Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, "where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry."
I'll say. The first temptation Satan gave of "the big three" temptations we read about in Luke 4 was related to His hunger. "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
It's so lame that he attacked the core identity of Jesus, but Satan is no dummy. Jesus answered him back with Scripture: "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
It's so lame that in the song, "We Are The World," the prophet Michael Jackson (prophet? shouldn't we call him something else? maybe so) sang, "And God, Who turned stones to bread..."
Wait a minute there, Mister Thriller. God did NOT turn stones to bread. That's what Satan wanted Him to do. What Bible are you reading, pal?
On the sabbath Jesus was found (where else?) in the synagogue, where He read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (a true prophet, not some pop star), which said:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
After He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down (everyone watching Him all the while, I'm sure), He sat down to start teaching.
It's cool that He was able to do this. We don't hear of Him going through an anointing process or being raised in the Levitical priestly ways, but He was referred to as "Rabbi" and He was teaching in the synagogues. He must've taught with great knowledge and, as we read, with "great authority." It's interesting that we don't read of the Law Teachers telling Him, "Get out of our synagogue! You have no right to teach here!" He was popular and He was given a role in the synagogue. Very interesting.
Anyway, He began that day by saying, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Wow. That did it. It says that "all the people of the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove Him out of the town, and took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way."
I wonder what His countenance looked like as He walked through the crowd. Was He using His hands and forearms to get through the crowd like a determined person at a packed show? Was He looking in the eyes of various people, burning them with His love? Did He look angry, keeping His eyes set in front of Him? Did He hurry?
He went to Capernaum, another town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destory us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!"
Jesus replied sternly, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. This must've really freaked the people there out and filled them with awe and respect for this Man, Whom the evil spirits obeyed like He had authority over them.
He did and still does have authority over them. And He specifically gave His followers this authority (and more) to cast out demons and heal the sick. He calls us ambassadors, and like ambassadors of today, they are given the authority of their governing body.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at October 19, 2005 10:01 AM