Servant and Son

• Israel's Testing

  “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers.

  And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

  So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:1–3 NKJV)

  In his fulfilment of the role as the New Covenant Mediator and the New Israel Christ 'repeated' the wilderness testing of the people of God.

• Preparations for the Test

  • Baptised by John

    Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:4–6 NKJV)

    ¶ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. (Matthew 3:13 NKJV)

  • Publicly Acknowledged by John

    When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. (Matthew 3:16 NKJV)

    I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” (John 1:31 NKJV)

    I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. ’And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:33–34 NKJV)

    • The high point of John's ministry...

    • His 'anointing' was not a temporary event but a permanent state

  • Publicly Acknowledged by God

    • The Twisted Threads of Servant and Son

      • The Servant of Jehovah

        God's referred to several men as 'My Servant'

        Abraham, Moses, Caleb, David, Job, Isaiah,

        and especially the Nation of Israel

        “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, “You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: (Isaiah 41:8–9 NKJV)

        “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1 NKJV)

        “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. (Isaiah 43:10 NKJV)

        “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: “Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. (Isaiah 44:1–2 NKJV)

        “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! (Isaiah 44:21 NKJV)

        “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’ (Isaiah 49:3 NKJV)

        Indeed He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” (Isaiah 49:6 NKJV)

        Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; (Isaiah 52:13–14 NKJV)

        Some of these seem to point clearly and exclusively to the nation state of Israel. God's covenant people, but others seem to have an individual in view.

      • The Suffering Servant of Jehovah

        ¶ Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not. ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ¶ He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. ¶ Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:1–12 ASV)

        This amazing passage has a single person in view. Some one person has taken on the role of the Servant of Jehovah.

      • The Beloved Son

        The declaration from heaven as to the identity of the person who has emerged from the water and for whom heaven has been opened. Is a direct quotation from one of these Servant passages...

        And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NKJV)

        “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1 NKJV)

        ...but with a significant alteration. The voice identifies the Servant of Jehovah with the beloved Son of God

        ¶ Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision. Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure: Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:1–12 ASV)

        The Suffering Servant of Jehovah and the enthroned Son of Jehovah are one and the same person.

        Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn.So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ” (Exodus 4:22–23 NKJV)

    • The Twisted Threads

      ¶ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ” (Mark 1:1–3 NKJV)

      “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. (Matthew 12:18 NKJV)

  • Driven into the Wilderness

    ¶ It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”¶ Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. (Mark 1:9–13 NKJV)

The Testing of the Man

Jesus was tested as a Man

He served God on earth as a Man

He yielded up his perfect life as a Man

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:17–18 NKJV)

¶ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14–15 NKJV)

• What was the nature of Christ's temptations as recorded in the 40 days?

  It was external. he had no old man, no indwelling sin, no bias towards evil. If the old-man/indwelling sin/bias towards evil was not present in Christ what are the implications for us. If he became like us, do we become like him? Is temptation for those 'in Christ' external or internal?

Observe. This is the temptation of a 'man' who was the Word who became Flesh.

He had no old man. No Adamic genealogy in his spirit.

He was living his life, not under a Mosaic law but under the moment by moment inspiration of the Spirit.

and yet... he was tempted! What was the source and channel of this temptation?

• but was in all points tempted as we are

  • A. Temptation to use divine power for personal advantage

    • And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (Matthew 4:2–3 NKJV)

      • legitimate hungers for

        food, significance, reproduction, progress, purpose, survival

        Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 NKJV)

      • misunderstood 'faith' - believing prayer

        refusal to behave in an autonomous manner

        ¶ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20 NKJV)

        And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22 NKJV)

        • non-Christian perspectives - percolated into popular Christianity

          • visualisation - be precise

          • faith - focussed

          • confession - speak the word of faith

      faith comes by hearing

      the miracle of faith does not begin with a human initiative.

      dangers of extreme positions on the subject of faith

      But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:16–17 NKJV)

      And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:14–16 NKJV)

      this is the Bible pattern for the exercise of saving faith

      And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the standard: and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:8–9 ASV)

      This miracle only succeeded because God spoke, not because someone had a desire. God spoke, the dying obeyed in faith, the dying lived.

      God speaks, man obeys, God works. faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

  • B. Temptation to seek personal glory

    • ¶ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” (Matthew 4:5–6 NKJV)

  • C. Temptation to cross-less expediency

    • ¶ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8–9 NKJV)

• The Implications

  ¶ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16 NKJV)

  ¶ As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” (Hebrews 5:6–10 NKJV)