AFFIRMATION
Matthew 3:13–4:11
I love the Gospel of Matthew. It serves as a bridge between the testaments. Each of the gospel writers communicates from a different perspective. Matthew is writing for a primarily Jewish audience, and his mission is to present Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Matthew presents Jesus as the Promised King, the Messiah who was predicted by the prophets. He is the Savior of the world, coming on heaven’s search-and-rescue mission to earth. Matthew begins with a genealogy presenting Jesus Christ as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham.
After the Christmas story, the story of the wise men and the flight to and return from Egypt, we find a dramatic move forward in time as we encounter John the Baptist and his ministry as the forerunner of the Messiah. Today’s passage begins with Jesus presenting Himself to His cousin John for baptism in the Jordan River. Even though John feels unworthy to baptize Him, Jesus encourages him to do so in order to obey Scripture.
Obeying God (3:13–17)
Baptism is a beautiful picture of the death of the old and the beginning of the new. “Baptizo” literally means “to dip or to immerse.” By His baptism, Jesus was demonstrating His obedience to the Father’s plan and purpose. In the same manner, we believe baptism is the first step of obedience for a follower of Jesus Christ. It is striking to note that the Trinity was involved in this event. The Son of God obeyed, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and the Father spoke. Obeying God is of key importance in the Christian’s life. The old hymn says it well: “…there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”
Hearing God (1–4)
Immediately following His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for a time of testing. After 40 days of fasting, Satan came to tempt Him to use His divine power to meet a temporal need (v. 3).
Jesus was fully God yet also fully man. His divine attributes were not diminished by the incarnation. How did a physically weakened Jesus defeat His adversary? With the Sword of the Spirit — the Word of God (v. 4).
Trusting God (5–7)
The next temptation involved leaping from the pinnacle of the temple. This was Satan trying to force God to perform a miraculous rescue. Jesus responded, “Do not test the Lord your God.” In each of these temptations, Satan is trying to sidetrack Jesus from His ultimate mission to redeem fallen mankind by His sacrificial death on the cross.
Some of the choices we make and the things that popular culture encourages us to do often put God to the test. Are there things in your life that tempt you away from what you know to be God’s will for you?
Worshipping God (8–11)
The third temptation involved worldwide popularity offered to Jesus in return for His worship of Satan. Again, this was an alternative to God’s plan and purpose. Jesus stood His ground and would not give in to the easy way.
He rebuked Satan using Scripture and ultimately passed the test! There are things in this world that tempt us to worship them instead of God. Power, position, possessions and relationships can all become idols. We must keep God first in our lives.
What are some things that contend for first place in your heart and life? What you value highest, you are worshipping!
By Don Fugate
Senior pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California
