Introduction

Tonight, we’ll be continuing our apologetics class. In this section we’re talking about how we got the English Bible.

Last week we discussed the Old and New Testaments, when and how the original books were written, and then talked a bit about the state of Christianity in Britain. We briefly introduced a man named John Wycliffe who would end up playing a pivotal role in creating the English Bible translations we are all using now.

John Wycliffe

Now we must introduce a man named John Wycliffe.

He was born of a squire in Yorkshire about 1328.

Was admitted to Merton College, Oxford in September 1345. College life was very spartan, with meals just bread, beer, soup thickened with oatmeal, and one serving of meat a day (p. 25). The library was under St. Mary’s church in a large chest. Books were scarce and expensive.

Oxford started attracting a lot of people who would later become big names, including Roger Bacon and William of Ockham.

Wycliffe stayed at Oxford as a student and teacher for 35 years, acquiring degrees in 3 different colleges (Merton, Balliol, and Queens).

He survived the Black Death in 1349.

Oxford at the time was full of friars, many of whom would attempt to take advantage of the younger students. some as young as 12. Wycliffe led the fight to exclude friars from honors and degrees and tried to protect undergraduates.

Friar: member of a religious order that has taken a vow of poverty.

Wycliffe was ordained to the priesthood, then given a prebend (collegiate living) in 1362. These two appointments provided income he used to continue his studies.

He then became warden of Canterbury Hall in 1365, gained a bachelor of divinity degree in 1369, and a doctor of divinity in 1372.

Wycliffe’s course of study:

Seven liberal arts:

• The Trivium: Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic
• The Quadrivium: Music, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy
• The 3 Philosophies: Natural, Moral, and Metaphysical
• Latin literature
• Aristotelian philosophy
• Eight years of theology:
  • 4 years on the Vulgate Bible
    • 2 years on the Sentences of Peter Lombard (a medieval textbook on scripture)
    • 2 years lecturing on Old and New Testaments, one chapter at a time.
• Numerous public disputations and debates

He wrote many works in both English and Latin.

Trevelyan: “He had an eager hatred of what was wicked and could never be kept from denouncing what he regarded as such. Similarly, in matters of belief he invariably exposed what he thought was false.

• You can imagine how well this worked with the very authoritarian Catholic church running things at the time!

Though a dogmatic man, his views on various doctrines did change over time. (p. 28)

Archbishop Thomas Arundel, who would later be an adversary, admitted that Wycliffe was not only a great scholar, but also widely held to be “a perfect liver” - irreproachable in the conduct of his life. (p. 30)

Wycliffe wanted to evangelize the common folk: “The preaching of the Word is an act more solemn than the making of the sacrament.”

Wycliffe was also a bold reformer and started getting in trouble with the church about the time he got his doctorate.

Because of the views he espoused, he is responsible for restarting a spirit of religious inquiry and spiritual freedom.

In 1371, he supported a parliamentary initiative to exclude clergy from secular offices because they monopolized so many of them.

In 1374, he was sent to negotiate with papal representatives about differences between England and Rome. The Catholic church was corrupt in a number of (p. 33) ways at that time. There were many priests and bishops trying to do the right thing, but ultimately everything could be attained for money.

• Despite having many differences of opinion with the authorities, he was used in some capacities.

Corruption in the Catholic church

Pope John assumed office in 1316. He developed the system of selling indulgences. This was based on the doctrine of the superabundant merits of the saints (they were better than they needed to be for their own salvation). Their excess “credits” could be stored in a celestial deposit box called the “Thesaurus meritorum sanctum” (Compendium of the Merits of the Saints). From here, the Pope could draw and make transfers to anyone whose account was deficient. The treasury could never be exhausted because it included the inexhaustible merits of Christ. The pope could sell as many indulgences as he liked. He now controlled the “central bank of salvation.”

• There is no scriptural authority for any of this!
• None of us are as good as we need to be for salvation. We cannot earn salvation by good works.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NASB95)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Pope John XX greatly increased the church’s treasury and set up a whole system of fees.

