Smoodock's Blog

Before leaving the study of chapter one of the Gospel of John, I need to consider the idea of Jesus’ temptation in the Synoptic narratives. The Gospel of John mentions nothing about a temptation, and certainly doesn’t allow for such an event taking place in the wilderness for forty days prior to Jesus returning to Galilee. For example, if a temptation literally took place for forty days in the wilderness, and was begun immediately after Jesus’ baptism (cp. Mark 1:12), why would the fourth Gospel narrative place Jesus in Galilee only three days after John baptized him (John 1:35-39)? If the scriptures cannot be made to contradict (John 10:35), then we need to resolve the apparent contradiction between the Synoptics and John.

The very first thing we need to understand, if we are to resolve the apparent contradiction between the Synoptics and John’s Gospel, is that John the Baptizer was a voice crying out in the wilderness (John 1:23), and he was baptizing opposite Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan in Bethabara (John 1:28), which is in Perea. This is the same place where ancient Israel under Joshua crossed over into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:14-17; cp. 7:24-25; 2Kings 2:8, 14). If John baptized Jesus in the wilderness, into what wilderness did the Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1)? In other words, if Jesus was already in the wilderness, when he was baptized, into what other wilderness was Jesus led, and why would it be necessary to go from one wilderness into another?

According to Mark, Jesus was tempted forty days by Satan (the enemy; national Judaism)[2] and was with the wild beasts (Mark 1:12-13). According to Acts 28:3-5, a viper, called a beast (same word used by Mark) had bitten Paul, but he shook it off into the fire. We know that both John the Baptizer and Jesus referred to the Pharisees, Sadducees and the scribes (rabbis) as vipers (Matthew 3:7; 12:24, 34; 23:2, 33). If this is true, then perhaps the wilderness into which Jesus was led, is a metaphor for being among people who were spiritually dry and thirsty. In other words, the wilderness into which the Spirit led Jesus was a spiritual wilderness, among the scribes and Pharisees and the Sadducees and into a wilderness of people (Ezekiel 20:35). According to the prophet, Egypt was a wilderness (Ezekiel 20:36), as was Babylon (Ezekiel 19:9, 13). Yet, physically, both nations were well watered and had plenty of food. They were wildernesses in a spiritual sense, as were the Jews during Jesus’ ministry.

Both Matthew and Mark begin Jesus’ public ministry sometime after his temptation but immediately after the imprisonment of John the Baptizer (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14). Nevertheless, both Luke and the Gospel of John begin Jesus’ public ministry prior to John the Baptizer’s imprisonment (Luke 7:18; John 3:24; 4:1, 43), which occurred sometime after Jesus’ first Passover but during his public ministry (John 2:13; cp. 3:24). In Luke’s account, from Jesus’ offering himself as the Messiah in his hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:21) to the beginning of his seventh chapter seem to indicate a time beginning with the Feast of Trumpets in the seventh month to the end of Tabernacles, cir. the 23^rd of the month. It was during this time that he debated with the scribes and Pharisees and chose his twelve apostles.

Arguably, this incorporated at least part of his forty-day temptation, for according to the temptations found in Matthew and Luke (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), Jesus was tempted to change stones into bread (Matthew 4:3; Luke 4:3), leap from a high precipice (Matthew 4:5-6; Luke 4:9-11) and worship the enemy instead of God (Matthew 4:8-9; Luke 4:5-7). At the very beginning of his ministry Jesus contended over bread, saying it would be given to the gentiles, if the Jews didn’t repent (Luke 4:23-27). When Jesus said this the Jewish authorities and the people of Nazareth tried to cast him from a high precipice (Luke 4:29; cp. 4:9-11) in order to prove he wasn’t the Messiah (cp. John 12:34). As far as his third temptation is concerned, it could be interpreted that, in an effort to intimidate Jesus into complying with tradition, his enemies laid a trap for him, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath (Luke 6:6-10). When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath day (Luke 6:6-10), the scribes and Pharisees gathered themselves against him with the Herodians in an effort to destroy him (Luke 6:11; Mark 3:6; cf. Luke 4:5-8 and Psalm 2:1-2).

Thus, one could say, “(Jesus) the last Adam was constantly put to the test by (Satan) the first Adam (cp. 1Corinthians 15:45-48) in the persons of the Jewish authorities (the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees and the Herodians). The status quo (tradition) was the thing that would not change, and the wild beasts (Mark 1:12-13), who served it, were the chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees. The first Adam fell in paradise, and in doing so he created an inhospitable, hostile wilderness, if you will, for the last Adam. Moreover, it was in this wilderness, a wilderness of people, that a kind of courtroom drama took place, where Jesus pleaded his case with his people, who were spiritually dry, destitute of the truth (Ezekiel 20:35-39). A literal, physical wilderness simply doesn’t fit the context of John. Therefore, Jesus was led by the Spirit into a spiritual wilderness where God simply was not known, and out of that place he would draw out a people for himself.

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[1] I am assuming the reason for Jesus’ delay in leaving Bethabara is that the day following his baptism was a Sabbath. If not, why did he stay another day. Mark 1:12 seems to indicate the Spirit compelled Jesus to act as soon as possible, therefore, there must be a reason for his delay, and a Sabbath day would offer a good answer to the problem.

[2] See my previous study: The Word Dwelt Among Us