In Jeremiah 29 Jeremiah writes a long letter to the exiles in Babylon. He tells them to build houses, plant gardens, and pray for the welfare of the city in which they live. The reason? It is the LORD’s will for them to be there. Their stay will be seventy years, and then the LORD will deliver them and return them to their home land. Jeremiah offers his famous prophesy, I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not evil, plans to give you a future and a hope. While Jeremiah 29:11 is often offered to encourage high school or college graduates, or those moving into an uncertain future, it is truly used out of context in those situations. After all, the future and hope the LORD promised was not to be fulfilled for 70 years. Many college graduates don’t live for 70 years after they graduate. The principle that the LORD has our good in mind, and a future filled with hope for those who trust His Son, Jesus, is valid, the specific promise from Jeremiah 29:11 was for a people who were going to experience a long, and often unpleasant future, before the future they were promised came to them. Jeremiah concluded the letter by pointing out the false priests and prophets of the people who had gone down to Babylon, and had prophesied falsely would be punished.
Jeremiah 30 offers an extended promise to Israel and Judah that the LORD will restore them. He makes it clear this promise is for the distant future. He makes it clear “David” will once again sit on his throne. He makes it clear the people’s time of punishment will be completed before they experience their deliverance. The sins of the nation had been so many, which is why they were scattered among the nations. Yet, in the end, it would be the nations where the people of Israel and Judah were scattered, who would be subjected to the LORD’s judgment, while His people would be restored. This promise must have seemed both welcome and agonizing to the people, because they knew it was more for their children or grandchildren than for them. Even so, such a promise would have seemed like cool water in a parched land.
As we return to Matthew 4, we read again of Jesus’ temptation by the devil in the wilderness. This event took place in Jesus’ life after the amazing high point, of having His Heavenly Father speak from heaven after His baptism, offering His love and affirmation of Jesus and His upcoming ministry on the earth. The temptation took place after Jesus had fasted for 40 days. The first temptation attacked the weakness and hunger Jesus felt after such an extended period without food. The devil picked up a stone (undoubtedly shaped like a loaf of bread. Many such stones can be found in the Judean desert.) and said, “If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread.” In English, a sentence that starts with the word “if” is always conditional, meaning we don’t know for certain whether what we’re asking is true or is going to happen. For example, when I say, “If you are going to the store, would you pick up a bag of potatoes for me?” I don’t know whether you are going to the store. But in the Greek language in which this account was written, the “if” was written in the indicative, which means the devil was saying, “If you are the Son of God–and I know you are–then turn this stone into a loaf of bread.” The context tells us the same thing. After all, it wouldn’t be a temptation for you or me to have the devil ask us to turn a stone into a loaf of bread, because we couldn’t do it! Jesus could have, but instead of succumbing to the temptation, He responded with Scripture, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus would use this same approach in responding to the next two temptations as well. He quoted Scripture. I once read in the margins of an elderly pastor’s Bible: “When dealing with Satan, don’t argue, quote!” What powerful advice. Once we know the word of God, and apply it daily in the power of the Holy Spirit, it will be available to us when we face temptation, too. Remember, temptation to sin is not sin. It only becomes sin when we yield to it. Jesus didn’t yield the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Each time He resisted the devil and quoted Scripture. The third time Jesus said, “Be gone.” After the victory, angels came and ministered to Jesus. We can only imagine the feast they brought to Him. (We aren’t told they brought any food, but if you were ministering to someone who hadn’t eaten for forty days, food would definitely be on the list of ministry supplies!)
After completing the temptation, and celebrating the victory, Jesus returned to Nazareth in Galilee and started His ministry. Jesus’ message was the same as that of John, who had been imprisoned by King Herod, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” Repent, means to turn around and walk the other direction, or to change one’s mind from the sinful, worldly perspective with which we’re born, and toward God. After the initial message, Jesus called the first four disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They were fishermen. Jesus gave them the opportunity to switch from fishing for fish, to fishing for the souls of people. What an amazing change of focus and purpose. In our lives, whatever our vocation may be, Jesus calls us to follow Him, and as we live in His Spirit’s power to call others to follow Him, so all might know the life that is truly life in Him.