Matthew 4:12 says, Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;  John the Baptist had been cast into prison.  Once again, I believe that this should lead us to the understanding that following God's will does not always bring us happiness in terms of material things.  If anyone deserved to be blessed materially because of their relationship to God, then John the Baptist would have certainly qualified.  He was guilty only of calling people to repentance and preparing them for the coming of Christ.  As a result, he was thrown into prison.  This really counteracts the concept that God wants us to be happy so He will bless us materially.  We are to be happy, or content, simply because God has given us salvation through Christ.  As Jesus had just demonstrated through the temptations that Satan tempted Him with, nothing material really matters, but doing the will of God, no matter what, must be our priority.  Verse thirteen states, And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:  I believe that we can safely say that Jesus was once again being led by the Holy Spirit.  There may be times when we find ourselves in a dangerous situation that we will be led by the Holy Spirit to leave.  Still, like John the Baptist, we may end up imprisoned for our following of God's will.  In either case, God will keep us safe spiritually, if we only continue to follow Him through faith and the strengthening of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fourteen says, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  Then verse fifteen continues, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;  Then verse sixteen concludes, The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.  These three verses refer to the fulfillment of a prophecy by Isaiah.  Not only the region mentioned, but really the whole world sat in darkness until Christ came.  The great light that they saw, Jesus Christ, is still the great light of the world today.  Until a person accepts Christ into their life as Savior and Lord, they will still be in a spiritual darkness.  Verse seventeen declares, From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Jesus did not let the fact that John the Baptist was in prison stop Him from beginning to preach Himself.  We today cannot allow the fact that someone else may suffer for their faith keep us from proclaiming Christ as the Savior of the world.  The kingdom of God has been at hand since the coming of Christ.

Matthew 4:1 says, Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  After His baptism, the next we thing we hear about Jesus is His temptation in the wilderness.  We are told that Jesus was led by the Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that had just declared Himself well pleased with Jesus.  We can be sure that if we are followers of Christ that the Holy Spirit is always with us.  We have the Holy Spirit indwelling, or living within, us.  We simply must follow where He leads.  This does not say that the Holy Spirit tempted Jesus, but that Jesus was led to the wilderness where He would be tempted.  I believe that whenever we follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit that we can expect Satan to be there to tempt us to act in our own interest instead of following the will of God.  Verse two states, And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  To prepare for following the will of the Father, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights.  Jesus was in the wilderness, so He was alone most likely, and now He was physically weak.  We can be certain that Satan will tempt us even more when we are at our weakest.  Verse three states, And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.  The first temptation was for Jesus to use His miraculous power to satisfy His physical hunger.  If we find ourselves in need physically or materially, we may be tempted to use the things of God to meet our own needs.  Turning stones to bread would have really hurt no one, except Jesus would not have been following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, but of Satan.  Even if no one else is harmed, if we attempt to use God for our own purposes, then we will be harmed, because we are not following God's will.  Verse four declares, But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Jesus was prepared for this temptation because He knew what God's word said.  We are to live, not just to satisfy our physical needs, but by the word of God.  We can never justify putting our physical or material needs first, even if no one else knows that we did so.  God's word applies wherever we are, and we must know what it says.  Verse five says, Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,  Jesus was led out of the wilderness, not by the Holy Spirit, but by Satan.  Verse six states, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  I believe that this was Satan's way of saying show the people a miracle, and prove that you are the Son of God.  We cannot display miracles by presuming on the will of God.  God is not with us to show our power, but to show His glory.  Satan attempted to use God's word to get Jesus to fail in His purpose.  Verse seven declares, Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.  Jesus knew God's word better than Satan did, and so must we.  We cannot just pick out verses that justify our actions, but must make sure that our actions are consistent with the teachings of all of God's word.  When we rely on the Holy Spirit, we will always know God's truth.  Verse eight states,
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;  Once more, Jesus was being led by Satan, and not by the Holy Spirit.  Still, Satan could only lead Jesus so far.  Satan could tempt Jesus, but he could not force Him to sin.  The devil can never make anyone do anything.  Verse nine declares, And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Satan promised Jesus the whole world if He would only worship Him.  We might say that the world was not Satan's to give, which is ultimately true, but God has allowed him certain power over the world.  Often, people do worship Satan, by actions if not by words, simply to gain the things of this world.  Verse ten declares, Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  Jesus first ordered Satan to leave, and then once again referred to scripture.  Jesus told us how we should live today as followers of Christ, and that is that we should worship and serve only God.  I don't believe that this means that we are to worship God one or two days a week and then follow after our own desires the remainder of the time.  We are to continually worship and serve God, otherwise temptation can lead us to sin.  Verse eleven states, Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.  There was no great struggle.  As soon as Jesus, under the power of God, told Satan to leave, Satan had no choice but to go.  Then, the angels came and ministered to Jesus.  I believe that Jesus allowed Satan to lead Him as long as He did simply to show that there was nothing Satan had to offer that God hadn't already provided.  This remains true today, so we never have to allow Satan to have any control in our lives to prove anything.  Jesus has already defeated Satan, and all we have to do is live by faith in Christ under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:13 says, Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist.  We might ask why, but I think that it was to give credibility to John the Baptist and to the act of baptism itself.  John the Baptist had just declared that he was unworthy to unbuckle the shoes of the One Who was coming after Him, and he recognized Jesus to be that One.  Jesus had yet to begin His ministry, and John the Baptist had been preaching for awhile.  Still, he was not jealous of Jesus, nor did he attempt to be superior to Him.  Verse fourteen asks, But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  John the Baptist questioned why Jesus would come to him to be baptized.  He recognized that he really needed to be baptized by Jesus. Though we might not always recognize the reason behind God's direction to us, we must always follow in faith.  Though Jesus had no sins to repent of, He was leading those who would follow Him by example.  We are to be baptized to declare to the world our faith in Christ.  We are not saved by baptism, but we do symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and identify ourselves as His people by the act of baptism.  Verse fifteen states, And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.  Jesus answered the concern of John the Baptist.  Jesus said it becometh Him to fulfill all righteousness.  If baptism was to become a symbol of faith in God, then Jesus would follow that symbolic act.  Jesus had no sin of His own that He needed to repent and be baptized for, but He did bear the sins of the whole world on His shoulders.  Verse sixteen says, And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:  I have to wonder how those gathered there that day felt when this happened.  We may not have something this miraculous happen when we are baptized, but I believe that we should follow the example that Christ set and be baptized whenever possible.  This does not save us, but it does show to the world our identification with Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen declares, And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Again, what must those there that day have thought.  John the Baptist had pronounced himself as unworthy to baptize Jesus, but God now called Jesus His beloved Son and said that He was well pleased with Jesus.  I believe that God says the same thing, that He is well pleased, when anyone who is His child through faith in Christ, is baptized today.