Wycliffe’s “heretical” beliefs

Wycliffe was watching all this unfold and couldn’t find the church hierarchy in scripture. He thought:

1. “there should be only priests and deacons”
2. the legislative rights of the clergy, including excommunication and absolution of sins belonged to Christ only.
3. The priests’ office was only to preach the word.
4. The ministry of the gospel should only be supported by donations. (He noted that the church is so worried about tithes, but Jesus said nothing about them.) (p. 37)

• As we mentioned in our previous class, all Christians are priests and Christ is our high priest. See Revelation 1:4-6; Hebrews 7:23-28.
• Wycliffe was a bit confused on how the church was to be arranged. This was somewhat understandable because many, many people had been confused on the topic for the last thousand years.
• But he did see that something was wrong and did not match the Bible, so he was on the right track there.
• As we discussed last time, there is no clergy/laity distinction in the Bible. Since there is no clergy, there are no legislative rights of the clergy. God alone can forgive sins.
• We do read something vaguely similar to excommunication in the New Testament in that members of a local church can be disciplined and withdrawn from if they continue to walk in sin. This was only to be practiced at the local church level, though.

1 Corinthians 5:1–13 (NASB95)

1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. 3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

• As far as tithing, that was commanded under the Law of Moses, but it is not a commandment for Christians. Instead, Christians are to give of their means on the first day of the week. We see an example of this in I Corinthians 16:

1 Corinthians 16:1–4 (NASB95)

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. 3 When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; 4 and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.

Wycliffe’s views were widely held in England, even inside the government.

The Parliament had tried to claw back money and control from the church a number of times, but to little effect. (The Hundred Years’ War in 1338 had something to do with this. The papal court was in Avignon, France at the time and helped fund the war. Any papal fees or taxes the English paid were essentially funding the war against themselves.)

• This is all the more reason why God makes no provision in the New Testament for government and local churches to be intertwined.
• Local churches are to be independent of each other and the government.

Wycliffe prosecuted

Wycliffe had written a number of works attacking the corruption of the church and attracted large crowds. In 1377, he was called to appear before a convocation of Bishops at St. Paul’s Cathedral on charges of heresy.

At the “trial” an argument broke out about whether Wycliffe should have to sit or stand. A melee ensued and the assembly scattered. The next day, an armed mob plundered the palace and set it on fire. (p. 41)

• The acts of the mob were clearly not good, but it shows the amount of pressure that was building up against the Catholic Church at the time. It also shows why the authorities were so scared of Wycliffe’s preaching and teaching.

May 22, 1377: Pope issues five bulls against Wycliffe for “impugning received doctrine.” The Pope ordered Wycliffe to be investigated and that Oxford not allow his theories to be taught. These were enumerated in a number of propositions. The main sticking points for the pope:

• Prop 8, 9: Pope cannot excommunicate anyone - a person can only do that to himself
• Prop 17: Kings can take money away from bishops if they do not behave in a manner befitting the office.
• Prop. 19: The clergy, including the pope could be arraigned and tried for misdeeds.

England kept trying to figure out how not to send money to France and Oxford refused to condemn Wycliffe. Doing so would mean France had control of them. Instead, they put him under house arrest while theologians debated the charges.

• Again, we see how tangled the world becomes when people go beyond what God has commanded. The Catholic Church was involved in the governments of many countries, which made politics extremely thorny and dragged politics into religion and vice versa.

March 1378: Wycliffe again summoned before the bishops. The Queen Mother sent a message just as the trial began that warned not to take any harsh measures against Wycliffe. The clerics were terrified and demoralized and let Wycliffe off with a reprimand.

This trial was important because it prevented the pope’s inquisitorial powers from ever taking root in England. (p. 43)

Two popes!

