BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Jesus could really use a snack. Alone and hungry for 40 straight days, he is reenacting Israel’s 40-year wilderness wandering, which intensely tested their trust in God’s promised provision.

When Jesus’ physical suffering makes him most vulnerable, the satan arrives to put him to the test. No doubt he experiences burning temptation, but Jesus does not give in. He trusts that God can and will preserve his life even when death screams that God won’t.

When ancient Israel faced the same test during times of suffering, vulnerable people cyclically struggled through failure after failure. But Jesus holds fast to faith and endures the trial. Jesus’ victory through this experience begins the ultimate destruction of those cycles that have oppressed humanity from the start.

Later in the synagogue, Jesus relates his mission to an Isaiah prophecy from Isaiah 61, which is about the year of the Lord’s favor (Jubilee)—a time of good news for the poor, setting captives free, giving sight back to the blind, and restoring the oppressed. His words aren’t only good, they’re specific.

Not only is Jesus suggesting that he’s somehow the one Isaiah’s prophecy spoke of, he’s also saying that this is how God destroys evil and rules the world—not through violent war, but through generously blessing, healing, and restoring freedom to the oppressed and the poor. And as you’ll learn in today’s video, the “poor” in this case refers less to monetary wealth and more to social outsiders and anyone of low status.

Then Jesus lives out his teaching for real. He calls impoverished fishermen to be his disciples. He welcomes a socially ostracized tax collector as a friend. He heals the sick, restores sight to the blind, and forgives sins.

The good news of the Lord’s favor has arrived and is now moving through the land in a pair of sandals.

Reflection Questions

• What other tests have people faced in the Scriptures? Why do you suppose Jesus must face these wilderness tests? What does it reveal about him that he passes them?
• Consider the 12 men Jesus chose to be his disciples—representing the 12 tribes of Israel. What sort of conflict do you imagine took place between poor fishermen, a tax collector who worked for the Roman government, and a former rebel who fought against Roman occupation? How does the selection of these men demonstrate Jesus’ Kingdom values of forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity?