Matthew 4:1-25
Jesus Tested 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.
Jesus Begins to Preach
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Heals the Sick
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
St. Matthew writes in his gospel before Jesus gave His Great Sermon on the Mount about Him beginning His Ministry...His Ministries initial act is Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, where He resists Satan's attempts to lead Him astray and from God...This event underscores Jesus' Perfect Humanity and His Complete Divinity, as He experiences temptation like any human but overcomes it through reliance on God's Word and His Truth...As we read about the Temptation in the wilderness we see what a Divine Man He is...He has the power to resist temptation and the evil one...
Following the temptation, Jesus returns to Galilee and begins His public ministry...He calls His first disciples, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, to follow Him...Their immediate response demonstrates their faith and willingness to leave their previous lives behind...Jesus give all of us an invitation to faith in His Ministry and in following Him...
Jesus then embarks on a Ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing throughout Galilee, gaining a reputation as a Miracle Worker...This initial period sets the stage for the rest of His ministry, where He will confront religious leaders, teach about the Kingdom of God, and ultimately fulfill His redemptive mission...His healings often served as invitations to deeper faith and discipleship and give us a better understanding of forgiveness...And in His Ministry of Teaching, God would be the Central Theme in His new founded Ministry...
We can remember that this is the very beginning of Jesus' public ministry...That Jesus' is both human and Divine...Jesus has the power to resist temptation and teaches us the importance of resisting it...Jesus chooses His first Disciples...We see that God has given Him an authority to do miracles and through God's Power we see His Divinity...Jesus demonstrates God's Authority through Him by breaking the natural laws of this world and many types of miracles...At the very start of His Ministry we see that Jesus heals the sick of various diseases...
So in Jesus initial Ministry acts we see His demonstration of Divine Power and that God is with Him...Jesus' is given the ability to heal the sick, lame, and blind showcased His Divine Authority and Power...
We see a time of restoration...The Great Prophet Isaiah said (Isaiah 35:5-6) that the Messiah's time would be a time of restoration where the lame will leap, the blind will see, and the mute will sing...And the Great Prophet adds that our Suffering Servant prophecies would bear the sicknesses of His people...
We can believe in the Miraculous Kingdom of God...God's Kingdom is miraculous knowing God can do all things...These miracles were tangible signs of the coming Kingdom of God, where sickness, suffering, and disability would be eradicated forever...
We see compassion and empathy with the Great Physician...Jesus' compassion for the afflicted was evident in His desire to alleviate human suffering...God said: "I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their oppressors, for I know their sufferings."...This verse shows God's empathy for His people's situation and circumstances we are in...In Psalm 103:13: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him."...This verse directly compares God's compassion to a father's love...And in Hosea 11:8 God says: "My heart is moved for Ephraim; I will surely have compassion on him."...This prophetic passage illustrates God's deep compassion for His people, even in our times of disobedience...We see all these things at the start of Jesus' Ministry...