Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!

Matthew 4:1-11

The Testing of God’s Son

 

Last week we met Jesus.  Our first impression of Jesus was submissiveness.  We met Jesus in baptism.  Even though Jesus had no sin, he was baptized because it was the right thing to do.  As he came up out of the waters of baptism, we heard a voice from heaven saying…

 

Matthew 3:17 "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

 

Jesus received the divine stamp of approval as the Son; the loved son; the pleasing son.

 

What is fascinating is… that in our study of the Gospel of Matthew we have already discovered Jesus as God’s son.  Remember…

 

Matthew 2:14-15  So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.  And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

 

We discovered, in these two verses, that Jesus is the son whom God called out of Egypt.  Just like the children of Israel who were called out of Egyptian slavery to be the people of God, Jesus was called out of Egypt and became a child of God; the son.  We now have two references to Jesus being the son of God.  Jesus is the Son who is called out of Egypt and Jesus, in his baptism, was announced the pleasing Son of God.

 

This morning, Matthew brings out old treasure where Jesus is again connected to the children of Israel; to being a son of God.  Listen to the next verse after the voice from heaven…

 

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Matthew 4:1-2  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

 

“What are you talking about Tim?  There isn’t any children of Israel in the verse.”

 

I believe there is, but we are going to do some work.

 

In this treasure Matthew is saying Jesus is recreating the Exodus.  “What?  Jesus is reenacting the Exodus.”  Watch…

-Jesus just came up out of the water.  In the Exodus the children of Israel came up out of the Red Sea.

-Jesus is led by the Spirit of God.  Remember a cloud and a pillar of fire which led the Exodus.

-Jesus was led into the desert.  That sounds like the Children of Israel in the wilderness.

-40 days is symbolic of 40 years. 

-Jesus was hungry.  The children of Israel complained about being hungry all the time.

 

There’s more but I think this is enough to get us started.  Matthew wants us to see… Jesus, as the Son of God, experiencing the same thing that the old children of God did in the Wilderness. 

 

Before we go any further, I have to deal with the Spirit leading Jesus out to be tempted by the devil.  The thought behind the word “tempted, is not so much tempted to sin, like, You were tempted to lie when you got caught”, so much as, it has the connotation of “tested”.  There is a trial which tests your faith.  The name of the section in our Bibles really should be, “The Testing of God’s Son”.  In fact this word “testing” echoes back to Deuteronomy 8.  Moses is remembering the Exodus.

 

Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

 

The word test, in Septuagint version Deuteronomy 8:2, is the same as Jesus’ tested by the devil.  God always tests his people; Abraham’s test with Isaac, David’s test with Goliath, Joseph and Mrs. Potiphar, Job and his problems, Daniel and the lions, and on and on.  Jesus, the pleasing Son, is taken into the wilderness to have his faith affirmed.  God’s people are tested.

 

Let me give you a sneak peak at where Matthew is going.  Where the children of Israel failed their faith-test in the wilderness, Jesus, the new Son of God, passed.  Let’s see how.  Let’s go through the three tests and explore the reenactment of the Exodus and how Jesus passed where the old children failed.

 

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Matthew 4:2-3 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”.

 

Jesus was hungry after 40 days.  I’m usually hungry after 40 minutes.  The devil says, “If you are the Son of God”…  I don’t think the devil doubts who Jesus is.  I suspect Satan knows.  The thought here is, “Since you are the Son of God… Since you are loved Son… Since you are the pleasing Son… Since God has just put his divine seal of approval… Don’t you deserve something to eat?  What would be wrong with a little poof, rock to bread and then you can eat.”

 

Wow… flashes back to the children of Israel in the wilderness.  What happened when they got hungry? 

 

Exodus 16:2-3  In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt!  There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

 

When the children of Israel were hungry they grumbled.  When the new Son of God was hungry he said…

 

Matthew 4:4  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

 

Jesus passed the hunger test.  “I will trust in every word from the mouth of God.  God led me out here.  God will provide!  I will eat when he wants me to eat.  I Trust my Father!”

 

Wow!  One down two to go.

 

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Matthew 4:5-6   Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down.  For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

 

Satan can quote scripture too.  He quotes from Psalm 91.  This is a song about those who live in the Temple.  Those who dwell in the Temple God will protect.  Those who put their faith in God’s Temple...  Angels will protect.   

 

Jesus’ answers…

 

Matthew 4:7  Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

 

Echoes of the Exodus.

 

Exodus 17:2-3  So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink.”  Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me?  Why do you put the LORD to the test?"  But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses.  They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"

 

Jesus answer connects to Exodus 17.  Jesus’ answer is the same as the first answer.  “I trust the way of God.  I don’t force God.  I don’t manipulate God.  I don’t test God.  I trust God’s way.  I don’t show off. ”

 

2 for 2… Satan takes one more shot.

 

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Matthew 4:8-9  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me”.

 

The tempter lays his cards on the table.  Worship me and I will give you everything you want. 

 

The connection to the children of Israel is idolatry.  The ongoing test for Israel was worshipping the idol gods.  Satan’s demons are these idol gods.  The children of Israel failed miserably and kept coming back to the idols.  Moses warned them…

 

Deuteronomy 6:12-15 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.  Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

 

Jesus quotes from this Deuteronomy passage in answer to Satan.

 

Matthew 4:10   Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!  For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

 

Idol worship does not lead to all the kingdoms of the world.  It leads to disaster.  Only faithfulness to the Lord your God brings success.  Serve only the LORD… that is the answer.

