Matthew 4
4
Jesus Is Tempted in the Desert
1Then the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, and there the devil tempted him. 2Jesus didn’t eat for 40 days and 40 nights, and he got very hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘People must not live only on bread, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. After all, it is written,
“ ‘The Lord will command his angels to take good care of you.
They will lift you up in their hands
so that you don’t trip over a stone.’ ”
7Jesus answered, “It is also written, ‘Don’t test the Lord your God.’ ”
8Then the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9“If you bow down and worship me,” he said, “I’ll give you all this.”
10Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”
11Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came and took care of him.
Jesus Begins to Preach
12John the Baptist was put in prison, and when Jesus heard about that, he went back to Galilee. 13Though he had grown up in Nazareth, he went to live in the city of Capernaum. That was by the lake, in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14In that way, the words of the prophet Isaiah came true. He had said,
15“Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Galilee, where Gentiles live!
Land along the Mediterranean Sea! Territory east of the Jordan River!
16The people living in darkness
have seen a great light.
A light has shined on
those living in a very dark land.”
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Turn away from your sins, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus Chooses His First Disciples
18One day Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers, Simon, who was later called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake, because they were fishermen. 19“Come and follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I’ll send you out to fish for people.” 20Right away they left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two more brothers. They were James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, working on the nets. Jesus called out to them too, 22and they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.
Jesus Heals Sick People
23Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every illness and sickness that the people had. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and they brought him everyone who was ill with any kind of sicknesses. Some were suffering great pain, while others were controlled by demons. Some were shaking wildly, and others couldn’t move at all. Jesus healed every one of them. 25Large crowds followed him from Galilee, from the area known as the Ten Cities, from Jerusalem and Judea, and from the area across the Jordan River.
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Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 4
4
TESTED BY THE EVIL TRICKSTER
1Creator Sets Free (Jesus) followed the guidance of the Spirit, who took him into the desert wilderness to be tested by Accuser (Satan), the evil trickster snake.
In the story of creation, the first man and woman lived in a Garden of Beauty and Harmony. A sly and crafty snake came to them and twisted the words of the Great Spirit to deceive them. They listened to the snake, lost the life of beauty and harmony, and fell under the curse of death. This snake, who opposes Creator’s good road, is the evil spirit who rules over all evil spirits.
2For forty days and nights Creator Sets Free (Jesus) ate nothing. His body became weak, and his hunger grew strong.
3 When the evil snake saw that Creator Sets Free (Jesus)was weak and hungry, he came to him and whispered in his ear.
“Are you the Son of the Great Spirit?” he hissed. “Prove it by turning these stones into frybread.”
4“The Sacred Teachings are clear,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said. “Human beings cannot live only on frybread, but on all the words that come from the mouth of the Great Spirit.”#4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3
5The evil trickster then took him to the Great Spirit’s sacred lodge in Village of Peace (Jerusalem). He set him at the very top, high above the village.
6“Prove you are the Son of the Great Spirit and jump down from here!” the evil snake taunted him. “Do not the Sacred Teachings also say, ‘His spirit-messengers will watch over you to keep you from harm. They will even keep your foot from hitting a stone’#4:6 Psalm 91:11-12?”
7“Yes,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said back to him, “but they also say, ‘Do not test the Great Spirit.’#4:7 Deuteronomy 6:16”
8Once more the evil trickster took him to a high mountain and showed him all the great nations of the world with their power and beauty.
9“All of these I will give you,” the snake said smoothly, “if you will highly honor me and walk in my ways!”
10“Get away from me, Accuser (Satan)!” he responded. “For it is written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘The Great Spirit is the only one to honor and serve.’#4:10 Deuteronomy 6:13”
11The evil trickster could think of nothing more to test him with, so he slithered away to wait for another time.
Then spirit-messengers came to give comfort and strength to Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
GIFT OF GOODWILL JAILED
12After that, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard that Gift of Goodwill (John) was put in jail, so he left that place to return to Circle of Nations (Galilee). 13He left his home in Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) and went to live in Village of Comfort (Capernaum) by the sea. This was in the territory of the tribes of Honored Dwelling (Zebulun) and He Will Wrestle (Naphtali).
14The ancient prophecy of Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) had finally found its full meaning. 15“In the territory of the tribes of Honored Dwelling (Zebulun) and He Will Wrestle (Naphtali), toward the great waters to Circle of Nations (Galilee) where many Nations dwell— 16the ones who sit in darkness, where death casts a great shadow, have seen the light of a new sunrise.”#4:16 Isaiah 9:1-2
THE GOOD ROAD IS CLOSE
17From that time forward Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to speak out, “Creator’s good road from above is close. It is time to change your thinking and begin your great journey.”
HIS FIRST FOLLOWERS
18Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was walking by the shoreline of Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee) when he saw two fishermen throwing out their nets. They were One Who Hears (Simon), also named Stands on the Rock (Peter), and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew).
19He said to them, “Come, walk the road with me, and I will show you how to fish in a new way—for two-leggeds.”
20They dropped their nets right then and became his followers.
21As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was leaving, he saw two other brothers, He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John), the sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee). They were sitting with their father in a canoe getting their nets ready for fishing. 22Creator Sets Free (Jesus) called out to them, and they dropped their nets, left their father, and also became his followers.
WALKING THE GOOD ROAD
23Creator Sets Free (Jesus) traveled throughout Circle of Nations (Galilee). He was teaching in their gathering houses and telling everyone the good story of Creator’s good road. He was healing the people of every kind of sickness and disease. 24His reputation as a healer spread as far as Bright Sun (Syria). Then they brought to him the ones tormented with evil spirits, along with people who suffered from seizures, and he healed them. He even healed the crippled and paralyzed among them.
25Large crowds from all directions began to seek after him—too many to number! They came from Circle of Nations (Galilee) and Ten Villages (Decapolis), and from Village of Peace (Jerusalem), and the Land of Promise (Judea), and from beyond the river Flowing Down (Jordan).
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