Pope Urban I tried to move the papal court back to Rome in 1367 at the urging of Emperor Charles IV of Bohemia in 1367, but the city’s churches and cathedrals were in ruins. The former papal residence, the Lateran, was in disrepair, so he stayed at the Vatican instead. He eventually fled back to Avignon.

Pope Gregory XI tried again to move the papacy back to Rome. There he issued five bulls against Wycliffe. When he died the Italians pressed hard to have an Italian pope elected. This was done, but Pope Urban VI started openly rebuking the cardinals for their immorality. This upset them greatly, but rather than change. they went off and wrote an encyclical against the Pope, declaring his election invalid. The pope elected new cardinals to replace ones that had left, but the original cardinals responded by electing their own pope, Robert of Cumbray (the cardinal who had originally told Urban to stop rebuking the cardinals). Now there were two popes and countries lined up to support them based on their political leanings.

The devout Christians were appalled at the two-pope situation. Wycliffe gave voice to the disagreements many had with the church. He didn’t think the papacy was scriptural, nor was:

• papal infallibility
• sale of indulgences
• politics of excommunication
• veneration of saints
• worship of images and adoration of relics
• Masses for the dead (p. 46)

Between 1378-1380. Wycliffe wrote a number of tracts, arguing that the Church had been corrupted by worldly possessions and should return to its apostolic ideals. He argued that the “true church” was the whole body of the elect, not just the clergy. He thought that only a life of piety, morality, and good works could possibly provide assurance of one’s salvation. The source of truth was in God’s word only. (p. 48)

Church doctrine recognized tradition and Scripture equally. but tradition had priority. Wycliffe said no - scripture only. He added that every man had the right to examine the Bible for himself. He thought the church could only be reformed by going back to the scriptures, and that required reading the scriptures.

The sad state of Bible knowledge

In those days, Bible reading was rare, even among the clergy. It was thought sufficient if the priest knew:

• The 10 Commandments
• The Paternoster (Our Father)
• The Creed and Ave (Hail Mary)

Ordinary Christians knew even less. (p. 49)

The cult of the saints was a big deal and public worship was more about ceremonial worship. Most material from the pulpit was from civil and natural history, mythology, and fable. Wycliffe rebuked them for using unscriptural stories and anecdotes in their sermons rather than scripture.

The Wycliffe Bible

In 1380, Wycliffe started a project to translate the entire Bible to English. It was a translation from Jerome’s Vulgate. Nicholas Hereford did the first part from Genesis to Baruch 3:20 (note that the apocryphal books were included in this translation) under Wycliffe’s direction, then had to stop and let others take over. The first version was basically word for word and was somewhat difficult to read. There was not really a standard English at the time (and the language as a whole was in the midst of a great shift), so this was a difficult translation. This translation was then revised by John Purvey, Wycliffe’s personal secretary and a priest. He cleaned up the word ordering and made a more idiomatic translation. (p. 53)

Sample from the Wycliffe Bible

Modern spelling:

Christ stood by the river of Gennesaret … and fishers came down to wash therein their nets; and Christ went up into a boat that was Simon’s, and prayed him to move it a little from the land, and he sat and taught the people out of the boat. And when Christ ceased to speak, he said to Simon, Lead the boat into the high sea, and let out your nets to taking of fish. And Simon answering said to him, Commander, all the night travailing took we naught; but in thy word shall I loose the net. And when they had done this, they took a plenteous multitude of fish, and their net was broken. But they beckoned to their fellows that were in the other boat, to come and help them; and they came and filled both boats of fish, so that both were well nigh sunk. And when Peter had seen this wonder, he fell down to Jesus’ knee, and said, Lord, go from me for I am a sinful man. – Luke 5:1-8, Wycliffe Bible, modern spelling

Sample from the Wycliffe Bible, part 2

Original spelling:

