What Jesus Did

[While Jesus was fasting in the wilderness,] the devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread."

But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone.'"

—Luke 4:3-4 NLT

Key Thought​

"If you are the Son ..." God had affirmed his relationship with his Son at his baptism — "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." [1] Jesus had no reason to doubt his relationship with his Father...

 

[Following his baptism,] Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

—Luke 4:1-2 NLT

Key Thought​

"The devil is in the details." While that old saying is true, it is even "more true" that the devil tries to compromise anyone led by the Spirit — especially early in a person's commitment. If the evil one can...

 

[This post was redacted due to privacy concerns]

 

Jesus was about ### years old when he began his public ministry.

—Luke 3:23 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus begins his public ministry. He has accepted baptism, been anointed with the Spirit, and received affirmation from God. [1] Now he begins the public side of his life. If he were ###'s son from ### and just a ###, [2] there would have been little reason to describe any part of his life as public. From a non-descript little town, no one of importance would have known Jesus or cared...

 

One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy."

—Luke 3:21-22 NLT

Key Thought​

Luke used only a few words and yet conveys such deep meaning. Jesus came to John as part of the genuine movement of God among common people, and like many of them, Jesus chose to be...

 

John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.

—Luke 3:19-20 NLT

Key Thought​

I've heard it said that our true character is revealed in what we do and who we are when no one is looking. For most of us, that statement is probably true. However, there is another test of truth and truth-telling. Will we tell the...

 

John used many such warnings [like Jesus will separate the chaff from the wheat] as he announced the Good News to the people.

—Luke 3:18 NLT

Key Thought​

The warning in the previous verse [1] and "the Good News" in this verse don't seem to go together, do they? Hmm, how do they fit together? When everlasting life or eternal destruction are the only options, [2] to reject the Good News about Jesus is to choose destruction. Each of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and...

 

Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether ### might be the Messiah. ### answered their questions by saying, "I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am — so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing...

 

[In response to ###'s accusation, the] crowds asked, "What should we do?"
### replied, "If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

He replied, "Collect no more taxes than the government requires."

"What should we do?" asked some soldiers.

### replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay."

—Luke...

 

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good...