Jesus lived with rejection. (Matthew 4: Luke 4-5)

Matthew

4:2-3

Satan is the master tempter. "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." There are two things here to learn about Satan's strategies to tempt us:

1. Satan uses the natural man inside all of us to tempt us. In that moment, Christ's body was screaming for food. His extreme, natural hunger pains were in full effect. Satan's strategy for tempting Christ and us is to use our physical, natural desires and weaknesses against us. Our bodies want to eat, sleep, feel pleasure or adrenaline, relax, etc. Much of this life is about overcoming those constant pulls of our natural body. When you are feeling tempted by a natural desire, recognize what's happening and resist.

2. Satan doesn't want us to know who we are. Knowing who we are and what we are makes all of the difference in our ability to withstand temptation. If Satan could insert some doubt into Christ's identity, he would weaken him. If Christ lost sight that he was the Son of God and the Savior of the world, Satan's chances of tempting him are much higher. This is so true for us. When we get into the weeds of worldly identities, it is easier for us to get put off of our course. If I view myself as a simple man that evolved from apes with desires that are natural and okay, I'm immediately weakened. If my identity is based on my profession or my race or my age or my income or my calling or my marital status, I'm weakened. If I firmly know that I am a son of God with divine potential, I'm strengthened. Satan knows this.

One final thought on these verses. At the beginning of Christ's ministry, he fasted. All things that Christ did were an example to us? So...how is his fasting an example? For me, it illustrates the importance of fasting. We can be strengthened to do hard things through fasting. It is a very good way of strengthening our abilit to submit to God and overcome our natural needs. I should fast more.

4:4

Christ's response was based in the scriptures. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Christ didn't even recognize Satan's question about his divinity. He probably decided that his feeble attempt at inserting doubt didn't justify a response.

Quoting scripture as a response to temptation is an example for us. It illustrates Christ's knowledge of the scriptures. Much of his growth as a child and young man undoubtedly came from scripture study. He was prepared for this temptation. His strength came from the Spirit, angels and his Father - but also came from his efforts in the scriptures. He learned about his relationship with God firsthand but also through the words of prophets. As in all things, this is an example for us.

When the temptations assuredly come for all of us, have we previously prepared ourselves? How have we done that? The good news is that we don't all have to rewrite the book of life from scratch. We can learn from the combined wisdom of previous prophets - just as Christ did.

4:6

"And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." In this temptation, Satan really focused on questioning Christ's divinity. As I said, Satan wants us to lose sight of our identity.

I think it's interesting that Satan adjusts his approach and quotes scripture. I think it illustrates how crafty Satan is. He sprinkles some truth in his temptation. Christ obviously uses the scriptures to strengthen himself - so Satan will use the scriptures to tempt. What elements of our own lives does Satan actually use?

In this temptation, Satan attempts to use pride. I believe this is Satan's most-used temptation. I think it is pride that led Satan to his own fall. It is pride that pushed 1/3 of the hosts of heaven to follow Satan. Satan loves to promise benefits if others follow him. In Moses 4:1, we read, "And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."

Satan has been promising what he can't deliver since the beginning. He knows that pride is the primary sin that existed in the premortal world and we all are susceptible to it. So, when it appeared that Christ was resistant to his temptations, Satan fell back on pride as his go-to temptation. It didn't work.

4:8-10

"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

We live in the he world. What we see can easily become the most important thing in our lives. It appears that wealth provides the blessings. Riches are the source of happiness. The riches of the world can become our priority.

Satan uses this fact to tempt Christ - to use his powers for selfish reasons. Christ always used his abilities to bless others. Satan was attempting to change that.

4:11-12

"Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;" In the JST, this verse is changed to, "And now Jesus knew that John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, and, behold, they came and ministered unto John. And Jesus departed into Galilee..." The amazing thing with this is that Jesus is obviously weak from fasting, has just withstood temptations from Satan and sends angels to John.

I can see myself wanting the angels to minister to me considering what I had just been through. Jesus, as a truly selfless person, sent those angels to John. These two verses show the charity that Jesus had for others. Instead of thinking about himself, his thoughts were of others who he loved that might be suffering.

