Topical Bible: Forty: Days by Jesus

◄ Forty: Days by Jesus ►

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The number forty holds significant symbolic meaning throughout the Bible, often representing periods of testing, trial, and preparation. One of the most notable instances of this is the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, a pivotal event in the New Testament that underscores His divine mission and authority.

Biblical Account

The account of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. According to these passages, immediately following His baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. This period of solitude and fasting was a time of intense spiritual preparation before He began His public ministry.

Purpose and Significance

The forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness served multiple purposes:

1. Testing and Temptation: During this time, Jesus faced direct temptation from Satan. The devil presented Him with three temptations, each designed to undermine His mission and identity as the Son of God. Jesus' responses, rooted in Scripture, demonstrated His unwavering obedience to the Father and His rejection of worldly power and glory. As recorded in Matthew 4:4, Jesus replied to Satan, "It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"

2. Preparation for Ministry: This period was also a time of preparation for Jesus' public ministry. By fasting and praying, Jesus fortified Himself spiritually, setting an example of reliance on God and the importance of spiritual discipline.

3. Fulfillment of Typology: The forty days in the wilderness echo the forty years the Israelites spent in the desert, as well as the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai. Jesus' triumph over temptation contrasts with Israel's failures, highlighting Him as the true and faithful Israelite who fulfills the Law and the Prophets.

Theological Implications

The event underscores several key theological themes:

· Victory Over Sin: Jesus' successful resistance to temptation affirms His sinlessness and His role as the second Adam, who overcomes where the first Adam failed. This victory is foundational for His redemptive work on the cross.

· Dependence on Scripture: Jesus' use of Scripture to counter Satan's temptations emphasizes the authority and sufficiency of God's Word. It serves as a model for believers in spiritual warfare.

· Divine Sonship: The temptations also test Jesus' identity as the Son of God. His refusal to misuse His divine power affirms His commitment to His messianic mission and His submission to the Father's will.

Conclusion

The forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness are a profound testament to His divine mission and His role as the Savior. This period of testing and preparation not only affirms His identity and authority but also provides a powerful example of faithfulness and reliance on God for all believers.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 4:2
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Forty Days
... The preparation of the disciples for their future work and condition was a chief
purpose of the forty days. Jesus spoke 'of the things pertaining to the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/the forty days.htm

First Sunday in Lent. Then was Jesus Led up of the Spirit into the ...
... First Sunday in Lent. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to
be tempted of the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights. ...
/.../winkworth/lyra germanica the christian year/first sunday in lent then.htm

Of the Temptation of Jesus.
... his narrative in these terms: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness,
to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty ...
/.../augustine/the harmony of the gospels/chapter xvi of the temptation of.htm

Jesus Comes to Capernaum. Statements of the Four Evangelists
... Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will
raise it up. The Jews therefore answered, Forty-six years was this temple in ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/1 jesus comes to capernaum.htm

Ninth and Tenth Appearances of Jesus.
... by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the
things concerning the kingdom of God [this shows us that Jesus spoke many ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxliii ninth and tenth appearances.htm

But Since the Fourth Passover of the Persecution Has Arrived...
... days should be enjoined upon them, to keep them in remembrance of these things;
those forty days during which, though our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had ...
/.../peter/the writings of peter of alexandria/canon i but since the.htm

How St Francis Passed the Time of Lent in an Island, on the Lake ...
... Jesus Christ, as we have already explained in the calling of his twelve companions,
as also in the mystery of the holy stigmata, and in a fast of forty days ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter vii how st francis.htm

The Temptation
... And the remorseless urgency of Satan may be measured by what St. Matthew tells us,
that only after the forty days Jesus became aware of the pains of hunger. ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 1 12 13 the temptation.htm

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness.
... But as a forty days' fast has been safely accomplished in modern times, and as it
was Jesus who fasted, we see no reason why we should not take Luke's ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xix jesus tempted in the.htm

Eastern Wise-Men, or Magi, visit Jesus, the New-Born King.
... came to Jerusalem after Jesus had been presented in the temple, and taken back to
Bethlehem, and, therefore, when the infant Jesus was more than forty days old ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xiii eastern wise-men or magi.htm