Matthew 3:7 says, But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  The Pharisees and Sadducees were some of the most religious people of their day.  Though they didn't agree with each other on all things, they agreed that they were better than the average Israelite, and felt they were especially better than those of other nations.  They were full of self righteousness.  We see some who profess to be followers of Christ today who are just as full of this same kind of religious pride.  John the Baptist was not someone that they would have come to hear so that they might repent and have a better relationship with God, because they felt they already had the best relationship possible.  John the Baptist called them a generation of vipers and asked who had warned them to flee from the wrath to come.  I believe that God gave John the Baptist the ability to see their inner nature and not just their outward appearance, and I believe that He gives His followers the same ability today.  Just as there was wrath coming to those false religious leaders in that day, so there is today, even if it isn't in this lifetime.  Those who falsely proclaim to be superior to others in their relationship to God based on their own goodness and not God's forgiveness should stand warned of God's coming wrath on them.  Verse eight states, Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:  John the Baptist called on them to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.  I am sure this did not go over too well with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  I believe that they really thought that they were too good to need to repent of anything.  Verse nine advises, And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.  John the Baptist told them not to take pride in their physical circumstances, beginning with the fact that they were children of Abraham.  The children of Abraham were not special because of who they were in the world, but were special because of who they were to God.  God could have just as easily chosen another group of people to use to accomplish His will.  John the Baptist said God could even  raise the stones to be children of Abraham.  I believe that the warning to us is that the only way we can become children of God, as the nation of Israel was supposed to be, is through a personal relationship with God.  Verses ten states, And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  God expects His people to bring forth good fruit, or in other words to be productive in advancing His kingdom.  This is not to earn or keep our salvation, but is simply a result of following the will of God.  I don't believe that we will ever be cast into the fire if we are true followers of Christ, but our works, if they are not according to God's guidance, may be burned up.  Verse eleven states, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:  John the Baptist recognized his limitations.  He could not baptize to salvation, but only to symbolize the repentance of sin.  One was coming after John the Baptist Who was mightier than he was, and that One was Jesus.  Of course, we know that baptism does not bring salvation, but is only symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Still, only Jesus can bring that salvation.  Like John the Baptist, we must recognize our limitations.  We cannot save any one, but can only point them to the One Who can, Jesus Christ.  Verse twelve warns, Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.  Just as John the Baptist had pronounced woe to the Pharisees and Sadducees, this is a warning to all who claim to be God's people but who have no real relationship with Him.  God will separate the truth believers from the hypocrites.

