King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 14 notes
1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
Jesus had not yet started his public ministry, so how did the devil know he was the son of God?
Obviously there are things in the spirit that those in the spirit can tell.
And later in his ministry we see demons confessing same.
It was we in the earth 🌎 who did not know him.
He was already a center of talk and attention in the spirit realm.
This is interesting, that a man 👨🏿 most popular in the realm of the spirit and known by all was completely unknown in the natural.
How did they know? Obviously the abundance of spiritual activity around his birth could not go unnoticed.
The same with us and any man who begins his spiritual journey.
We begin to ring bells depending on the depth of spiritual activity we are engaged in.
Though unknown in the earth 🌎, we presume same spiritually and can shipwreck when we take things for granted and fall off.
The enemy would then throw all his arsenals at us so we do not recover at all.
Because our recovery is a headache for the dark world 🗺.
Indeed, when a runaway son or employee returns, you know they would not go back, considering their bitter taste of outlawed life.
For those who never left, you know they would not, but that unknown factor is always a source of temptation.
4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6And 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.
7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8And 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.
9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
And our temptations as men run parallel to this pattern.
10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Having conquered, he now was endued with power for the next level.
Oh, just realized Jesus returned to his home in Galilee, which was some days' journey from Jordan 🇯🇴 river.
It's easy to think that "from Jordan he came out in power to Galilee" was in reference to a place nearby.
15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Did the devil foresee that such power would show up, and thus sought to distract the Lord?
Hence the timing of this temptation.
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18The 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,
19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20And 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.
21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22And 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?
23And 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.
24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25But 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;
26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Everywhere Jesus went, he spoke truth to power without fear 😱, and it caused a lot of rumblings and shake-up, because truth is power.
This ultimately led to his death ☠ and crucifixion.
29And 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.
30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
This Jesus...
The Jews hadn't changed. Once again they were about to destroy their own saviour.
31And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
I believe, even though this is a verse, the activity of going down to Capernaum, looking for a place to reside and settle. Planning the next move and which synagogue to enter and how to be given access to read or teach that day.
Probably Jesus had to make mention of his qualifications, having understudied rabbi so-and-so, in order to be granted audience that day.
Yet it's all summed up in just a verse.
32And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
So it is OK to start ministry not where you stay, where the people are familiar with you, but elsewhere.
Where your ministry would be accepted and the people blessed.
33And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
Jesus had defeated their boss the devil 👿, and they were being exposed and cast out everywhere Jesus went.
35And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
There was not much mention of demon possession in the Old Testament and never a mention of any being cast out.
The example we have is that of Saul and being soothed with music, but not the kind of thing Jesus was doing.
This does not mean there were no such demon issues, but Jesus's presence with the kingdom 👑 demonstrated his power over the kingdom of the devil 👿.
No wonder he later said that if he casts out devils by the finger of God, then indeed the kingdom of God has come to them.
36And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
Just like the way word about Jesus went out among men for this miracle.
So also among the spirits word had gone out.
How else did this demon spirit know who Jesus was?
38And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
41And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
How did they know he was the Christ, when as yet the people he was with, even the disciples, knew not yet?
And it was not just one demon... The demons knew.... How??
And he silences them. I guess it's because he knew the uproar that will erupt if Jewry knew he was the Christ ✝...
His presence at this time was not to be king but Lamb; on his return he will come as king 👑 with pomp ⛽ and pageantry.
How did they know?
42And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.