`Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil' (Matt. 4:1).

The testing was threefold and the three temptations were parried each time with the words `It is written', the Spirit's

Sword, the Word of God. Let us notice here this fact for our own guidance. Although the Saviour had this baptism

of the Spirit in full measure, He did not, as He well might, argue with the Devil out of His own store of heavenly

wisdom; He did what His humblest follower can and should do, He relied entirely upon the efficacy of the Word of

God. The Devil was defeated by the threefold assertion `It is written'. His anointing by the Holy Ghost did not

change His physical nature, He was `an hungred', and when the battle was over, He did not walk away still unfed

and still independent, for we read `Angels came and ministered unto Him' (Matt. 4:11). Man at the beginning was

tempted in a garden, and a part of every bait was something `good for food', and the insinuation of the serpent `Yea,

hath God said, Ye shall not eat of EVERY tree of the garden?' (Gen. 3:1-6). Israel wept in the wilderness and said:

`Who shall give us flesh to eat?' (Num. 11:4).

The three temptations of our Lord touch us all where we are most vulnerable,

(1) Basic survival needs. Bread.

`Man shall not live by bread alone'

(2) Spiritual pride, ostentatious `faith'.

`Thou shalt (trust but) not tempt the Lord thy God'.

(3) To attain the goal of one's life by one illicit act. To do `a great right', to be tempted to `do a little wrong'.

This has been called:

`The last infirmity of a noble mind'.

The short cut, the Crown without the Cross, for one act of disloyalty, attacks the sovereignty of God.

`Thou shalt worship the LORD thy God, and HIM ONLY shalt thou serve'.

Following the temptation, Matthew wrote:

`From that time Jesus began to preach ... ` (Matt. 4:17)

Luke occupies more space to speak of the ordination of the Son of God. Again we note with worshipping

wonder, He Who was Himself `The WORD', nevertheless `opened the book' and `found the place where it was

written', and the place was Isaiah 61. This citation is a practical evidence that the prophecy of Isaiah which we have

today, and which was read in that synagogue of Nazareth nearly two thousand years ago, is practically identical with

the original. The only departure from the normal in our Lord's procedure was that He read one verse, and one

sentence further, then `closed the book' and `sat down'. The rule guiding the selection of portions to be read in the

synagogue was that a reading should comprise about twenty-five verses. The Lord's attitude therefore was startling.

The words with which He concluded His reading, were `To preach the acceptable year of the Lord', but the

prophecy before Him continued `And the day of VENGEANCE of our God' (Isa. 61:2). Had He continued His reading

therefrom, He could not have said, as He did:

`This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears' (Luke 4:21).

Many in their ignorance have taught that those who practise `Right Division' cut up the Bible, and include or

omit portions as it suits their prejudices. If we turn to Luke 21:22 we shall read:

`These be the days of vengeance, that ALL THINGS which are written may be fulfilled'.

Our Saviour shows that `right division' denies no Scripture its place, it only observes that the time for `fulfilling'

one part of a verse may be separated from the succeeding sentence by nearly 2000 years, yet both will be fulfilled

without reserve or alteration. Here (Luke 4:18), the Saviour claimed that His anointing was of the Spirit of the Lord,

and that this anointing gave Him authority and commission to `preach'.

Attestation, Testing, Ordination, are all in due order and each by the accompanying enduement of the Spirit.