases and sicknesses. Large crowds began to follow him and bring their sick to him to be healed.
BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 4, Day 5: Matthew 4:12-25
12 ) Capernaum in Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah’s words that the future king would come from there.
13 ) John the Baptist baptized people in the Jordan River who came from all over Judea.
14a ) Jesus called and they immediately followed him without question. They dropped everything they were doing in the moment.
b ) It’s best to answer God’s call immediately. Life is too short to delay.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 4, Day 5: Matthew 4:12-25
We’re about to embark on an exciting journey with Jesus as he begins his work. What I would give to have walked with him.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 4, Day 5: Matthew 4:12-25
Matthew begins his telling Jesus’s ministry in Galilee. John tells the story of an earlier ministry of Jesus where he himself baptized people and where we get the story of the Samarian woman at the well John 3:22 and 4:1-2.
Galilee was a very populuous area for Biblical times, which is probably why Jesus began there. He could make the biggest impact there. It was very fertile and had many wealthy citizens. Both Jews and Gentiles lived here side by side. In ancient times, there were nine cities that had 15,000 or more people who lived on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Remember that the people of Nazareth, his hometown, rejected him because they had seen him grow up ordinary (Luke 4:16-30), which is why he chose Capernaum. Plus, the disciples were there too, as we see. Jesus was the light in this region as Isaiah predicted.
Jesus waits until John the Baptist is put into prison to begin his ministry.
Do note that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God seem to be the same thing. Bible scholars believe Matthew used the phrase “kingdom of heaven” because the Jewish people never wrote out the word “God.”
A Purpose
Jesus didn’t just randomly call his disciples. The Bible records other places where he encounters them (John 1:35-42 and Luke 5:3). Undoubtedly, Jesus knew who he would call ahead of time. Jesus calls most of the disciples when they were doing something. Jesus needed doers and action-takers.
Most rabbi had disciples so this was not unusual behavior on the part of Jesus. This is how rabbis taught other rabbis.
Just like we have guest speakers at church, they did so in ancient times, too.
Healing shows that Jesus could overcome the consequences of sin (which was death to the body).
FUN FACT: This is the first time the Bible mentions demon-possessed. It shows Jesus’s ultimate authority over the evil in the world. While Old Testament people were troubled by spirits 1 Samuel 18:10, 19:9), this is the first time it is mentioned of removing an evil one from the body.
The devil tempts Jesus three times here. First, Jesus goes to the desert and fasts for 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus was hungry so the devil attempts to get Jesus to sin by appealing to his hunger. Jesus refuses to make bread out of stone, saying instead you should live on God’s word. The devil dared Jesus to fall from the highest point of the temple, telling him the angels will catch him. Jesus tells him to not test God. Finally, the devil offered Jesus the world if he would worship him (ironic since Jesus/God already had the world). Jesus banished the devil finally, and angels came to Jesus.
BSF STUDY QUESTIONS LESSON 4, DAY 3: MATTHEW 4:1-11
5a )
TEMPTATION #1
Satan is asking Jesus to prove his deity by producing bread for himself. This would have been purely selfish if Jesus had given in. We see Jesus making bread in other parts of the Bible when he feeds 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21), so we know he has the power. He refuses to even entertain the devil here. Instead, he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3.
Jesus uses God’s truth to defeat Satan. So must we.
TEMPTATION #2
Satan tries to get Jesus to force God to use His powers to save him. The temple was 200 feet in the air. A jump would mean certain death unless God intervened. False prophets will use these means at the End Times.
Satan has the Bible memorized. He uses this knowledge to tempt us as he always takes the words of the Bible out of context (Psalm 91:11-12) and uses them to deceive us.
We must take the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) , and we must know what the Bible says so that we ourselves are not deceived. The early Christians could not read; in this day and time in our society, we have no excuse.
TEMPTATION #3
Here, Satan offers Jesus the world. In truth, Jesus already had the world. What Satan is really offering Jesus is an escape from the cross. Jesus obeys God’s will here and tells Satan to go jump in a lake. All Satan wants is worship and recognition. We, too, must be careful of this sin.
Note that Satan does have something to give Jesus: the earthly world. When Adam and Eve sinned, humans gave Satan authority here on earth (2 Corinthians 4:4). This is what Satan is offering.
The main compromise behind each is not having faith in God or believing God and His Word. Satan tried to appeal to earthly sins, which Jesus easily overcome as the Son of God.
b ) Well, we all can be tempted when we are low (here, Jesus is very hungry). When our strength to deal with the world breaks down, this is when we are most vulnerable to sin. We all can be tempted to test God and His Word, but, like Jesus, God is not to be tested for frivolous reasons and to prove something. God tests us, not the other way around. Satan appeals to our desire for power, to feel important, and to be someone. Culture influences us to be this way, too. Again, Jesus was the son of a carpenter here on earth. We can make great changes just as we are.
