4Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it.G5119G2424G321G5259G4151G1519G2048G3985G5259G12282Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger,G2532G3522G5062G2250G2532G5062G3571G5305G39833which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."G2532G3985G4334G846G2036G1487G1488G5207G2316G2036G2443G3778G3037G1096G7404Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."G1161G611G2036G1125G444G2198G3756G2198G1909G740G3441G235G1909G3956G4487G1607G1223G4750G23165For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said,G5119G1228G3880G846G3880G1519G40G4172G2532G2476G846G1909G4419G24116"Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."G2532G3004G846G1487G1488G5207G2316G906G4572G2736G1063G1125G3754G1781G846G32G1781G4012G4675G2532G1909G5495G142G4571G142G3379G4350G4675G4228G4314G30377Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."G2424G5346G846G1125G3825G1598G3756G1598G2962G4675G23168For the third test, the Devil took him on the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were.G3825G1228G3880G846G3880G1519G3029G5308G3735G2532G1166G846G3956G932G2889G2532G1391G8469Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."G2532G3004G846G3956G5023G1325G4671G1437G4098G4352G342710Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."G5119G3004G2424G846G5217G4567G1063G1125G4352G2962G4675G2316G2532G846G3441G300011The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.G5119G1228G863G846G2532G2400G32G4334G2532G1247G84612When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee.G1161G2424G191G3754G2491G3860G402G1519G105613He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills.G2532G2641G3478G2064G2730G1519G2584G3588G3864G1722G3725G2194G2532G350814This move completed Isaiah's sermon:G2443G4137G3588G4483G1223G2268G4396G300415Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations.G1093G2194G2532G1093G3508G3598G2281G4008G2446G1056G148416People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come up.G2992G3588G2521G1722G4655G1492G3173G5457G2532G3588G2521G1722G5561G2532G4639G2288G5457G393G84617This Isaiah-prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."G575G5119G2424G756G2784G2532G3004G3340G1063G932G3772G144818Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work.G1161G2424G4043G3844G2281G1056G1492G1417G80G4613G3004G4074G2532G406G846G80G906G293G1519G2281G1063G2258G23119Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass."G2532G3004G846G1205G3694G3450G2532G4160G5209G231G44420They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.G1161G2112G863G1350G190G84621A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them,G2532G4260G1564G1492G243G1417G80G2385G3588G2199G2532G2491G846G80G1722G4143G3326G2199G846G3962G2675G846G1350G2532G2564G84622and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.G1161G2112G863G4143G2532G846G3962G190G84623From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives.G2532G2424G4013G3650G1056G1321G1722G846G4864G2532G2784G2098G932G2532G2323G3956G3554G2532G3956G3119G1722G299224Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all.G2532G846G189G565G1519G3650G4947G2532G4374G846G3956G2560G2192G4912G4164G3554G2532G931G2532G1139G2532G4583G2532G3885G2532G2323G84625More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the "Ten Towns" across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.G2532G190G846G4183G3793G575G1056G2532G1179G2532G2414G2532G2449G2532G4008G2446
The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
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