Capernaum (pronounced “kuh PUHR nay uhm”) in Galilee was the headquarters of Jesus’ ministry and the home of his disciple, Simon Peter. In that time, it was a bustling city of about 6,000 people (both Jews and Gentiles) and was situated on a major trade route that connected Damascus and Alexandria. Located beside the Sea…

Did you notice that only Satan worked miracles during the temptation of Christ? The devil first appeared out of nowhere (Matthew 4:3). Then he miraculously transported Jesus to the highest point of the Jerusalem temple (4:5). Lastly, he transported Jesus to a high mountain and gave him a supernatural vision of “all the kingdoms of…

In relating the events of Jesus’ temptation, Matthew presents Satan (“the devil”) without any introduction or explanation except to say he is a “tempter.” The assumption appears to be that Matthew’s Jewish readers a) already knew who Satan was, and b) accepted that Satan was a literal, living being. Satan’s name in Hebrew (śᾱtᾱn) and…

According to Matthew, Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world as his third and final temptation. Luke 4:5-12, however, appears to indicate that the kingdoms were Satan’s second temptation. Which author got it right? Well, most scholars answer that question this way: Both are right. The consensus of academic thought is that Matthew was…

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