I like that song whose lyrics go something like “and the Word was, and the Word is and the Word it will be…” But, what does “The Word” mean? In the inner city streets, if I ask a street person what’s “the word”, they will tell me the latest gossip and rumors in that particular ‘hood. If I am on the lake fishing and I ask a fellow fisherman what’s “the word”, they will tell me the hottest lure or bait that I should try. If I ask a computer geek what’s “the word”, they define for me a unit of storage in a computer, generally 32 or 64 bits. “The word” is the agent of creation - in Psalm 33:6, we read where God merely spoke and creation came into being. “The word” was God’s message to His people through the prophets. In some earlier cultures, “the word” was the principle of reason that governed the world. To early Christians, “the word” was the Good News of Jesus Christ”. If I ask a Believer what’s “the word”, they will say “Jesus”!
Jesus, “the Word” came to dwell on this earth. He was fully man and fully God. To many people in Matthew and John’s time, the thought that “the word became flesh” was impossible to believe. They could not accept this as truth. My friend, it is an awesome thing that the God of the universe became flesh and went through the same things we go through. He felt pain, rejection, love, sadness, joy, humor, etc. Jesus experienced all the things that we do! Our connection with Him is wonderful and eternal and weaves its way through every aspect of our life. I believe that God became flesh so that we would not only see His divinity in practice but we would be encouraged by knowing our Lord went through the same things as we do. For all the leaps in technology, the world hasn’t changed much. Good and evil still struggle.
Matthew was a Jew and he wrote to Jews in a way they could understand that Jesus was the Messiah they had waited for. Matthew lays out the messianic prophecies, the lineage of Jesus, and how Jesus fulfilled all the requirements foretold of the Messiah. Matthew records the temptations Jesus went through prior to beginning His ministry on earth. “The Word” had become flesh indeed! Have you ever noticed that the temptations Jesus faced are the SAME EXACT temptations we face today? Satan presented to Jesus the physical temptations (food and comfort), emotional temptations (the need for security), and mental temptations (the desire for power) that we all face.
That the temptations came immediately after Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3) should strike home with the Believer. Prior to our becoming Believers, the world, our friends, and everything around us had a worldly meaning and we reacted in worldly ways. However, as soon as we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and receive salvation through faith, we immediately begin to see the world differently. The “light” comes on, so to speak, and when our journey with Christ begins, satan sets his sights on us. Before we are saved, satan does not bother us because we are lost and in his grasp. But once we believe, satan goes to work on us. The temptations of Jesus represent the last phase of Jesus’ preparation for His ministry on earth. Similarly, when we receive salvation, we too are chartered to go and tell the Good News and our own personal ministries begin as well. Like Jesus, temptations are sent our way. And like Jesus, we must be prepared to respond to satan just as Jesus did. That is one reason it is important to memorize Scriptures. When we are faced with temptations, quoting Scripture causes satan to flee!
After Jesus was tempted, satan departed and the angels came and ministered to Him. We too have help during temptations. First, God tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He will provide a way out for us during times of temptations. Secondly, we have the body of Christ that we can depend on for encouragement during times of temptations. Many Believers have accountability partners and when a temptation comes along, there is immediate help in resisting the temptation – whatever it may be. It is important to note that being tempted does not constitute sin. Jesus was tempted but rejected the temptations and was sinless. When we turn from temptations, we reject sin. Only when we act on the temptation do we sin.
