Forty Days for Di Wilderness

Hot breeze dey blow over bare rock. No tree. No person. Only stones wey scatter everywhere, small and round, like loaf of bread. And one man wey never eat anything for forty days.

Jesus just finish baptism for di Jordan River. E don hear im Father voice from heaven: dis na my Son wey I love. You fit think say e go go straight meet di crowds. But Matthew say di Spirit lead am go up inside di wilderness. Di Judean desert na hard and empty place, full with dry hills and deep valleys, e dey hot like fire for afternoon and e dey cold for night. There Jesus fast for forty days and forty nights. And for di end, Matthew just talk say, e hungry. Na dat time di tempter come.

Di first temptation sound almost like kindness. If you be di Son of God, tell dese stones make dem turn to bread. Notice how e start. If. God just talk say, dis na my Son. Now di devil dey invite Jesus make e prove am, and make e take care of imself as e dey do am. Wetin wrong with small bread? But Jesus no go use im power serve imself, or step comot from im Father care. E answer with words from di book of Deuteronomy. E dey written: Man no go live by bread alone, but by every word wey dey come out from di mouth of God.

Then di devil carry am go di holy city, Jerusalem, and stand am for di highest part of di temple. Far down there, di yards and di crowds. Dis time di devil sef quote Scripture. If you be di Son of God, throw yourself down. Because e dey written: E go command im angels about you, and dem go carry you for dem hands, so dat your leg no go hit stone. Those words come from one psalm about how to trust God. But di devil twist am turn am to show. Make God catch you. Jesus answer, E still dey written: You no go test di Lord your God. To trust God no be di same thing as to force im hand.

For di last one, di devil carry am go one very high mountain and show am all di kingdoms of di world with all dem glory. Every throne, every palace, every treasure. All dese ones I go give you, e talk, if you go bow down and worship me. Na shortcut. Power without di cross. Crown without suffering. And Jesus refuse am straight. Comot from here, Satan! Because e dey written: Na di Lord your God you go worship, and na only am you go serve.

And di devil leave am. Three times dem tempt Jesus. Three times e answer, e dey written. E no use clever argument or do miracle to win. E hold di word of im Father, and e stand firm. Then, Matthew say, angels come and take care of am. Di hunger, di heat, di long lonely testing don finish. And Jesus, di Son wey God love, wey dey faithful to im Father, don ready to start im work.

All di three answers wey Jesus give come from di same part of di Bible: Deuteronomy chapter six to eight. Those chapters dey look back to di forty years wey Israel spend for di wilderness after dem comot from Egypt. Moses tell di people say God lead dem all dat way to humble dem and test dem, and to teach dem say man no dey live by bread alone. For di desert, Israel dey always complain and doubt. Now Jesus, for im own wilderness, for forty days, stand faithful for di same place where dem struggle.

Forty days for di wilderness. You go find am for Matthew chapter four, verse one to eleven. Temptation come meet Jesus when e tire, when e hungry and when e dey alone, and e face am with di word of God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When temptation come meet you dis week, which true words from God you fit hold?