choosing obedience to God (Matthew 4.1 to 11)
"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." With these words the evangelist Matthew narrates the experience of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry, after having received baptism by John in the Jordan. Of course, it is surprising that it is the Spirit to carry Jesus in the desert for a purpose disturbing to say the least: be tried by the devil. But is not that shocking if we think that the same Spirit descended upon Him in baptism, leads him into the wilderness against the devil the enemy of the Kingdom, will lead him to victory in the repeated trial and accompany him continuously until the last moment of his earthly life , there on the cross. Moreover, it is clear that the symbolic meaning of the story is an example of 'type' of the hard fight against the devil, the enemy number one of the Kingdom.
interesting to note that Jesus' temptations, be struck at the root of his being the Son of God, the devil wants to question the deeper identity of Jesus and, by subjecting the ordeal of hunger and human limitations, wants to argue that God has abandoned, ie, does not treat it more like Son. It 'clear that in accordance with the devil Jesus as the Son of God, should have privileges, but we know that it is not, in fact, his humanity is authentic in every way. Another interesting feature is the use of Scripture in his defense, Jesus rejects the temptation with a precise reference to the Scriptures. In the first temptation: "If you are the Son of God, 'that these stones become loaves of bread," Jesus refers to the context of Deut 8.3, where God had given a good account of themselves to succor his people in the desert; Jesus did not need the stones become loaves of bread, because he knows that God will surely come to her rescue, and indeed, take this opportunity to emphasize that the real and deep human desire can not be satisfied only by that which fills the mouth. Unlike Israel, which in the test of hunger and thirst had doubted God, Jesus lived this test with loyalty and obedience. In the second temptation: "If you are the Son of God, throw down, it is written: He will command his angels ... not because your foot against a stone," the devil tempts Jesus to strike on his own ground, ie, Scriptures, but the answer is categorical: "He also written: Do not test the Lord your God. " That is, always and in any case, we must obey the will of God and it is never permissible to bend to our wishes. The same temptation will recur on the cross: "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" The third temptation: "All these things will I give thee if, falling at my feet and worship me", is an explicit invitation to change his father : instead of a God who does not give him no assets or domain, as a father the devil can take that will ensure all goods and all the powers of this world. Jesus did not hesitate a moment to reject the proposal as idolatrous, with a reference to Deut 6.13 that proclaims the fundamental confession of faith in the oneness of God of Israel and worship due to him. We can now conclude: Jesus has passed through the temptations of the faithful and obedient to Scripture reference, in addition, this experience has led to a deeper relationship with the Father.
Pedro
"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." With these words the evangelist Matthew narrates the experience of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry, after having received baptism by John in the Jordan. Of course, it is surprising that it is the Spirit to carry Jesus in the desert for a purpose disturbing to say the least: be tried by the devil. But is not that shocking if we think that the same Spirit descended upon Him in baptism, leads him into the wilderness against the devil the enemy of the Kingdom, will lead him to victory in the repeated trial and accompany him continuously until the last moment of his earthly life , there on the cross. Moreover, it is clear that the symbolic meaning of the story is an example of 'type' of the hard fight against the devil, the enemy number one of the Kingdom.
interesting to note that Jesus' temptations, be struck at the root of his being the Son of God, the devil wants to question the deeper identity of Jesus and, by subjecting the ordeal of hunger and human limitations, wants to argue that God has abandoned, ie, does not treat it more like Son. It 'clear that in accordance with the devil Jesus as the Son of God, should have privileges, but we know that it is not, in fact, his humanity is authentic in every way. Another interesting feature is the use of Scripture in his defense, Jesus rejects the temptation with a precise reference to the Scriptures. In the first temptation: "If you are the Son of God, 'that these stones become loaves of bread," Jesus refers to the context of Deut 8.3, where God had given a good account of themselves to succor his people in the desert; Jesus did not need the stones become loaves of bread, because he knows that God will surely come to her rescue, and indeed, take this opportunity to emphasize that the real and deep human desire can not be satisfied only by that which fills the mouth. Unlike Israel, which in the test of hunger and thirst had doubted God, Jesus lived this test with loyalty and obedience. In the second temptation: "If you are the Son of God, throw down, it is written: He will command his angels ... not because your foot against a stone," the devil tempts Jesus to strike on his own ground, ie, Scriptures, but the answer is categorical: "He also written: Do not test the Lord your God. " That is, always and in any case, we must obey the will of God and it is never permissible to bend to our wishes. The same temptation will recur on the cross: "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" The third temptation: "All these things will I give thee if, falling at my feet and worship me", is an explicit invitation to change his father : instead of a God who does not give him no assets or domain, as a father the devil can take that will ensure all goods and all the powers of this world. Jesus did not hesitate a moment to reject the proposal as idolatrous, with a reference to Deut 6.13 that proclaims the fundamental confession of faith in the oneness of God of Israel and worship due to him. We can now conclude: Jesus has passed through the temptations of the faithful and obedient to Scripture reference, in addition, this experience has led to a deeper relationship with the Father.
Pedro
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