Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus in the Wilderness
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
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.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also 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 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
John 15:1-17
The Vine and its Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Some believe that Jesus being tested by the evil one in the desert for forty days is symbolism of the Exodus of God's people and their leaving Egypt after four hundred years and going to the Promised Land...The evil one tested Jesus before He could go back into the Promised Land of Israel...Jesus passed the test...The wilderness trip for God's people being led by Moses -would be forty long years in the desert...And Moses helped deliver God's people to the Promised Land...When put to the test, Moses and God's people made it through their wilderness trip and to the Promised Land with God's hand and His help...
Now Jesus was the New Deliverer, the Messiah...Jesus was sent by God to be our Savior...
Moses journey with God's people and God Himself would come to a climax when the people found and made it to the Promised Land of Israel...Jesus' journey would climax very differently suffering on a cross, saving us from our sins with His death, and then resurrecting from His own death...Life seems to bring us suffering...We have pain, being apart from the ones we love, death of family and friends, and troubles in this world...But Jesus taught us that we can make it through the sufferings if we follow Him...
The Truth, the Way, and Life runs through the wilderness...The wilderness, like life itself, is a place for trials, tribulations, and sufferings...With Jesus' help we can be changed by these very experiences of life and the wilderness we walk through each day...We are changed when we remain in His LOVE...We are changed when we love each other...When we follow Jesus commands our joy will become complete...The journey through the wilderness is different with Him...