4:16

"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." This is what Christ can do. Anyone who is sitting in darkness can be illuminated by the Light of Christ. No darkness is so thick that the Light of Christ cannot penetrate it.

If we see someone who is sitting in darkness and we want to help, we should bring the Light of Christ to him or her. No other self-help will provide lasting illumination. In the world, it's easier to offer the world's solution to someone who is lost. We may give them a book by Stephen Covey or Brene Brown. For many of us, it may be awkward to point that suffering soul to Christ. We must get over that and be willing to shine the light of Christ on those who need His help.

4:18-20

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." I love how Christ speaks to us where we are. He understood that they were fishermen and he spoke to them in terms that they would understand. We should follow that example as we teach others. What terms and metaphors can we use that others will relate to. We teach the teenagers at church and can think more about this.

Fishing for men and women is a good metaphor for missionary work.

4:23

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." I think it's worthy to note that Christ wasn't only about teaching the gospel. He simply helped. He looked for opportunities to bless lives. I imagine he spent more time healing than teaching.

What can we learn from that? We must realize that living the gospel of Jesus Christ is about lifting others. We spread the gospel by loving others. It isn't about getting others to join our church. It is about selflessly loving others where they are.

We should work to 'heal' others first. We should not have ulterior motives. People are good at sensing hidden motives. If we simply love those around us, they will sense that sincerity and be drawn to us. There may be opportunities to share the gospel and there might not. Again, our motivation should be simple love.

Luke

4:6-8

"And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." What does "get behind me, Satan" mean?

I think that Jesus had a mission. He understood the purpose of his life. He knew that life was about progression - moving forward. Satan attempts to:

• Get in our way.

• Stop our progression.

• Block our view of life from an eternal perspective.

• Alter our course.

• Distract us.

He can be successful at all of these things if we allow him to get in front of us. If we give him attention and take our focus off of the Savior and his gospel, we are allowing Satan to affect us. If he is behind us, out of view, he cannot manipulate, block or distract us.

Satan will always be there for us. He is ever-present. He is a permanent fixture. The goal is to put Satan permanently behind us.

4:13

"And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season." If we are making good choices, Satan and his angels are powerless. They apparently don't like futile effort. The want their work to bear fruit. If their work has no effect on us, they stop. If their whisperings do affect our behavior, they continue and even increase their work.

Giving into temptation brings more temptation. The key principle here is that we completely control the effect Satan can have over us. He is completely powerless if we resist temptation. He becomes a impotent vapor.

4:14-15

"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all." Couple of things:

1. The Spirit gives us power to influence. When we have the Spirit with us, others are drawn to us. They can sense it. The presence of the Spirit gives others a familiar feeling that they consciously or unconsciously seek after. Those who are open-hearted can be affected by the Spirit. Their course can change. They choose to elevate their lives and the Spirit strengthens their ability to follow through.

2. Christ was accepted by those who didn't know him. I've written before that familiarity breeds disrespect. Those people who lived outside of Christ's hometown accepted and "glorified" him. As we will see, this is very different from how those in Nazareth respond to him. We should consider how familiarity is affecting our relationships. If there is increased disrespect towards those we are closest to, we should change.

4:18

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

First, Christ's mission is clear. He was not sent to be a military leader and liberate Israel. He was annointed to:

• Preach the gospel to the poor. This isn't about the poor in a worldly sense. I believe this is about the poor in spirit. Only those who are humble and teachable are in a position to receive the gospel. The puffed up and proud aren't going to be taught. Not because Christ is not willing, but because they aren't open to it.

• Heal the broken-hearted. Those who are without hope are given it. Those who have no worldly source of joy suddenly have something to look forward to. For many, their personal situation breaks their hearts. Christ and his atonement can heal broken hearts.

• Preach deliverance to the captives. Some believe that they are permanently held by an addiction. They feel trapped. Others are simply held captive by their personal weaknesses. It may be that they are lazy, or mean, or angry, or cynical - Christ can deliver them from all of these physical or spiritual prisons.

• Recovering sight to the blind. Christ healed all types of physical maladies. Why is blindness specified here? I think it has to do with seeing life through the correct lens. We are all controlled so intensely by our personal biases that we can be blinded by it. We often cannot discern reality. Being receptive to Christ's gospel provides the standard of truth. It is no longer your truth or my truth - we are able to see THE truth.