Matthew 3:1, In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,  John the Baptist was Jesus's cousin, but he was also the fore runner of Jesus.  He was preaching God's word to prepare the people for the ministry of Jesus.  Verse two states, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  John the Baptist's was a very simple message, and was a call to repentance because the kingdom of God was at hand.  This should be our message today, which can only be achieved through faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.  Verse three states, For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  The preaching of John the Baptist had also been foretold in the book of Isaiah.  He called on them to make straight their paths.  This does not mean that they could save themselves, but that as much as was possible they were to prepare to meet Jesus.  I believe this was a call for people to repent of their sins and turn to God's guidance, which would now lead them to Jesus.  We must call people today to that same repentance and lead them to Jesus.  John the Baptist could not save the people he preached to, and neither can we.  Like John the Baptist though, we can point them to Jesus, the only one Who can save them.  Verse four says, And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.  John the Baptist was far from being a part of the religious establishment.  We might call him somewhat of a wild man by his looks and diet.  In other words, he was a simple man in dress and diet, and not one that people would expect to be the harbinger of a King.  We, as followers of Christ, must never judge people, especially God's spokesmen, by their looks, but need to judge them by their message.  Verse five declares, Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,  John the Baptist had people coming from the entire region to hear him.  Many thought he might be the Messiah, but he never accepted their praise.  We must go into the world with God's message of salvation, but we must never claim God's glory for ourselves.  It seems that we too often want to isolate ourselves from the world, but we are commanded to go out into the world with the message of Christ.  Verse six says, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.  This baptism was not the same as a believers baptism, because Jesus had yet to begin His ministry and had not defeated sin and death on the cross.  Still, it was a sign of their willingness to repent.

Matthew 2:16 says, Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.  Herod felt the wise men had mocked him.  He had lied to them about his reason for wanting to know where Jesus was, yet he felt that they mocked him when they did not obey his order.  Those in power often feel that everyone should do exactly as they say, and if they don't, they will often take action against them or what they have said.  Herod ordered that all the children under two years old, in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas be killed.  This was based on the time that Herod had diligently gotten from the wise men.  Herod could have just gone back two years to be certain, or the wise men may have told him it had been two years.  We simply must not insist that tradition is more important than what the Bible actually tells us.  Verse seventeen states, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,   This was the fulfillment of another prophecy about Jesus.  Verse eighteen says, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.  It is hard to imagine the grief of all the parents because of the actions of Herod.  Again, I do not believe that this was something that God forced Herod to do, but it was simply something that God knew he would do.  If God's will were to be forced on people, then all would have been saved, even without the necessity of the death of Jesus on the cross.  Verse nineteen states, But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,  At the death of Herod, an angel once more appeared to Joseph in a dream.  We must assume that Joseph was attuned to listening for God to speak to him.  If we are not personally involved in a relationship with God, we may miss it when He speaks to us.  Verse twenty states, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.  Joseph was instructed to take Mary and the young child back to Israel because the danger had passed.  We are not told how long they were in Egypt, nor what they did while they were there.  We can be sure that God provided for them, just as He will for us today if we follow His leadership.  Verse twenty-one says, And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.  Joseph didn't hesitate to follow God's instructions, and neither should we.  Verse twenty-two says, But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:  When Joseph returned to Israel, he heard that Herod's son, Archelaus was in power, and he was afraid to go on, but God warned him to go to Galilee instead.  As long as Joseph recognized God's leadership, he was never put in danger because he had a particular task to preform, and that was bringing up Jesus.  I don't believe that we can say that following God will never place us in physical danger, but it will certainly never place us in spiritual danger, which is what really matters.  Verse twenty-two says, And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.  Joseph went to Nazareth, which once more fulfilled a prophecy.  I believe that we can say that God's word is always true, and that what He says will happen will happen.

Matthew 2:9 says, When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  The star led the wise men to where Jesus was.  We might ask why it had stopped before, but it may have been that the wise men had simply quit following when they sought answers from Herod.  We today need to be careful that we always follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and never look to the world for guidance, especially in matters related to God.  Verse ten declares, When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  Neither Herod nor the religious leaders could fully answer their questions, but God would lead them to the answer.  Just like the wise men, when God answers our prayers, we should rejoice with exceeding great joy.  Verse eleven states, And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.  This says they came into the house and saw Mary and the young child.  This could mean that some time had passed since the birth of Jesus.  The shepherds had found the baby lying in a manger, and the wise men found a young child in a house.  Whether the night of His birth or some time later, the wise men found Jesus and worshipped Him.  They gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus.  We need to seek the will of God in all that we do and offer Him the best that we have when we worship Him.  Verse twelve says, And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.  When the wise men were seeking Jesus, they followed a star.  After they came to Jesus, God spoke to them directly, and they followed His advice.  They departed to their own country another way instead of returning to Herod.  Their choice was to follow those in power or to follow God's guidance.  If we today are confronted with that choice, we must be like the wise men and follow God's leadership.  Verse thirteen states, And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.  An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream warning him to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt.  Fortunately, Joseph did not just write it off as a dream.  Joseph was warned that Herod would try to destroy Jesus.  Verse fourteen declares, When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:  Joseph acted on this warning and did as instructed.  When we know that God has spoken to us today, even if it is through a dream, we must do as God instructs us.  This does not mean that every dream is God speaking to us, but however God speaks to us, I believe that we will know it is Him speaking.  Verse fifteen says, And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.  This was the fulfillment of another prophecy.  I do not believe that God caused Herod to act as he did, but God simply knew how he would act.