Temptation of Jesus and the Beginning of His Ministry

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1. Observe

   What happened immediately after Jesus resisted the third temptation and commanded Satan to leave?

   • Jesus returned to the Jordan River and was baptized again
   • The Spirit carried Jesus back to Nazareth and John the Baptist was waiting for him
   • The devil left him, and angels came and served Jesus
   • A great crowd gathered at the foot of the mountain

2. Observe

   When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John, what were each pair doing at the moment he called them?

   • Peter and Andrew were mending nets; James and John were casting a net into the sea
   • Peter and Andrew were casting a net into the sea; James and John were in a boat mending their nets with their father
   • Peter and Andrew were selling fish at the market; James and John were at a tax booth
   • All four were repairing boats on the shore of the Sea of Galilee

3. Interpret

   Why is it significant that Jesus answered every one of Satan's temptations by quoting Scripture rather than by exercising divine power directly?

   • Because Jesus had temporarily set aside his divine power during his earthly ministry and had no other option
   • Because the devil cannot be harmed by divine power but can be defeated by words
   • Because Jesus was demonstrating that he succeeded where Adam and Israel failed — as a truly human Messiah he trusted the Father's word and showed that the same Scripture available to every believer is sufficient to resist temptation
   • Because citing Scripture was the legally required method for rebuking demonic beings in Jewish law

4. Interpret

   What does Jesus mean when he tells Peter and Andrew "I will make you fishers of men," and what does their immediate response reveal about discipleship?

   • That Jesus was offering them a better-paying profession using their existing skills in a new market
   • That Jesus would teach them persuasive rhetorical techniques to argue people into faith
   • That following Jesus means being transformed in purpose — existing skills and relationships become tools for the mission of bringing people into the Kingdom — and the disciples' immediate abandonment of their nets shows that discipleship demands a decisive, unconditional reorientation of life around Jesus
   • That the twelve apostles were specifically chosen because fishing experience was a metaphor God valued for leadership

5. Apply

   Satan's first temptation was to turn stones into bread — offering Jesus a way to meet a legitimate need outside of the Father's timing and provision. What "stones to bread" temptation are you most susceptible to — meeting a real need through a shortcut that bypasses trust in God?

   • The temptation to pray for needs instead of working hard to meet them yourself
   • The pull to satisfy genuine needs — for security, approval, or belonging — through means that bypass God's process, such as compromise, self-reliance, or manipulation, rather than waiting on his provision
   • The desire to perform miracles to prove God's existence to skeptics
   • The temptation to read Scripture as a formula for getting what you want from God

6. Apply

   Peter and Andrew "immediately left their nets" and James and John "immediately left the boat and their father" when Jesus called them. What does their speed of response reveal about what true discipleship requires?

   • That Christians should quit their jobs and pursue full-time ministry without delay
   • That obedience to Jesus sometimes means setting aside livelihoods, family expectations, and comfortable routines without waiting until conditions are more favorable — delayed obedience is often disobedience in slow motion
   • That the fishing profession was sinful and had to be abandoned immediately upon conversion
   • That those called to leadership must be unmarried and free from family obligations

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