#5 The Temptation Of Jesus Series

#5 The Temptation of Jesus

Series: Mark

Chuck Sligh

January 19, 2020

NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.

TEXT: Mark 1:9-13 – And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, being tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.”

INTRODUCTION

Illus.– A three-year-old entered the kitchen when his mother was busy elsewhere. She had told him not to get into the cookies, but in her absence, he pulled a kitchen chair over to the counter and climbed up on it. Then he took the lid off the cookie jar and had just gotten a cookie into his mouth when his mother entered the room and demanded to know what he was doing. The three-year-old looked at her with big, innocent eyes and said, “I just climbed up here to smell the cookies, and my tooth got caught on one of them.”

We laugh at the little boy’s struggle with temptation, but temptation is a serious matter.

Today we’re going to talk about the temptation of Christ, the most monumental spiritual battle in history.

You will remember that Mark’s Gospel is the shortest and the most direct of all the gospels, and this is startlingly evident in the temptation of Christ. Matthew tells a much-expanded version of the story, spanning 11 verses, and Luke tells it in 9 verses.

The economy of words in Mark is true to form for him…he tells it in only two verses, verses 12-13. But Mark’s purpose and audience were different than Matthew’s and Luke’s. Mark is more about getting quickly to the larger point than the Matthew and Luke. And yet Mark manages to tell us some details not found in the other two gospels.

Mark and Luke concentrate more on three particular temptations and serve as templates on how we too can overcome temptation by using God’s Word against Satan. Mark forgoes this practical application and sticks to the main thrust of his gospel, which is to prove that Jesus is the Son of God who has authority over sickness, the elements, life and death itself, and most of all, Satan and his demonic forces.

As we work through verses 12-13, virtually every phrase is charged with significance, so let’s examine them one by one.

I. FIRST, NOTICE THE WORD “IMMEDIATELY.”

This is one of Mark’s favorite words. Of the 79 times it is found in the New Testament, 42 are in Mark alone.

Mark uses the word here in verse 12 to help us see the immediacy for Jesus to accomplish the task given to Him by God the Father. He comes up out of the water; hears the voice of the Father’s expressing His approval of the Son and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

On paper this sounds pretty mundane, but to Jesus that day, it was amazing and must have been emotionally exhilarating. And IMMEDIATELY, Jesus is whisked away by the Spirit to face the power of Satan over a 40-day period. Jesus doesn’t get to bask in the joy of that mighty approval and anointing of his baptism experience. Immediately, He is propelled to the wilderness to take the offensive against temptation and evil instead of avoiding them.

II. NEXT, NOTICE THE WORD “DROVE” IN VERSE 12 – “And immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness.”

Matthew says that Jesus was “led” by the Spirit into the wilderness, but Mark uses a different word. “Drove” is the Greek word ekbállo which literally means “to expel, to drive, to cast or send out.” Mark used it eleven times in his gospel to describe the casting out of demons.

Certainly, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness, as Matthew expresses, but again Mark expresses immediacy. The VERY FIRST THING the Spirit of God does after Jesus’ baptism and anointing is thrust Him into battle with the Devil. Jesus is impelled forth into a colossal clash with Satan that lays the groundwork for His future ministry and work on Calvary.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “Mark’s Gospel is the record of this great encounter which climaxed at the Cross. At the outset Jesus established His personal authority over Satan. His later exorcisms of demons were based on His victory in this encounter.”