Dear Partner in Preaching, Somewhere along the line – whether in a college English course or seminary preaching class I can’t quite remember – I was taught to craft a tight, clear theme sentence to guide the whole of the essay or sermon. I’ll confess that I don’t do that every week, but I will this time around. And keeping with the brevity of Mark’s Gospel – and, indeed, his somewhat truncated version of the temptation – I’m going to keep it short: the same Spirit that descends upon Jesus at his baptism now drives him into the wilderness. Did you ever notice that, by the way? That immediately after his Baptism Jesus is...
Matthew 4:17
posted by DJL
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” From temptation to proclamation. It’s an interesting move. Actually, there are two events that happen just prior to the commencement of Jesus’ mission and the announcement of the coming kingdom....
Matthew 4:1-11
posted by DJL
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered,...
Matthew 4:1
posted by DJL
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Okay, so I was all ready to write about how Jesus is led into the wilderness for temptation only after his baptism. And that matters. And I was prepared to describe the character of the devil’s temptation....
Luke 4:13-15
posted by DJL
When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by...