Luke 4: The temptation of Jesus.

 Luke 4: The temptation of Jesus.

In Greek, πειράζω is translated to temptation and test. Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tested by the devil as Adam and Eve was tested in the Garden.
The test is about: "Do you trust more in your thoughts or in the word of the Lord"? , "what is more important? Your will or the will of the Lord"?
Jesus is tested after his baptism.
Perhaps the baptism was a declaration: "I am subjected to the will of the Lord". The test was to demonstrate if this declaration was real.
We read:

9-11 For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”
12 “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”
13 That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.

The Devil used the book of Psalms to test Jesus. He begins: "If you are God’s Son,...". No one in Tanak was called "the son of God" besides the people of Israel. If Jesus is God's son, he is righteous and Psalm 91 applies to him. Is it true? The Devil reads Psalms as a lawyer reads the law. The Devil tries to make Jesus read Psalm 91 not as blessing to the righteous but a test to the Lord.
The Devil is always seeking to transform the beautiful word of the Lord into something ugly.
The temptation is about: "how much do I trust that the Lord is good?".

Luke 3: baptism of tax collectors, pharisees and Jesus

The baptism of John was about purification to be prepared to the coming kingdom of the Lord. John saw purification and repentance going together. We read:

12 Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He told them, “No more extortion—collect only what is required by law.”

The tax collectors were despised by the Jewish community because they were viewed as traitors: Jews who rob their own people in favor of the gentile Romans. It is very interesting that John baptized tax collectors. He saw that even though they were sinners, there was hope and purification for them.

In Matthew3 we read:
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance; 9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham. 10 And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.

In Luke 3 we read:
7 So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore produce fruits that are consistent with repentance, and do not start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham. 9 But indeed the axe is already being laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

In Matthew, John was angry with the Pharisees and Sadducess, but in Luke 3, John was angry with the crowds. Anyway, John was angry with people who didn't change behavior, didn't repent in fact.

It is very interesting that Jesus went to be baptized, but why? We read:

13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” 15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *allowed Him. 16 After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, 17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. I think that it means that Jesus had to fulfill everything necessary (in the law) to be right before the Lord, baptism included. Why? We understand that in the cross, Jesus took our sins in our place. We, by other hand, received the purity of Jesus.

 

Luke 2: baby Jesus in Jerusalem with Simeon

Baby Jesus is taken to Jerusalem after the circumcision and purification of Mary. There they met Simeon.


26-32 The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:
God, you can now release your servant;
    release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;
    it’s now out in the open for everyone to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,
    and of glory for your people Israel.
33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,
This child marks both the failure and
    the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted—
    the pain of a sword-thrust through you —
But the rejection will force honesty,
    as God reveals who they really are.

Simeon saw Jesus, the salvation from the Lord and  one that divides: he marks the failure and recovery of many in Israel. He said to Mary that Jesus would be like a sword-thrust through her. We (commentators) understand that it was a reference to the suffering of Mary when seeing her loved son on the cross. Although the Lord had prepared everything, we understand that the Lord, the Father, suffered when Jesus was on the cross.

Luke 1: knowledge of salvation

We read about the birth of John Baptist. Zachariah prays to the Lord when the boy was being circumcised:
(NASB)

76 And you, child, also will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
77 To give His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 To shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

John is going to prepare the way of the Lord.
Looking to the prophets of Old Testament, it is very clear that the Lord is coming to judge, to punish the wicked. In a way, it seems that the righteous will survive a great calamity.
Zachariah prays that his boy will help the people of the Lord to get the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins; so John is going to show light to those sit in darkness; aligning to what we read about Jesus.

Mark 16: What happened to the body of Jesus?

The gospel of Mark doesn't intend to explain all mysteries. For instance: Jesus healed a person but asked him not to tell anyone. Why? Mystery.
Some women went to the tomb to prepare the body of Jesus after crucifixion. As soon they entered the tomb (that was strangely opened), they saw a man (an angel?) sitting :

6-7 He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.”

This is basically how Mark ends. It let many questions opened:
. Did the disciples find Jesus in Galilee?
. If so, what happened?
. Why Mark finished his gospel in a so strange way? Who were his readers? The church? The church, mainly in the beginning of Christianity, had many eye witness of Jesus, but even so...
Anyway, what happened to the body of Jesus? Some men (Lee Strobel, Josh McDowel) converted to Christianity searching for this answer.

Mark 15: Jesus is crucified as king of the Jews

Jesus in the cross was mocked:

MSG: 31-32 The high priests, along with the religion scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others—but he can’t save himself! Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then!” Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.

NASB: 31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself! 32 Let this Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.

When reading the gospels, mainly Mark, Jesus told many times not to talk about his miracles. Did Jesus want people to believe that he was the Messiah? If so, why to hide his miracles? Some say that Jesus didn't want to be known as the Messiah because the people would want to set him as some kind of general against the Romans. Anyway, in his crucifixion, the high priests and others were mocking Jesus as if Jesus wanted them to believe in him. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus openly say that he was the Messiah next to his death. In a way, Jesus was killed because he revealed himself as the Messiah (when the high priest asked to Jesus if he was the Messiah). There were many others who claimed to be the Messiah but is it enough to trouble the high priest? Was the high priest asking himself if Jesus was the Messiah? Maybe.  The statement: "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!" suggests a thought coming from the high priest because it was very important that the high priest would welcome the Messiah.

Mark 14: “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

In Mark 14, Jesus is betrayed and captured. He is taken to be judged by the Jewish leaders. We read:

60 And then the high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not offer any answer for what these men are testifying against You?”
61 But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and *said to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus answered that He is the Messiah and the Son of God to the high priest. Besides, he also said that he is the one pointed by Daniel 7. He is the Son of Man.

In Daniel 7:

13
“I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a son of man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
14
And to Him was given dominion,
Honor, and a kingdom,
So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

The Son of Man is the One who will receive dominion, honor and a kingdom that will reign over all other nations.
Jesus is in front of the high priest next to his crucifixion.
The high priest understand that Jesus claims to the Son of God. If so, then Jesus is saying that the high priest will be judged by his sin. For the high priest, Jesus is blaspheming because he is against a great representative of the Lord on earth - the high priest.

Even next to his death, Jesus knew and made it clear: he is the Messiah, the son of God.