1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 1.Jesus was led into the desert. He was there for forty days. He was full of the holy spirit. It was a time of quiet reflection before he started his ministry. 2.What sort of Messiah was he going to be? Was he to use his powers for personal ends? 3.Or to establish a mighty kingdom? 4.Or to perform pointless but spectacular miracles?

3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.’ " We do not know if Jesus understood the Devil to be a physical presence, he uses the language of the day. Jesus goes to the OT for strength, and quotes from Deutoronomy “Man does not live on bread alone” What does this temptation involve? He is testing the human needs of Jesus to use his divine powers for himself To prove or test God To be the kind of Messiah who would bring in the golden age like King Dasvid’s, where there would be 1,000 years of Messianic feasting.

Why not? To test God would break the bond of trust which marked him as the Son of God. If he didn’t trust God how could we? He would not acknowledge the devil as a superior power He never used his powers for himself, even on the cross- he chose to be fully human.

5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."

He is on a high place and he saw the kingdoms of the world in an instant. The devil says that he will give Jesus all the authority and splendour of the kingdoms. What does this temptation involve This is his final attempt to prove his powers. The Jewish nation expected to recognise the Messiah. When he came they expected to see miracles, and a grand entrance, and this was his moment Why not? He couldn’t for one instant doubt God. To get God to perform a miracle to save him indicates mistrust.The Jews would misunderstand this sign, and expect him to be a warrior

Importance of the Temptations The Importance of the Temptations Jesus wrestled with the current expectations of the Messiah Even Jesus was tempted, he was fully human He fought off temptation y going to the very heart of the scripture remember the Shema? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength Jesus sees evil as a force to be recognised. And exorcism is still practiced in some sections of the church today. Lent recalls this part of Jesus ministry, christians give something up to understand how Jesus felt. It starts on Shrove Tuesday. Ash Wednesday palm crosses are burnt, and the ashes are used to sign – a sign of repentance and forgiveness. Importance of the Temptations