 

So, Jesus, the new Son, the loved Son, the pleasing Son, passed where old Israel failed.  Jesus trusted the Lord to provide food, instead of complaining.  Jesus did not test the Lord with manipulations.  Jesus did not worship anything but God.

 

Matthew connects Jesus to the children of Israel in the Wilderness and demonstrates in the “Testing of the Son” that Jesus really is the pleasing Son of God.  The people of Matthew’s day were expecting a Messiah who would lead them on a new Exodus.  Jesus passed the Test! 

 

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Now hold that thought about Jesus and the new Exodus.  I want to change perspectives from Matthew to Jesus.  I want to rewind the story and change the camera from Matthew’s point of Jesus reenacting the Exodus, to what was going on for Jesus in these temptations.

 

From Jesus perspective the testing from Satan is what kind of Messiah is he going to be.  We noted last week, Jesus does what Jesus does.  Jesus is not controlled by others expectations.  Satan is tempting Jesus to meet human expectations, instead of trusting in the way of the LORD.  More than Jesus’ character was at stake.  There was a deeper meaning that had to do with what kind of Messiah Jesus was going to be.  How was the kingdom going to operate?

 

The Jewish people of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to be a miracle worker.  They expected the Messiah to be a people pleaser; to work all of his miracles to help everyone.  Image a kingdom where everyone was healed, everyone was fed, everyone was brought back to life, everything was just peachy.  That sounds wonderful.  Satan tempted Jesus to build a kingdom the easy way by giving everyone what they wanted… “turn the stones to bread.  That would be an easy way to build this kingdom of yours.”  Who wouldn’t follow a messiah that gives them all they wanted?

 

The Jewish people of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to restore the Temple to its glory.  They expected the Messiah to be all about the Temple.  They expected the Messiah to bring God’s presence back into the Temple!  If the Temple were glorious again the Kingdom would be marvelous.  Jesus could have chosen the glory-way.  Flash and dazzle could have gotten Jesus a kingdom.  Satan says, “Jump off the Temple and everyone will know the glory of the Lord has returned to the Temple.  Just jump it will be the easy way to a kingdom.”  Who wouldn’t follow a messiah who was full of flash and glamour?

 

The Jewish people of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to be a military leader.  They expected the Messiah to raise an army and throw out the Romans.  They wanted the Messiah to restore the freedom of Israel by might.  Freedom requires blood.  Be King David.  Come with an army.  So, Satan says, “Join with me, and we can romp over all the kingdoms of the world.  In power we can rule the entire world!  The easy way to bring your kingdom to this world is with a sword.”  Who wouldn’t follow a messiah who won every battle?

 

Each of the three temptations was to take the easy way to build the kingdom.  Each of the three tests was to meet the expectations of the people.  Each of the three choices Jesus was offered was to it the human way, instead of the God way. 

 

In short, the temptation was wear a crown skip the cross.  The God-way of submission was going to lead Jesus to the cross.  OR, Jesus could be the people-pleasing, glory-flashing, military-kicking messiah everyone expected him to be. 

 

People-pleaser or the cross.  Dazzle or the cross.  Might or the cross.  This was the real struggle for Jesus.  It is the same struggle he will face again in the Garden.  Jesus could have chosen to do it the easy way.  Jesus chose to do it the hard way, the submissive way, the God-way.

 

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Let’s change our camera angle again.  Let’s move from what was going on with Jesus to what is going on with us.

 

We face the same test as Jesus.  We have to decide what kind of Son we are going to be.  We must choose to do it God’s way or our way.  Are we going to trust God to accomplish his kingdom, in us, through submissiveness?  OR, are we going to it the easy way?  How are we going to advance the kingdom?

 

We are lead into the wilderness in all kinds of situations.  Life is a series of tests, one after another; after another.  In each test we often face the same options Jesus had…

 

-We have the option of pleasing people.  Often an easy answer to our tests is to do whatever everyone wants.  “Just give them what they want.  It will be the easiest way.”  Pleasing is always an option.   We can advance the kingdom by pleasing the most people.  We could build a big church by giving everyone what they want.   Our answer to the Tests of this life would be… whatever pleases the most people.

 

-We can choose flash and dazzle.  If we can do something that will wow everyone then they will do what we want them to.  We could build a church on by being wow!  The flashiest building.  The best programs.  The slickest preacher.  Advertise miracles.   We could answer all the tests we face with slickness.  

 

-We can opt for brute force.  “Make ‘em do it.  Throw them under the bus.  Muscle them.”  Might is always right.  We can build a church on rules and regulations.  On always being right.  Let’s stand up to all those pagans in the world and smash ‘em.  We could answer all the tests we face with muscle.

 

But the kingdom way is submissiveness.  When we trust God, he uses our humility to connect to the hearts of others.  You cannot win the hearts of people – catering to them, or dazzling them or brute forcing them.  They only way to change hearts is in sacrifice; genuineness, unselfishness, sacrifice.  Goodness grows from the bottom up, not the top down. 

Pleasing doesn’t create commitment.

You can only dazzle for a little while.

Power can force obedience, but not repentance.

Only love can change a heart.

 

God tests his people.  When the tests come, the question is… What kind of son are you going to be?  Are you going to trust God to do it the kingdom way or do we do it our way?

 

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After the voice from heaven proclaimed Jesus to be the pleasing Son, he was immediately led into the wilderness to be tested.  But Jesus, unlike ancient Israel, Jesus passed the tests.  Jesus resisted doing it the easy way.  That victory, over Satan, opened up the spread of the kingdom.

 

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

 

After every test there is comfort.

 

Tim Stidham

Los Alamos Church of Christ

February 5, 2012