God reiside this Jhesu, to whom we alle ben witnessis. Therfor he was enhaunsid bi the riythoond of God, and thorouy the biheest of the Hooli Goost that he took of the fadir, he schedde out this spirit, that ye seen and heren. For Dauid stiede not in to heuene; but he seith, The Lord seide to my Lord, Sitte thou on my riyt half, til Y putte thin enemyes a stool of thi feet. Therfor moost certeynli wite al the hous of Israel, that God made hym bothe Lord and Crist, this Jhesu, whom ye crucefieden. Whanne thei herden these thingis, thei weren compunct in herte; and thei seiden to Petre and othere apostlis, Britheren, what schulen we do? And Petre seide to hem, Do ye penaunce, and eche of you be baptisid in the name of Jhesu Crist, in to remissioun of youre synnes; and ye schulen take the yifte of the Hooli Goost. For the biheest is to you, and to youre sones, and to alle that ben fer, which euer oure Lord God hath clepid. Also with othere wordis ful many he witnesside to hem, and monestide hem, and seide, Be ye sauyd fro this schrewid generacioun. Thanne thei that resseyueden his word weren baptisid, and in that dai soulis weren encreesid, aboute thre thousinde; and weren lastynge stabli in the teching of the apostlis, and in comynyng of the breking of breed, in preieris. – Acts 2:32-42, Wycliffe Bible, original spelling

As you can see from the second sample, the older English spelling makes this a challenge to read. The English language has changed tremendously over the years. If you think English is difficult to learn and study now, imagine what is was like then!

Response to the Wycliffe Bible

Wycliffe’s translation was called heretical and unauthorized by the church, but never denounced as erroneous. (p. 56)

Wycliffe began training preachers to go out and preach. By 1377 this was already happening, with the men teaching against abuses and preaching a simpler, apostolic way. They wore a simple wool robe with a staff, taking the 70 that Jesus sent out as their inspiration. They came to be known as Lollards, from “lolia,” meaning “tare” or “weed.” (p. 59) The Catholic Church, of course, abhorred their views.

In 1381, the great Peasants Revolt took place in England. The blame for this was partially put at Wycliffe’s feet because the Lollards were reminding everyone of the government oppression they were undergoing (serfdom, heavy taxes, etc.).

The rebels invaded London and beheaded numerous victims. The king appeared to give in to their demands to stop the violence, but then tried and executed hundreds as traitors once he had control again. (p. 62)

After the rebellion, church and state closed ranks. They put together an official condemnation of Wycliffe and some of his associates, preventing any of his “heretical” teachings from being preached. The itinerant preachers were also arrested and prosecuted. It was prohibited under threat of prosecution to even meet to discuss Wycliffe’s theses.

Wycliffe’s death and aftermath

May 10, 1381: Wycliffe publishes Confessio, a Latin defense of his views. The next year, he was partially paralyzed by a stroke. He died two years later, in 1384. (p. 64)

Some of Wycliffe’s associates were hunted down and forced to recant, including Hereford, who had done the first part of the Bible translation. Others continued preaching on foot or on horseback, running from the authorities.

Thomas Arundel (Archbishop of Canterbury) passed the Constitutions of Oxford in 1408, which were designed to suppress freedom of thought in schools. Anyone caught with a Wycliffe Bible could be tried for heresy. All disputations about crosses, saints, imagery, pilgrimages, etc. were forbidden. The 7th of the 13 constitutions forbade anyone from translating scriptures into English or reading Wycliffe’s Bible. (p. 68)

• Note that the Catholic Church is now actively working against the spread of God’s word. This is quite a leap from the original problem of having one bishop over multiple churches, but that’s where it can end up. That’s why it is so important to not stray from God’s word and always go back to the Bible!

Arundel also went after Oxford itself, which destroyed intellectual life there. The student population declined to a fifth of what it was. “Oxford Latin” became “proverbial for a scholarship in which even the knowledge of grammar had been lost.” Oxford turned on Wycliffe and spent its time defaming him. People who kept any of his writings removed his name from them out of fear.

