Matthew 3
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
LOL! Now, I am not sure if that is an appropriate Biblical comment, but really LOL! Would you want to be the one to so address the religious establishment of your day, “You brood of vipers.” A hissing nest of people, whose very nature is to sting.
One of the first imperatives of every institution is to guarantee its preservation and continuance. One of the urgent imperatives of those with an unconverted or partially-converted heart who have power, civil or religious, is to hold on to that power. Preserve the status quo.
So, do we address them as a “brood of vipers,” and have our heads presented to Salome on a platter?
The prophetic calling—truth-telling– is both a gift and a burden. Truth-telling needs to be tempered by hearing God’s directive to tell the truth. Because not every truth needs to be told.
Telling truth is a double-edged sword. The Pharisees would gladly have had his head on a platter. But the people loved him.
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Repentance is the key to entering the Kingdom. Not just when we are first converted, but it is indeed the key to keep stepping into the Kingdom of God—the Kingdom of peace and joy–on a daily basis.
Daily repentance whether dramatic 180 shifts in direction, or tiny tweaks of mind and heart.
9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
And he does. All those who have entered God’s kingdom by faith are children of Abraham who entered that Kingdom by faith, as Paul explains.
10 The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The continuing Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the greatest transformer of personality that I know.
If you have not known it, or known it in its fullness, seek it, and keep seeking it.
I have had an early experience of the Baptism of the Spirit, accompanied by the gift of tongues in my teens. But there is so, so much more I long to know and discover of the fullness of the Spirit.
To have more of God’s spirit fill me is, in fact, my most urgent felt need.
According to the ESV Study Bible, the Baptism of Fire is the experience of purifying fire all Christians have to go through. No kidding!
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
This is what I so, so love about Jesus—his total freedom from concern about status, position, and importance. He is “tomorrow’s man” in R.T. Kendall’s phrase; his ministry is going to exponentially surpass John’s and everyone else’s. And he knows it!
Why does he ask John to baptize him? Among other things, he is endorsing John’s ministry, message and mission.
And what about highlighting the importance of your own precious, beautiful ministry, Jesus?
He leaves that to his Heavenly Father.
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
And here is a beautiful mountain-top experience. Heaven opens. The spirit of God descends.
And God says, I love you. I am well pleased with you.
As believers in Jesus, this is our reality. We are God’s children. He loves us. He is well pleased with us, as we are in our infants and toddlers, no matter the mess, and tears and sleepless nights and wrecked interiors.
Enter this reality in your times with God.
Heaven opens over you.
The Spirit of God descends and alights on you.
And a voice from heaven says, This is my child, whom I love.
I am well pleased with her.
It takes a while for our hearts to really get it, doesn’t it? For it to become our reality!
Matthew 4
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
And that is exactly how the Spirit deals with us today.
Moments of exaltation, of high spiritual experience and excitation are followed, almost predictably, by the wilderness, by temptation.
So it is wise to be prepared for temptation after sweet and intense experiences with and of God.
On a psychological level, it could be seen as a natural reaction of over-excited, over-stretched nerves.
However, this is a continual pattern in Scripture. The strengthening and insight and joy of mountain-top experiences are followed by tough wilderness experiences, when temptation comes straight at us, leaping at our throats.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Forty days, the Biblical period of spiritual transformation.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Use your spiritual power to meet your own needs exclusively, without reference to your heavenly Father.
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Jesus fights temptation with quoting Scripture (Deuteronomy each time). How intimately he knew it.
And it is true, of course. Bread, physical nourishment, the things of this earth, simply do not keep us alive and happy. And perhaps it takes having everything you need and want to know this is absolutely true.
So what is food for our hungry, thirsty, restless spirits?
The word of God.
I am going to feast on it over the next few years, because I have a hungry, thirsty, restless spirit, which can no longer live on just bread, or the good things of this earth.
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “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.’”
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Another temptation. To show off.
Show off your spiritual powers, abilities and specialness.
If Satan judged this to be a strong enough temptation to entice the Son of God, how much more will he tempt us to show off and posturize.
How will this temptation strike us? It will probably be in line with our own spiritual gifts. Prophets will show off their ability to hear the word of God; teachers will be tempted to teach more to show off their cleverness than for any good it might do; leaders will be tempted to created big flashy programs to make people admire and envy them rather than to serve people. And writers and bloggers??
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Do not deliberately do foolish things, relying on God’s protection.
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.
Wow, who could resist this one? The Son of God could!
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Satan speaks to us and tempts us through our own minds. He is described as a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44). As the ESV Study Bible notes, Satan did not, in fact, have the power to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and their splendour.
The persuasive logic with which our temptations comes us, with their false promises of happiness are almost always false. False—and illusions from a liar, and the Father of lies.
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
And this is indeed the great battle for a Christian.
To love God, and serve him with our whole hearts.
Our idolatrous hearts, which can be described as idol-factories, rapidly making idols of money, success, sex, pleasure, travel, praise, social position, reputation, our houses, our appearance, you name it….
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
There is an end, there is an end to periods of temptation, the divided mind, the struggling vacillating soul. And when we come through on the other side, bruised but triumphant, God frequently sends angels to comfort us.
As they comforted the sweet triumphant son of God.