We can be sure that temptations will come. We can also be sure that there will be a response to the temptation. Will we respond as Jesus did? That is, Jesus responded quickly. Jesus responded that the temptation was wrong and a violation of God’s word. Jesus did not linger over the temptation. Neither should we linger in the face of temptation. To do so could lead to disaster. Yes, “the word” became flesh and felt the same things we fell. “The Word” was tempted in the same ways we are tempted. My prayer is that all Believers stay strong in “the word” and respond quickly and decisively to the temptations. It is easy to beat satan, just quote “the word” to him and he will flee!!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
I like that song whose lyrics go something like “and the Word was, and the Word is and the Word it will be…” But, what does “The Word” mean? In the inner city streets, if I ask a street person what’s “the word”, they will tell me the latest gossip and rumors in that particular ‘hood. If I am on the lake fishing and I ask a fellow fisherman what’s “the word”, they will tell me the hottest lure or bait that I should try. If I ask a computer geek what’s “the word”, they define for me a unit of storage in a computer, generally 32 or 64 bits. “The word” is the agent of creation - in Psalm 33:6, we read where God merely spoke and creation came into being. “The word” was God’s message to His people through the prophets. In some earlier cultures, “the word” was the principle of reason that governed the world. To early Christians, “the word” was the Good News of Jesus Christ”. If I ask a Believer what’s “the word”, they will say “Jesus”!
Jesus, “the Word” came to dwell on this earth. He was fully man and fully God. To many people in Matthew and John’s time, the thought that “the word became flesh” was impossible to believe. They could not accept this as truth. My friend, it is an awesome thing that the God of the universe became flesh and went through the same things we go through. He felt pain, rejection, love, sadness, joy, humor, etc. Jesus experienced all the things that we do! Our connection with Him is wonderful and eternal and weaves its way through every aspect of our life. I believe that God became flesh so that we would not only see His divinity in practice but we would be encouraged by knowing our Lord went through the same things as we do. For all the leaps in technology, the world hasn’t changed much. Good and evil still struggle.
Matthew was a Jew and he wrote to Jews in a way they could understand that Jesus was the Messiah they had waited for. Matthew lays out the messianic prophecies, the lineage of Jesus, and how Jesus fulfilled all the requirements foretold of the Messiah. Matthew records the temptations Jesus went through prior to beginning His ministry on earth. “The Word” had become flesh indeed! Have you ever noticed that the temptations Jesus faced are the SAME EXACT temptations we face today? Satan presented to Jesus the physical temptations (food and comfort), emotional temptations (the need for security), and mental temptations (the desire for power) that we all face.
That the temptations came immediately after Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3) should strike home with the Believer. Prior to our becoming Believers, the world, our friends, and everything around us had a worldly meaning and we reacted in worldly ways. However, as soon as we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and receive salvation through faith, we immediately begin to see the world differently. The “light” comes on, so to speak, and when our journey with Christ begins, satan sets his sights on us. Before we are saved, satan does not bother us because we are lost and in his grasp. But once we believe, satan goes to work on us. The temptations of Jesus represent the last phase of Jesus’ preparation for His ministry on earth. Similarly, when we receive salvation, we too are chartered to go and tell the Good News and our own personal ministries begin as well. Like Jesus, temptations are sent our way. And like Jesus, we must be prepared to respond to satan just as Jesus did. That is one reason it is important to memorize Scriptures. When we are faced with temptations, quoting Scripture causes satan to flee!
After Jesus was tempted, satan departed and the angels came and ministered to Him. We too have help during temptations. First, God tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He will provide a way out for us during times of temptations. Secondly, we have the body of Christ that we can depend on for encouragement during times of temptations. Many Believers have accountability partners and when a temptation comes along, there is immediate help in resisting the temptation – whatever it may be. It is important to note that being tempted does not constitute sin. Jesus was tempted but rejected the temptations and was sinless. When we turn from temptations, we reject sin. Only when we act on the temptation do we sin.
We can be sure that temptations will come. We can also be sure that there will be a response to the temptation. Will we respond as Jesus did? That is, Jesus responded quickly. Jesus responded that the temptation was wrong and a violation of God’s word. Jesus did not linger over the temptation. Neither should we linger in the face of temptation. To do so could lead to disaster. Yes, “the word” became flesh and felt the same things we fell. “The Word” was tempted in the same ways we are tempted. My prayer is that all Believers stay strong in “the word” and respond quickly and decisively to the temptations. It is easy to beat satan, just quote “the word” to him and he will flee!!