6 ) Temptation 1: Deuteronomy 8:3
Temptation 2: Deuteronomy 6:16
Temptation 3: Deuteronomy 6:13
7 ) 1 Corinthians 10:13: God will never give us a temptation we cannot overcome. This gives me faith to keep on fighting when I all I want to do is curl up and not fight. Some of my favorite lyrics to this song I’m recently listening to (not a Christian song) say “Why do all the monsters come out at night? Why do we sleep where we want to hide?” We have to be careful for Satan lurks in the dark places of our life. But respite in Jesus is right around the corner.
CONCLUSIONS BSF STUDY QUESTIONS LESSON 4, DAY 3: MATTHEW 4:1-11
I love that BSF talks about 1 Corinthians 10:13, which I mentioned yesterday in my commentary. Sin is a choice, and even when we are low, God is there holding us and giving us the strength to fight.
END NOTES BSF STUDY QUESTIONS LESSON 4, DAY 3: MATTHEW 4:1-11
Jesus endured tempation for two main reasons:
To identify with us
To show us you can overcome temptation
Note that the Holy Spirit does not tempt (James 1:13). It led Jesus to temptation so that we can grow spiritually.
Jesus was tempted by the devil; we are usually tempted by the devil’s minions. We find relief when we give in to temptation; Jesus does not. Many Bible scholars argue that is a testing since the propert translation of the Greek verb here means “to test.”
“Luther’s remark stands true that prayer, meditation, and temptation are the three best instructors of the gospel minister.” (Spurgeon)
Jesus does not eat for 40 days and nights. Humans can survive up to two months without food (they need water), Jesus would have been in a state of starvation and desperate for sustenance (which is why we see the angels tending to him at the end). When you are that desperate for food and are at the point of death, you will give in to most temptations for food. Jesus endured it all for us. Amazing!
Jesus depended on God for all things (Hebrews 5:8) as we must, too.
TEMPTATION #1
Satan is asking Jesus to prove his deity by producing bread for himself. This would have been purely selfish if Jesus had given in. We see Jesus making bread in other parts of the Bible when he feeds 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21), so we know he has the power. He refuses to even entertain the devil here. Instead, he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3.
Jesus uses God’s truth to defeat Satan. So must we.
TEMPTATION #2
Satan tries to get Jesus to force God to use His powers to save him. The temple was 200 feet in the air. A jump would mean certain death unless God intervened. False prophets will use these means at the End Times.
Satan has the Bible memorized. He uses this knowledge to tempt us as he always takes the words of the Bible out of context (Psalm 91:11-12) and uses them to deceive us.
We must take the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) , and we must know what the Bible says so that we ourselves are not deceived. The early Christians could not read; in this day and time in our society, we have no excuse.
TEMPTATION #3
Here, Satan offers Jesus the world. In truth, Jesus already had the world. What Satan is really offering Jesus is an escape from the cross. Jesus obeys God’s will here and tells Satan to go jump in a lake. All Satan wants is worship and recognition. We, too, must be careful of this sin.
Note that Satan does have something to give Jesus: the earthly world. When Adam and Eve sinned, humans gave Satan authority here on earth (2 Corinthians 4:4). This is what Satan is offering.
TAKE AWAY: It is not a sin to be tempted; we all face that, even Jesus. It’s a sin to give into temptation and commit the act itself.
SATAN’S WEAPONS
The only weapons Satan has against us are lies and deceit. These, however, spark fear, doubt, and unbelief in our hearts, which can ruin our lives.
Our weapons? God’s word. Many mistake Satan’s lies for God’s truth, which is where sin happens.
Obviously, only Jesus knew what happened to him in the desert. He told his story to his disciples so they could share his example with us for all of time.
FUN FACT: All of the passages that Jesus quotes are from the Book of Deuteronomy. So many people today discount the Old Testament as too antiquated and full of laws that do not apply to us. But that is not the point of knowing the Old Testatment. If it’s in the Bible, there is a reason for it to be there. God wants us to know it. That should be sufficient for all of us.
Note how God cares for Jesus by sending angels to attend to his needs after the temptation. God does the same for us. When we feel spiritually attacked, God is there. He cares for us; He picks us up; He cradles us in His loving arms. Keep those images in mind in the midst of temptation. Remember, He doesn’t give us anything we can’t overcome (1 Corinthians 10:12-14).
