Matthew 4:10

10          Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

You Have Heard It Said…

You may remember this from Exodus 20:3:

3             “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Jesus is in the middle of the wilderness right now, going through a period of fasting and temptations for 40 days. Satan is offering Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He will bow down and worship him, but Jesus stands strong. Jesus reminds Satan that God is the only one that is to be worshipped and served. In a time when we would do just about anything for food after 40 days of fasting, Jesus holds tight to the teachings of God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How would you react? Would you cave to Satan to get some food, or would you stand strong to God’s teaching?

Jesus’s Dedication to God.

Jesus was ready to reject any temptations from Satan and refuses to engage with his deception. Jesus is committed to the reason he was sent to earth and to any resistance to sin. Jesus spoke to Satan directly, showing his power and authority and foreshadowing the ultimate defeat of Satan through His death and resurrection. To defeat temptation, Jesus is using Scripture as His defense. The deep knowledge of Scripture that Jesus has shows how much He relied on it for His actions and decisions.

Now what Jesus was quoting was not the original commandment but was quoted from Deuteronomy 6:13. This verse was part of the Shema, which was a major declaration of faith in Judaism. It focused on the exclusive worship and reverence due to God alone. It rejected any form of idolatry or any allegiance to other powers. In Jesus’ context, it’s about prioritizing God above power, wealth, and earthly kingdoms. It’s about focusing on our relationship with God.

True worship of Yahweh is not just about reverence, but also obedience and service. It’s a call for us to examine our lives to see what we’re being loyal too and what may be pulling us away from God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How does Jesus’ perspective change how we understand the original first commandment?

Importance of Keep God Close

Do you ever wonder why all through Sunday School and Youth Group that you were taught to memorize scripture? This is part of the reason. It’s a way to remind yourself that God always resides with you, even in moments of temptation.  We look to teach you verses to help during times of anxiety, depression, temptation and more. When we start to understand the scriptures tend to teach in these moments, we can start to learn the actions around it and how to best live out those scriptures.

As I mentioned earlier, Jesus could have easily caved to Satan. Jesus could have said: “I’ll worship you. Where’s the food?” Imagine if you had not eaten in 40 days. Someone approaches you and offers you some food, but to receive it – you must renounce your relationship with God and follow Satan. You’d probably do it. I know there’s a lot I would do for food if I didn’t eat in 4 hours, let alone 40 days. However, Jesus didn’t cave. Jesus didn’t let the desires of hunger overcome his soul. Jesus didn’t let the temptation to cave into Satan’s desires overcome Him. Jesus stayed strong in his relationship with God and kept true to God’s teachings.

Now would we ever be in the same situation as Jesus was? Probably not. However, we are constantly being pulled into many different directions in our world today. Everything and everyone is vying for our attention for one reason or another. They will say and do things in a way to entice us into their circle. These things could be true, partially true, or not true at all, but we often wouldn’t know until we get so far into it that we are unable to get out of it easily. It could be the latest social media app or trend inviting us into making friendships with others. It could be the latest dating app that tells us how lonely we are, and they can solve it through three easy payments of $49.95. It could be different politicians telling us that they can fix the world through these things and that their political opposition is the devil and shouldn’t be listened to.

Overall, there are so many things that are pulling our attention that it generates anxiety and depression. It can pull us away from everything, including God. These moments are great reminders that we have a heavenly father wanting to see the best for us and is begging us to call on Him in these moments. To trust that His teachings and His desires are best for us and that anything that tends to get in the way of these commands and teachings are nothing that God cannot overcome. We have the power of the Holy Spirit residing inside of us that allows us to go forward, unchained to our sins and struggles, and focused on our heavenly Creator.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you stay focused on God when everything around you is trying to pull you away?

Next part: The Illusion of Materialism || You Have Heard It Said || Part 2