• Set a liberty them that are bruised. We can be controlled by past offenses. Grudges that are held actually hold us. We can be controlled by our anger and Christ's gospel sets us free fro that. Christ taught this very specifically in his sermon on the mount. We learned that turning our cheek replaces and eye for an eye. I think this also has to do with those who have been hurt by another - whether that is a spouse or parent or someone else who is close to us. We can find healing in Christ's gospel.

4:20-21

"And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." Christ was telling the people, in his home town, that he was the Messiah. This was hard for them as they knew him as a toddler, adolescent and teenager. They had witnessed him progressing from grace to grace. They believed that his status was the same as theirs. He was common like them. It wasn't possible that he could be the Savior! I actually understand their doubts. I may be having the same thoughts!

Christ's suggesting that they would say, "physician, heal thyself" was a statement of doubt and cynicism. In three words, they would be saying that Christ had some mental ailment and, if he had the ability to heal, he should start with fixing his craziness.

This is very common for any group of people. Christ said, "No prophet is accepted in his own country." Again, it is about familiarity breeding disrespect. It doesn't have to be this way but it often is.

4:25-30

"But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way." Christ appears to be saying that the Lord blesses those who realize their dependence on him.

If we are so proud that we believe we are independent of Him, we cannot be blessed by Christ. If we believe, because we are members of the Church that we don't desperately need his grace, we are totally confused about Christ's gospel. We must all have the mindset that we are lost without Jesus.

He is also stating that it doesn't matter what race we are. Yes, Israel was the chosen people - but the point was that they had a responsibility. They were chosen to be a light to the world. They weren't chosen to be above any other people. God is no respecter of persons.

Rather than looking inward and learning from what Christ had said, they became defensive and angry. How many of us, when we are chastened, get defensive? How many of us avoid looking inward and accepting righteous, constructive criticism? They were so blinded by their traditions and feelings of superiority, they couldn't see the truth in front of them. They responded in anger and attempted to kill Jesus.

I love the idea of seeing Christ "passing through the midst of them." I'm sure they were frozen when in the presence of Christ's power. Their bodies couldn't fulfill their murderous intentions. Christ was not going to die in a way and at a time that wasn't appointed by him.

4:32

"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power." They were hearing novel doctrine. Christ was only reading from Torah. He was teaching something new. They were used to words having power because of their source in the scriptures. They were used to feeling the Spirit when the scriptures were read.

Yet, they were feeling that same power when they heard Christ's words that were originating from inside him. It makes sense that they were astonished.

The Spirit that was affecting them. It shows us that our words can also have power if the Spirit is present. The Spirit can change hearts an influence others to do good. If we say the perfect words without the Spirit, lives will not be changed. If we say very simple words but the Spirit is invited, hearts can change.

5:4-6

"Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake." We all like our brains and our thinking. We believe that we are smart and don't like doing things that don't make sense to us.

It didn't make sense to Peter that one more cast would produce anything other than what had already happened all night. It takes faith to do something that doesn't make sense to us but we're asked to do by someone in authority.

It may be an extended calling. It may be a new policy for the entire Church. We may not understand or agree with what's being said. We should have faith and follow.

It's not that we should be mindless automatons. We shouldn't follow blindly. We should use our brains. But, we all cannot figure out our own version of the truth. We can't all live independently of Church leadership. The gospel isn't a buffet where we choose which principles we'll follow. Peter sensed that Christ was a righteous man making a request. He was willing to "at thy word I will let down the net." We need to, at least, experiment on the word that we receive from our leaders - regardless whether it makes sense to us.

5:8

"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Many of us feel unworthy. Many of us fear that we aren't righteous enough to be in Christ's presence. I think it will be a big shock when we finally meet him and see how familiar he is. I don't believe that he will be sitting on a golden throne, separated from us. I believe he will be among us and we will remember him. We will feel more comfortable with Jesus than any other person we've ever met. We shouldn't be afraid.

That was Christ's immediate response to Peter: "Fear not."

5:12-13

"And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him." The leper didn't question whether Christ COULD heal him. It was a matter of whether Christ WOULD. That is great faith.

We should all strive to have that level of faith. When we are praying for the impossible, we should have faith that God CAN do anything in this world. It is always a question of whether it is God's WILL.

5:16

"And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed." I love that Christ takes time to go by himself and pray. It is an example for us about how important it is for us to take time to communicate with God.

We shouldn't live independently of God. We must realize our dependence on Him. He must be present in our lives. A good way of making him present is to pray often.

Any relationship is based on communication. The more present God is in our life, the closer relationship we will have. The closer we are to God, the more we are able to live the principles of the gospel.

5:18-20

"And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee." This is really interesting to me. It sounds like this man was healed, at least in part, by the faith of the people who brought him.

It's interesting that he wasn't physically healed initially. Christ spoke only of his sins. Why? Is it possible that his sins were the source of his palsy? It could be that they were separate but the man's sins were troubling him as much or more than the palsy.

One thing that I can learn from this is, often, hidden, spiritual or mental problems are the real challenge. This man couldn't walk and his forgiveness appears to be the priority.

We cannot see these mental, emotional or spiritual problems - yet they can cause serious issues. Because we can't see them, we may not show forgiveness and grace to others the same way we would treat someone who was missing a limb. It shouldn't be that way.

5:21-25

"And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God." Christ made the point that he could forgive sins, the same way he could physically heal.

I have a question. Why were the Pharisees so sensitive about blasphemy? I don't know but it may have been some element of control.

Notice that Christ didn't administer a repentance checklist to the man. He didn't review whether the man had acknowledged his sin, felt godly sorrow, confessed to his church leader, and recompensed those who he had hurt. Obviously, the man was spiritually prepared to be forgiven. He had experienced a change of heart that qualified him for forgiveness. He was forgiven in an instant. It was an instant that coincided with a course correction in his life. He was a man who knew he had done wrong and he wanted to change. Christ relieved him of the burden he was carrying.

I think there are many of us who feel that we haven't taken all of the necessary steps to be forgiven. I myself have thought about all of the things that I have done throughout my life that have harmed others. Most of which, I likely don't even remember. How is it possible for me to repent of all of that? I cannot. So, is it that I have a list of punishments waiting for me at judgment?

I don't think that's true. I think Christ's atonement covers that. God's grace covers that. I am in the process of being perfected. Repentance is about turning to God. As I turn towards him and shed my past weakness and sins, I am forgiven as I go. There's no checklist for forgiveness and no list of sins.

5:28-29

When calling Matthew, he simply said "Follow me." Matthew's response was simple but profound. "And he left all, rose up, and followed him." The key two words for me is that he "left all." How hard would it be for us to leave all that we have?

Matthew likely had a good lifestyle. In verse 29, we read that he made "a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them." He was able to feed a feast to a great company. He had plenty of food and plenty of room. He was willing to leave it all.

This becomes so real to me as I consider my willingness to leave it all behind. How easy would it be for me to leave our beautiful home in the mountains to become a wandering homeless person. It would take great faith and commitment. I'm impressed with Matthew.

5:30-32

"But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Are there any among us who are unwilling to interact with sinners? We cannot be a good influence on those who need it be only hanging out with righteous folk.

We shouldn't attend parties serving alcohol and drugs. We shouldn't go to raves each weekend. But we should befriend those who may have different standards than we have. We shouldn't be willing to meet non-member friends in a bar. We shouldn't be unwilling to attend a concert where our son is the lead singer in a band because the music is a little "hard."

We can be in the world and not of the world. Being in the world means being around worldly people.

If all of the righteous close ranks and only socialize with other similarly righteous people, how does that gather Israel?

Consider your friend group. Does it only include members of the Church? Why? Should that change? How can you expand your social circle?

5:39

"No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better." We like what we are used to. We don't like change.

For those who have served missions, how many reject the message of the gospel because they are X religion and don't to change. There were many times I heard "I was born a Catholic and I'll die a Catholic."

We need to get over our bias for the familiar. We will need to be teachable for a very long time. A long enough time that we will consider it an eternity. We must be willing to periodically shed our current version of ourselves. What is essential to us now may be meaningless in the future.

This is part of progressing from grace to grace.