Matthew 4: God's Not Your Puppet

After coming out of Egypt and passing through the waters, Jesus is taken into the wilderness to be tested just like Israel before him. As Israel's representative, the question that hangs on the scene is: "Will he fail the test the way every other human before him did, or will he pass the test as the true Israelite?" After fasting for forty days, Jesus enters into a battle of sorts with the slanderer. However, Jesus does not use force to combat the slanderer but the word of God. By being obedient to God's word, Jesus emerges victorious and begins his ministry proclaiming the same thing John was saying "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here!"