What does it mean when an angel shows up? S31e27 Matt4:10

How hard was the temptation in the desert for Jesus? How do we know the "difficulty level" of those temptations?

Well, angels show up.  That's how we know.  

They show us to minister to Jesus's needs.  Wait, why does Jesus have NEEDS? He has emptied some of His God-privileges all the way down to humanity.  He has turned Himself into a worthy replacement for us. That is, Jesus is on His way to the cross.  

If you know all you wish to know about Jesus, don't subscribe. For the rest: 

https://youtu.be/YJAf_r4EGe0

Transcript

What does it mean when an angel shows up? S31e26 Matt4:10

This section of my Bible is titled the Temptation of Christ. 

How much was Jesus really tempted? How hard was this season for Jesus? How do we know that these temptations are hard for Jesus.  The answer comes in the form of Angels! Pick up the story

4: 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 

       “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God 

and him only shall you serve.’ ” 

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. 

1.turn stones into bread Skip the humanity, the living a perfect life thru hardship and temptation part. In other words, make yourself unqualified for representing humanity. Without this bearing of physical discomfort, without this enduring of temptation, Jesus would not endure the Cross. No hunger=no cross.and take Himself out of the running for Substitutionary, atoning, representing Savior.  No hunger, no humanity, no cross no savior.

#2. #2 Throw yourself down. Murderous, 15 stories tall. Spiritually Presumptuous. A real relationship with the Father, doesn’t lead to playing fast and loose with the rules of God.  A right relationship with The Father should lead to an INCREASED attention to, and increased affection for the waysand laws of God.

#3 perform fall-down category worship of me.  Satan wants Jesus to worship HIM. Ridiculous and backward. Not just regular worshioop, fall-down worship. Turbo worship.  Remember my friend who “took a fall” :The Unexpected, unplanned, unpretty, upending, overturning kind of worship

We have to talk about angels because after these real temptations in this battle of the titans something happens. 

Satan is commanded to be gone, and did so

Satan is rebuked to not seek the worship of himself, but to redirect the object of his and our worship on the Lord your God. This is from Deut 6:13-14 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods

How do we know this was difficult for Jesus? Because Angels came and were ministering to Him.

Jesus either took on flesh and had hunger and weakness after 40 days or He did not. Did Jesus really enter into humanity with us, and soon to be after this story FOR US?

I think the provision of the angels, the TA DA the behold of the angels, and then the specific role of the angels was to MINISTER to him. The word in Greek is the same root where we get our word for deacon: it means to serve, to care for one’s needs.

Wait a minute, Jesus had needs?  It is an important question

We are back to the temptation #1: Are you going to take on flesh, and participate in the human frame for a while? Are you going to get the flu? Be hungry? Need 7 hours of sleep? If so, you are the representative Savior for all of us.  If not, then you cannot save us.

The Fact that the angels came to minister means Jesus had needs. The fact Jesus had needs means He really did take on flesh Phil 2: Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the formof a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross

He didn’t count equality, He was born in the likeness of men

He humbled himself by being found in human form

He became obedient to the point of death on a cross.

The presence of our Angel friends points to the eventual cross

No need from Jesus, means He wasn’t taking the likeness of men with all our appetites, and hungers, and needs.

No humanity, no representing humanity

No representation, no perfect bearing of all the tempations of humanity.

No angels ministering to the needs of Jesus = no cross.

I’m glad Jesus was in good enough shape to trounce our junior villain Satan in this battle of wits and spirit and YES, BODY

I’m glad Jesus was in bad enough shape afterwards to enjoy the ministrations of the angels.

The fact that angels came means that Jesus really had emptied Himself of some of the privileges of Lordship, That He really was found in human formand that He was on the path of human humility that would eventually lead to death on a cross. The parallel passage in Luke 4 concludes “when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him UNTIL AN OPPORTUNE TIME. There is, for Jesus another hour of darkness and temptation coming when angel comes: Garden of Gethsemene. Luke 22:“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.

I know we’re in Ch4 of Mt, but that angels show up tells me Jesus was really hurting, and really tempted. In other words, He was on the road to calvary. What does it mean when an angel shows up? that Jesus is both for us and with us. He’s going to the cross.