Arundel demanded that Wycliffe’s works be burnt. Remember that this is before the printing press, so these writings were all done by hand. In 1412, he sent a letter to the Pope listing 267 heresies Wycliffe had written. (great quote on p. 69)

That wretched fellow, son of the Serpent, herald and child of Antichrist, John Wycliffe, filled up the measure of his malice by devising the expedient of a new translation of Scripture into the mother tongue.

A number of Lollard preachers and supporters were persecuted and executed, sometimes in grotesque ways. Denying the doctrine of transubstantiation was sufficient to bring on execution. (p. 70)

• The doctrine of transubstantiation had become a big deal to the Catholic Church. Over time, they had come to the view that when taking the Lord’s Supper, the unleavened bread and grape juice literally became the body and blood of Jesus, although physically it still appeared to be food and drink.
• This doctrine came to be dominant in the 12th century and by the time of Wycliffe was thoroughly established within the Catholic Church. They were not willing to hear any debate on the topic whatsoever.
• This is a misunderstanding of the accounts in the gospels:

Matthew 26:26–29 (NASB95)

26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

• Jesus is clearly using a metaphor here. We take of the bread and juice as a reminder of Jesus’ body that He sacrificed for all of us.

After the execution of Sir John Oldcastle (p. 70), the movement lost support among the upper classes and it went underground.

God’s word spreads

Arundel died in 1414, but in persecuting Wycliffe followers, he had essentially split the Catholic Church.

A church counsel later condemned Wycliffe as a heretic and ordered his bones to be removed from consecrated ground. This was done in 1428, when his bones were dug up and burned, then his ashes were thrown into a stream. (“wide as the waters”)

The Avon to the Severn runs, The Severn to the sea. And Wycliffe’s dust shall spread abroad, Wide as the waters be. – poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wycliffe’s translation continued to be spread. (p. 73) People paid whatever they could to get even a piece of it. Thousands went to secret readings of the scriptures while still publicly worshiping with their local church.

Manuscript Bibles were expensive, so many Lollards committed big sections to memory. (Alice Collins p. 74)

A woman named Alice Collins of Burford was particularly good at this. When people met to discuss the Bible, she was often sent for to recite the Ten Commandments or the epistles of Peter and James.

Alice’s daughter Joan was good at this too and could recite: the seven deadly sins, the seven works of mercy, the five wits bodily and ghostly, the eight blessings, and five chapters of the book of James.

Wycliffe’s views flourished in Bohemia, thanks to Jerome of Prague, a reformer who attended Oxford. The most important Czeck Wycliffite was Jan Hus, who translated a number of Wycliffe’s writings into Czech. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415. Martin Luther would later discover Hus’ writings over 100 years later and was amazed at his agreement with them. “We are all Hussites.” (p.74)

Introduction

• Matthew 28:18
• Exodus 25

Example #1: Transporting the ark

• Exodus 25:14; Numbers 4:15; 7:6-9 – God’s rules for carrying the ark.
• I Chronicles 3:7-14; 15:2, 12-15 – Uzzah struck dead for touching the ark.

Example #2: Strange fire

• Leviticus 10:1-2 – Nadab and Abihu struck dead for sacrificing using the wrong fire.

Example #3: Priesthood

• Hebrews 7:11-16; 8:4 – There was no authority under the Law of Moses for a priest from Judah. God’s silence did not permit this.
• II John 9 – We want to stay within Jesus’ teaching.

“Please go buy me a dog.”

• Buying any other type of pet is not authorized.

“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood” (Genesis 6:14)

• Using any other type of wood was not authorized. Any particular type of gopher wood was okay.

Passover: “an unblemished male a year old … sheep or … goats” (Exodus 12:5)

• God was very particular with exactly what animal this should be.

Korah rebels against God’s authority ( Numbers 16:1-3, 8-10)

• “You shall anoint Aaron and his sons … as priests to me.” (Exodus 30:30)

Singing

• Colossians 3:16 – We have clear authority to worship by singing.
• We have no authority under the New Covenant to worship with musical instruments.

