The Temptation of Jesus
After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit led Him out into the wilderness where the devil would test Him. Jesus stayed there for forty days and forty nights without eating anything, and by the end He was terribly hungry. The devil came to Him and said, "If You really are the Son of God, then command these stones to turn into bread." But Jesus answered him, "The Scriptures say that people need more than just food to live—they need every word that God speaks." Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the holy city, and brought Him to the highest point of the temple. Standing there, the devil said, "If You are the Son of God, jump down from here. After all, the Scriptures promise that God will send His angels to catch You and keep You from even stubbing Your toe on a stone." Jesus replied, "But the Scriptures also say not to test the Lord your God by doing foolish things." Next, the devil took Jesus up to a very tall mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world spread out below them, with all their wealth and splendor. The devil said, "I will give You all of this—every kingdom and all their riches—if You will just bow down and worship me." Jesus commanded him sharply, "Get away from Me, Satan! The Scriptures are clear: worship the Lord your God alone, and serve only Him." When Jesus said this, the devil finally left Him. Then angels came and took care of Jesus, bringing Him what He needed.
Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee
When Jesus learned that John had been put in prison, he left for Galilee. He moved away from Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, a town by the lake in the territory that had once belonged to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. This happened so that the words spoken long ago by the prophet Isaiah would come true. Isaiah had written: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the road by the sea, the region beyond the Jordan River, Galilee where the non-Jewish people live—the people who were living in darkness have seen a great light. For those who were living in the land where death's shadow falls, a light has risen and begun to shine." From that moment, Jesus started preaching his message: "Turn away from your sins and change your hearts, because the kingdom of heaven has come near."
The Call of the First Disciples
As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he noticed two brothers working in the water. Simon, who was also called Peter, and his brother Andrew were throwing their fishing net into the lake, since fishing was how they made their living. Jesus called out to them, "Come and follow me, and I will teach you to catch people instead of fish." Without hesitation, they dropped their nets right where they were and went with him. Jesus continued walking and soon saw two more brothers. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were sitting in their boat with their father, repairing their fishing nets. Jesus called to them as well. Immediately, they left their boat and their father behind and followed Jesus.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
Jesus traveled all around the region of Galilee, teaching in the Jewish meeting places, announcing the good news about God's kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and illness that afflicted the people. Word about him spread throughout all of Syria, and people brought him everyone who was sick with different diseases, those who were suffering terrible pain, people controlled by evil spirits, those who had seizures, and people who couldn't move their bodies—and he healed them all. Huge crowds began following him wherever he went. They came from Galilee, from the ten cities known as the Decapolis, from Jerusalem, from all of Judea, and from the lands across the Jordan River.