There are two events that must be mentioned in connection with the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry – His baptism by John and temptation by the devil. “In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This is the one mentioned by the prophet Isaiah when he said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord and make His path straight.” (Matthew 3:1-3)
The two elements of John’s message that absolutely must be understood are these: “repent” and the meaning of “the kingdom of heaven”. The word “repent” is from metanoeo, to change one’s mind or purpose. The term “kingdom of heaven” is found only in Matthew’s Gospel (for a full explanation of this term, see the article “The Kingdom of Heaven” on the website) and is used to describe the earthly kingdom of Jesus during this age and includes the time in which we live, on through the tribulation, His return to earth and the Millennium described in Revelation – the time when all rebellion is put down and full preparation is completed for the eternal Kingdom of God on the earth. John literally says, “change your mind (and therefore, your actions), because the Christ is here, now, to begin preparing for God’s eternal kingdom!
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John protested, saying, I need to be baptized by You, why do You come to me?” (Matthew 3:13) A short explanation might be good here. Back up in Matthew 3:11 John says he baptizes with water unto repentance, but the One coming after him will baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire (divine retribution in dealing with rebellion). John wanted that baptism of the Holy Spirit that had been revealed to him. The problem was that he did not yet understand that this would not come until after Jesus’ resurrection (John 7:37-39).
OK, I’m digging myself a hole here that I have to try to crawl out of. What is the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” that was to come. First, we have to deal with “baptism”. It does not mean “immersion”. It did not always involve water. “Baptism” is a means of identification (see the article “Ritual or Reality”). Those who submitted themselves to John’s baptism were identifying themselves with his message of repentance and the coming kingdom.
Communion is the only authorized ordinance of the New Testament church. Water baptism was merely a temporary teaching tool used to help early believers understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Once understood, water baptism was no longer necessary. Early in his ministry Paul no longer practiced it (I Corinthians 1:13-17), and nowhere in his epistles to the churches did he teach or require it. Later, he states there is only one baptism for the believer and is obviously talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-5). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the believer’s identification with the ministry of the Holy Spirit (see the article “Grace, Faith and the Ministry of the Holy Spirit”).
So, let’s move on. “But Jesus replied, Permit it now, for this is the way for both of us to fulfill all righteousness. So, John consented.” (Matthew 3:15) One of the arguments for so-called “believer’s baptism” has always been that even Jesus submitted to it. It must be obvious that Jesus had nothing to repent of. So, why submit to John’s baptism? But here Jesus makes it clear that His reason for being baptized by John was to “fulfill all righteousness”. “Fulfill is pleroo, to fully accomplish or complete. “Righteousness” is dikaiosune, whatever is appointed by God and is to be acknowledged and obeyed by man. In other words, the Father had a purpose in Jesus being publicly baptized by John and it had nothing to do with repentance.
This purpose is fully demonstrated in the next two verses. “And when Jesus was baptized, as He went up out of the water, behold the heavens were opened, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. Then a voice from heaven said, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I delight.” (Matthew 3:16-17) The baptism of Jesus was the Father’s opportunity to put His public stamp of approval on His Son. The crowd of people that had gathered there to be baptized by John all witnessed this momentous event specifically orchestrated by the Father to begin Jesus’ public ministry (Luke 3:21-22).
The temptation of Jesus is found in two passages, Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. Now, if you read these two passages, you should notice they are somewhat different. The temptations are the same, but the order is different. Also, the conclusion to these passages differs. In Luke’s account when the temptations were ended, it says, “he (the devil) left Him for a season” (KJV). Another translation says, “he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.” (Amplified Bible) And in Matthew it says, “then the devil leaveth him”. Or, “then the devil departed from Him”. This seems to indicate that there were two sets of temptations. The devil, not satisfied with the outcome of his first attempt, waited for a time and then tried again. Then, when he got the same result, gave it up.
What is the significance of the three temptations? After 40 days fasting, a loaf of bread would have sounded good. But Jesus would have been taking matters into His own hands, instead of proving His trust in the Father. The desires of the flesh are never as important as spiritual principles. Having something to eat when you’re hungry can never bring the kind of satisfaction you experience when you know you’re being obedient to the will of God.
In another temptation the devil took Jesus to the top of the temple sanctuary and told Him to jump off (about a 700 foot drop to the valley below). If He really were the Son of God, then surely God would save Him. The temple had always represented God’s presence and protection. But, was God’s protection the condition on which Jesus would base His loyalty and obedience to the Father? To this we can say a resounding NO! Jesus was committed to the will of the Father fully knowing it would require suffering and an eventual cruel death. This is the mistake many make today. They reject God because they see Him fail to protect them and others from the hazards of living in a sinful world.
In the last temptation the devil offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for one simple act of worship. All Jesus had to do was submit to the devil and the world was His. There are many who say this was a deception on the devil’s part, the world was not his to give. The Scriptures disagree. He is the prince (ruler) of this world (John 12:31, 14:30). And he is the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4). What’s happening here? The devil is saying, OK, I know if you’re the Son of God this is all going to be yours eventually. But why wait? Why go through everything that’s ahead of you to get it? You can have it now! Instant gratification.
Let’s sum this up. In order to qualify to be our sin-bearer, Jesus had to be a man and He had to be sinless. In all three of these temptations the devil is appealing to Jesus’ humanity: disregard your trust in God and give in to your physical needs; ignore your loyalty and obedience to the Father if it costs you protection and self-preservation; and don’t wait for the plan of God to unfold in His timing, look for a different plan.