Matthew 4:1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Thoughts on Today’s Reading—From Pastor Pam
During the Season of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday on April 12, my Sunday messages will focus on our relationships with Jesus exploring “Call,” “Challenges,” “Rejection,” “Transformation,” “Empowerment,” and “Doors Opened.” One of the resources I am using is the Lenten Study Gospeled Lives by Rev. John Indermark.
The premise of the devotional is that before we can go out into the world making disciples, we all must “come and see” what being a disciple means. We do this looking at Jesus’ encounters with people.
We begin on Sunday, March 1 and how God calls us in this life. We’ll talk about the other messages coming our way and how to discern the holy from those that lead us away from God. Jesus was no stranger to forces seeking to derail him. In our scripture reading today, the devil comes at him using scripture.
Jesus responds citing scripture, too. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” Jesus says. We must ask ourselves who and what is testing us these days? As you encounter Jesus today, Gospeled Lives asks these questions:
“Where have you seen God’s grace in your life? What have you experienced as Christ’s love or Spirit’s power in the midst of this world? Keep these in mind as opportunities arise to live out your faith. Let what you do (ministry) or say (witness) reflect what you have seen and experienced of God in your life and in this creation.” —Rev. John Indermark
May we respond to God’s grace calling us to sacred path this Lent and find the courage and commitment to follow.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Pam