6: This temptation was based upon a misquotation of Scripture. The devil pulled it out of context and omitted a reference to the ways of the one the passage is speaking to. It is found in Psalm 91:11-12. Satan knows the Word of God, but he seeks to use it for his own ends. To do so, he must twist it.
If Jesus had thrown himself down from the temple he would have been falling into the trap of giving the Jewish leaders the sign they wanted. God the Father did not intend for this to be done. To do so would have been disobedience.

Personal Journal Entry #12124
Prayer Journal Entry #12124
Daily Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 4:1-5:26
Praise Journal Entry #12084: Heavenly Father, although it astounds us greatly, the example of Your Son’s obedience is so encouraging. One in his position would surely think to break away from Your mold. But, Christ did not, and would not. Help each of us to see the beauty of Your ways, and to submit to them. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

5: This is the temple in Jerusalem. It is best to take this literally. Jesus was literally taken to this spot. It need not be supposed that Satan, by his own power alone, took him to this place. Satan does not normally have licence to move people about in this manner. Thus, it should be seen as allowed by the Spirit, and thus, under his supervision.

Personal Journal Entry #12123
Prayer Journal Entry #12123
Daily Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 2:1-3:24
Praise Journal Entry #12083: Heavenly Father, Your provision and plan are so perfect! You always know what is best. You cannot be outdone. Thank You for Your faithfulness and kindness to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

4: Jesus’ quote from Deuteronomy 8:3 immediately renders Satan’s trap useless. It shows it for the lie that it is. If God had not provided material food at that moment, it did not at all mean that Jesus was not his Son. God’s purposes, and the Word of God that goes with them, are to be the supply of the righteous, not mere bread. Jesus was well aware of the fact that Satan knew he had the power to make the stones into bread. But, he also understood that food wasn’t really the issue at all. Satan was trying to get him to act independently from the intentions of the Father. This Jesus would never do.

Personal Journal Entry #12122
Prayer Journal Entry #12122
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 24:1-1 Chronicles 1:54
Praise Journal Entry #12082: Heavenly Father, Your loving care for us is evident in Your plans for us. You always do what is best. Your ways are always in our best interest. Your purposes are glorious. You are worthy of all our praises. May we, as Christ did, always recognize the perfectness of Your will. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

3: The devil always begins by casting doubt upon the situation. He questions facts that God has already stated. Remember, the Father had just said that Jesus was his beloved Son. Now the devil questions that.
The second element of the temptation is also among the tempter’s chief practices. He hit Jesus’ weakest point. Jesus was hungry. Hunger would be foreign to the pre-incarnate Christ. Thus, Jesus was not simply more hungry than he had been in his life. He was more hungry than he had been ever, in all eternity.
Therefore, Jesus was put to it with one of the devil’s oldest tricks. He tells one that God does not have our needs in mind. He questions God’s care for us. He casts doubt on our perception of our relationship with God. On the one hand, if Jesus could not make the stones into bread, he must not be God’s Son. On the other, if he was the Son of God, why would God leave him so hungry. It was meant to be a logical sticking point to trap Jesus in his thinking.
It would have been wrong for Jesus to do so. He never used his power for his own personal gain. He was on earth to serve, not to be served. If God had specifically led him to be hungry, he was meant to be hungry.

Personal Journal Entry #12121
Prayer Journal Entry #12121
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 21:1-23:27
Praise Journal Entry #12081: Heavenly Father, I thank You for telling us about Jesus’ victory over Satan in this passage. It gives us such hope for victory over his temptations. We must not feel that we cannot resist him, for we surely can in Your strength. Thank You for that, it makes life so much better. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

2: This situation was specifically selected by the Father. The Spirit led Christ into this forty-day fast to show it as a time of testing. The number forty is sometimes associated with testing in Scripture. Also, fasting is a spiritual activity, which illustrates one’s focus on God as our source of strength. Forty days of fasting would be considered even by the self-righteous as a sufficient period. Elijah fasted for forty days on his way to Mt  Horeb. Although in his case, God had fed him a special meal that surely helped out with the fasting.
It should be said here that fasting does not need to include deprivation of water. It has already been proven that a human being cannot go that long without water. Nothing in the passage is saying that Jesus went without water, just food. This does not mean that God could not have supernaturally caused Jesus to be able to go without water, especially since he is the Son of God. However, this seems unlikely and unnecessary.

Personal Journal Entry #12120
Prayer Journal Entry #12120
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 18:1-20:21
Praise Journal Entry #12080: Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ’s example. It is so much better to have him to compare ourselves to. He is the perfect One. It is always good to try to emulate him. What an encouragement to do what is right! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

1: It may be wondered here why the Holy Spirit would lead him intentionally to temptation. Two things must be observed, however. First, Jesus temptation was similar to that of Adam and Eve in the garden. The Second Adam was prepared to undergo temptation, and did so without sin. Secondly, by temptation, the Messiah becomes familiar with our trials. None can say that he is unaware of the pressures of Satan’s wiles.

Personal Journal Entry #12119
Prayer Journal Entry #12119
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15:1-17:41
Praise Journal Entry #12079: Heavenly Father, I pray for a life full of opportunities to lift Christ up. Your plan of salvation through Your Son is so perfect! You always do things the best way. Thank you for freedom from sin as well as forgiveness for it. Your strength in the midst of temptation is the greatest blessing one could wish for. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

16-17: So very much happens in these two verses. Jesus quickly came out of the water and received this heavenly signal, as if he knew it was coming, for surely he did. Here all three persons of the Godhead are plainly seen. Jesus, identified as the Son, the dove, which was the Holy Spirit bodily manifested in the form of a dove, and the Father, who spoke from heaven.
It was surely amazing to John to see the heavens opened. We can only speculate as to how this looked. Either way, the key here is the descent of the Spirit onto Christ. This did a couple of things. For one, it was the sign John was looking for. For another, it fulfilled prophecy. It was expected that the spirit would rest upon the Messiah.
The Father’s words, beyond being of great benefit to those present, and to us so many years later, must have been a comfort to Jesus as well. It is always good to hear from the Father, no matter who you are.

Personal Journal Entry #12118
Prayer Journal Entry #12118
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 12:1-14:29
Praise Journal Entry #12078: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your expressions of love to us. It is altogether amazing that You love us so much. However, I will never complain of it. It is a source of constant joy and strength, as well as a great comfort, to know that You care so much for each of us. The wonder of the fact of Your love is overshadowed only by the quality of Your love. It is so good and genuine, and faithful. I can’t praise you enough for Your unconditional love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

15: Many, including myself, have wondered along with John about the reasons for Jesus’ baptism. However, the reasons are not immediately obvious because they are so numerous. First, it must be said that there are human reasons, and divine reasons. Since Jesus is both, this is only appropriate.
The primary human reason has to do with the fact that, although Jesus was sinless, he did all that a human under the law would be expected to do. He went the the synagogue, participated in the feasts and sacrifices, paid the temple tax, etc. Thus, his baptism would indicate that John’s baptism should be expected of any obedient Jewish man in that era. Also, humanly speaking, John was his cousin. It would seem only natural for him to want to be blessed as part of his cousin’s ministry. So, humanly speaking, his participation in this baptism was no surprise.
Ont the divine side of things we find even more reasons. First, there is the matter of legitimacy. Much of this has already been pointed out. The baptism of Christ served to highlight the legitimacy of John’s ministry. It gave legitimacy to the ministry of Christ. It was an opportunity for recognition from the Father. It was the point of connection between the Old Testament prophets and the Messiah who was there to inaugurate the New Testament.
Also, divinely speaking, the baptism of Christ identified the Holy One with sinners, whom he had come to save. This is important, and is a theme we see throughout his ministry. His identification with sinners, ministry to sinners, and sacrifice for sinners, makes his life, death, and resurrection more clearly about redemption. Beyond this, his baptism by John prefigures water baptism in the church age. Though John’s baptism was different from present water baptism, Jesus’ baptism shows that it is only different by virtue of time and the events of Jesus’ life. Jesus’ baptism illustrated what would soon happen to Christ, and in him, all who are saved. Baptism today shows what did happen to Christ, and in him, those who are saved. John’s baptism was preparation for what had yet to happen, baptism today is an illustration of what has already occurred.

Personal Journal Entry #12117
Prayer Journal Entry #12117
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 9:1-11:21
Praise Journal Entry #12077: Heavenly Father, Your ways are always the best. Often it is not readily apparent to us that they are so. We see too much with our natural eyes, and not enough with the eyes of faith. May we not miss the path You have so graciously laid out for us because we think we know better. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

14: John recognized his need for Spirit baptism from Christ, even though he was full of the Spirit from birth. If John needed Jesus, no one else could need less. This is a great testimony to John’s ministry. It shows that he understood his place in relation to Christ.

Personal Journal Entry #12116
Prayer Journal Entry #12116
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 6:1-8:29
Praise Journal Entry #12076: Heavenly Father, thank You for the examples that we find in Scripture. They are instructive and constructive to us. It is nice to know that others have walked the same path before. Though it makes Your way no more legitimate that it would otherwise be, it brings glory to Your name. You are knowable, and You explain Yourself to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

13: Jesus did not, obviously, come to John because of a need for repentance. Indeed, the baptism of Christ served as approval for John’s ministry. It showed that the Father approved. Beyond this, it served as a testimony to Christ Jesus, and the legitimacy of his ministry. It was thus the connecting point between the last of the old prophets, and The Prophet, the Messiah of God.

Personal Journal Entry #12115
Prayer Journal Entry #12115
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 3:1-5:27
Praise Journal Entry #12075: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your blessings. Sunday is always a great day. Thank You for constantly being at work in people’s live, drawing them to Yourself. It is great to know that You rejoice over our spiritual growth. It is good to know that You care. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.