In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Mark and Molly Parsons discuss Matthew 4 and Luke 4–5.

This podcast episode covers the following:

Matthew 4:1–25 

• Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness
• Jesus Begins to Preach
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• Jesus Heals the Sick

Luke 4:1–5:39

• Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness
• Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
• Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
• Jesus Heals Many
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
• Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
• Jesus Calls Levi and Eats with Sinners
• Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• Is Jesus primarily our substitute or our example in the wilderness?
• What was the devil attempting to get Jesus to do with the temptations?
• Why were the Pharisees so worked up about Jesus?
• What did Jesus show and tell about himself when he healed the paralytic?
• What did Jesus want the Pharisees to see about themselves, their view of sinners, and his interactions with them? 

To learn more about why it's important to emphasize Christ as our substitute vs. Christ as our example, check out the blog post Example vs. Substitute. 

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Was Jesus primarily our substitute or our example in the wilderness? 

In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we see how the devil uses targeted temptations to test Jesus, yet Jesus doesn't falter. He rebukes the devil with the Bible in response to his tricks, continuing in his perfect life.

If we only receive encouragement from Jesus in the wilderness to follow his example, we're missing an important piece of the story. When Jesus was tempted, he remained perfect when we would've sinned. His perfect life, whether in Nazareth, the temple, or the wilderness, fulfills all righteousness for us. If he had fallen into temptation, we would have no hope. But because Jesus was perfect, those who place their trust not in their efforts but in the perfect work of Jesus are perfect now in Heavenly Father's sight. 

Like Jesus, you can use the Bible to resist the devil's temptations. However, even more importantly, remember that Jesus stood firm in the wilderness as your substitute.