Welcome to Things Unseen, and if you've been listening this week you'll know we've been

talking about the temptations of Jesus, and one of the things we've seen is that the

evangelist purpose in describing them is not to set Jesus before us simply as an example.

In fact they're telling us that Jesus, in a sense, is returning to the scene of Adam's

failure, but now he's not in a garden surrounded by animals who

meekly accept the names he gives them because he's their king. No, he's in the wilderness,

and Mark tells us he's with wild animals. He's in a fallen world, and he's been led there by the

divine strategist, the Holy Spirit. He's entered enemy-occupied territory, and he's going to win

back dominion. And Jesus is confronted with three temptations that described in detail

by both Matthew and Luke. But I'm sure as you've read them you probably noticed that the

order is different in these two gospels. There's a reason for that, and I think we'll come to it,

but we don't need to come to it today, because both Matthew and Luke tell us that the first

temptation was, if you're the Son of God, command the stones you see here to become bread.

Now there's no doubt that was the first temptation, and you don't need to be a rocket scientist,

or a technical theologian for that matter to work it out. Jesus has been fasting. He's no doubt

weak, he's hungry. So set in system, so Jesus, if you're the Son of God, do a miracle and feed

yourself. Now those words, if you're the Son of God, could mean one of two things, couldn't they?

They could mean, if it's really true your God's Son, then you would be able to do this.

I'll challenge you. I'll bet you can't. Or it could mean, since it's true that you're God's Son,

well, you shouldn't be starving. Your father wouldn't want that, would he?

So Jesus, what harm would there be in turning these stones into bread?

Well, Jesus knew he was God's Son, and Satan obviously knew it too. So I'm personally inclined

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