Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families
New Testament Lesson #6
Matthew 4; Luke 4–5
Since Google + is going away soon. I changed the comments section, so that anyone may comment with, or without a Google account. I hope that makes it easier for this to be a virtual group discussion as the Bishop envisioned.
We talked in Sunday School about the quote from last week’s lesson: “True repentance is “a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. … [It means] a turning of the heart and will to God” (Bible Dictionary, “Repentance”).” In this week’s lesson, we see the Savior turn His face toward His Father, setting his feet inexorably on the path that inevitably leads to Gethsemane. I tend to think about fasting 40 days and nights as impossible—especially when the 24 hours recommended for Fast Sunday is sometimes so hard. But I think where Jesus was—as He was with His Father (JST Matthew 4:1), He was being spiritually fed and prepared for His mission. His physical body was perhaps left behind. This is just my musing—no doctrinal support for it, other than Luke 1:4 where Luke says Jesus was “led by the Spirit,”—but assuming that, what a shock to “return” to His depleted physical body and then immediately face Satan’s temptations.
S. Kent Brown’s commentary on Luke has this to say:
We are left to imagine the enormous will power that Jesus exercises in wrestling down his appetites by refusing to eat. His challenge is foretold in prophecy: “he shall suffer . . . hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death” (Mosiah 3:7). It is curious that Luke writes nothing of Jesus’ not drinking. Perhaps he assumes his readers will conclude that Jesus does not drink for he separates eating and drinking in other passages (see 12:19; 13:26; 17:8;
Acts 9:9; 23:12, 21). In certain places on both sides of the Jordan River, water is abundant.[1]
Something I have been pondering is that, of the Gospel writers, Matthew and John were disciples of the mortal Christ, Mark and Luke were not (as far as we know they were both companions of Paul, and Mark was also a companion of Peter). There is also the suggestion that Mark is reporting what Peter told him. That scripture is inspired and the Lord can inspire His writers to record directly what He tells them is not in question. But the differences between the Gospels, as well as the similarities, do require some pondering.
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