Matthew : Season 1 - Week 4
After passing the first temptation, Satan tries to get Jesus to “prove” He’s the Son of God by throwing himself off the heights of the temple, implying that God will *have* to have Him, since He’s God’s son. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6, where Moses references a story that happened in Exodus 17 when the Israelites were without water in the desert, and grumbled and quarreled and tested God, saying "Is God even with us." Apparently, when things don't go our way or if they aren't easy, we quickly begin to wonder if God is even with us. Jesus' response to Satan is instructive. And this part of Matthew's story reminds us that our sinful, broken world is - and will remain – a wilderness. And God’s protection doesn’t always look like immediate comfort. But God’s protection does always lead to eternal certainty.
