Do you want things? Do you buy lots of things that you don’t need? What do you long for? Today we are going to spend some time with Jesus before He went to the wilderness. Read Matthew 4:2. How long did Jesus fast? What was Jesus’ physical condition after fasting for that period of time?
Jesus is fully divine, and He experienced the wilderness as a human. He was hungry. Why did Jesus spend forty days fasting? What is the benefit of fasting? Two important reasons tie Jesus’ experience to the past and show how he demonstrates His love and desires for us to connect with us at the place of our deepest hunger and need. The first reason is Jesus’ forty-day fast mirrors that of Moses’ forty-day experience with God. Read Exodus 34:28. What did Moses not do while he was with God for forty days? During this time, God gave Moses instructions on how the people lived and taught on His character and holiness. It is also about the promises that God would fulfill for His people.
Moses also requests of God, knowing very little about the journey ahead of them. Read Exodus 34:9. What request did Moses make? Can we also make requests like this when we are in the wilderness? The second reason is Jesus fasted for forty days so that he could identify with deep human weakness. Fasting for this long will physically weaken the body. This would have done that to Jesus’ human body. It would have made it the most vulnerable state possible. However, he did this to fully identify with the depths of our human experience so that he could lead us to freedom. Read Hebrews 2:14-18. Why did Jesus have to come in a human form? Jesus wasn’t just tempted. What else did he go through when he was tempted? What was the purpose of Jesus enduring suffering and temptation?
Read John 2:25. What does the passage show us about Jesus’ knowledge of our human needs and struggles? What are the ‘I wants” in your life right now? Please don’t be embarrassed or feel guilty about them. We need to keep them in check. It is how we act on our “I wants” that concerns Jesus. According to Matthew 6:33, what are we to seek first? Does that come first in your relationship with Christ?
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that we will seek you first before anything else in our lives. Thank you for showing us in your word how things related to your purpose and love.
In Jesus Name
Amen
