What is the main point of this sermon/passage? I hope that is a question you learn to ask every time you listen to a sermon. As a reminder, the main point this past Sunday was that Jesus, God’s anointed King, was sent by God to conquer our enemy by obeying in our place. He then invites us into his kingdom if we will repent and believe in the good news.
Here is another question that I hope entered into your mind as you listened on Sunday:
Was Jesus Alone in the Wilderness?
I believe the answer to that question is yes and no. I emphasized the yes Sunday night to help us understand that Jesus’ tempting by Satan in the wilderness involved real suffering in a real battle with a real enemy. Jesus had no human friend with him to help him. He can identify with us in our temptations and our loneliness.
At the same time, Jesus was not alone. At this point Jesus still enjoyed perfect fellowship within the Trinity, and it was the Spirit who led him into the wilderness. But the text also tells us that the angels were ministering to him. The angels were with Jesus and were ministering to him throughout his time in the wilderness. This was another sign of God’s love and favor toward his Son. God the Father sent his angels to care for his beloved Son. Jesus remained sinless and had pleased the Father by obeying in our place.
This is a great encouragement to us. First, because Jesus did what we could not do. He obeyed where we sin, he succeeded where we fail, he conquered our greatest enemy, Satan. But the fact that the angels ministered to Jesus should also encourage us because the angels also minister to us today. The writer of Hebrews, speaking of angels, writes in Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Beloved, God is with you today. He gave his own Son to live, die, and rise again in your place. And he has created supernatural beings to minister to you as you strive to glorify God in all you do while you look forward to Jesus coming again.