“as I directed the churched of Galatia, so do you also” (I Corinthians 16:1)

• Work of local churches
  • Provide for needy Christians – Acts 2:44-45
  • Worship and edification – I Corinthians 14:26
  • Preaching the gospel – Philippians 4:15-16

Where is the authority for song books?

• Singing is authorized. Song books are generally authorized under singing.
• Even when my choice is not explicitly stated, I’m okay as I’m still within the authority.

Where is the authority for a church building?

• I Corinthians 14:23, 26
• Acts 20:7
• Hebrews 10:25
• We are generally authorized to assemble.

Let’s face it: we forget stuff

• Romans 15:14
• II Timothy 2:14
• II Peter 1:12; 3:1-2

Bible notes

• Marginal notes work great and have for centuries.
• Notes in digital Bibles provide significantly more options.
  • Entire sermons or even photos can be added to digital marginal notes.

Filing system

• Set up some sort of system for yourself. It doesn’t need to be anything complex.

Putting it all together

• Let’s practice: I Thessalonians 5:14
  • Context
    • Paul was writing to Christians. He commended them for being strong Christians.
    • I Thessalonians 5:12-28
    • I Thessalonians 5:12 seems to be talking about elders. Is v14 talking to elders? Not, it mentioned elders, but it was talking to Christians in general.
  • Translations

Introduction

• During the destruction of Jerusalem, a civil war broke out among the Jews based on how they wanted to deal with the Romans. Eventually the Jews stopped fighting each other and fought the Romans. By the time Jerusalem fell, 1.1 million people died. Enraged by the rebellion of the Jews, the Romans killed indiscriminately.
• Luke 17:20-18:8

Do not let the circumstances of this life determine your view of God.

• Later generations tend to turn away from God because parents don’t always teach their children well.
• Amos 4:6-11 – God had brought numerous calamities on them, yet they did not return to Him.
• Regardless of what happens, God still rules!

Pray and persist!

• Luke 18:1
• I Corinthians 16:13
• We are the mighty men fighting for our King!
• Don’t be afraid to speak your faith!
• I Peter 3:8-15
• Can you tell people why you believe in Jesus? Even when you are suffering?
• We need to pray for wisdom and opportunities.
• We need to pray that God’s will be done.
• We need to persist!
• Luke 18:7-8 – God will make everything right.

Introduction

• Matthew 4:1-11
• This was not the only time Jesus was tempted.
• Why is this episode saved for us? Jesus was lead by the Spirit to go to the wilderness. This was an important event in His life.
• It’s possible these temptations were more severe than we appreciate.
• It’s important to plan how you’re going to deal with temptation before it occurs.

Five ideas to prepare

You have to realize Satan’s temptations are serious.

• Culture tries to tell us sin is no big deal.
• In this episode, if Jesus gives in then Satan wins and therefore there’s no hope for the rest of us, despite the fact that these actions seem like no big deal.

You have to view the temptation spiritually.

• I John 2:15-16
• If you thought at the beginning of the temptation “depending on how I handle this I will either live or die.”
• God had just said and affirmed to Jesus that He was God’s Son and He was living the life God wanted Him to live. Satan starts each temptation with, “If you are the Son of God,” casting doubt on His identity and tempting Jesus as if to say, “if you are who you say you are, prove it!”
• When we are trying to decide to give in or not we have to understand what it will do to our relationship with God.

Ask for help.

• In this episode, Jesus is in the wilderness to pray and meditate on God’s will as He’s about to begin His ministry. He does this often because He has a relationship with His Father and loves communication with Him.
• God listens to you! He wants you to come to Him, He wants to help you!

Learn discipline.

• Jesus had just finished fasting which is an exercise in discipline.
• We need to add self-control and discipline to ourselves. Fasting is one way to physically practice this. Learning this helps in other aspects. We learn to control ourselves so that when we make a decision, it’s our mind that wins and not the body.

Focus your time on doing good to help and show love to others.

• Jesus started doing this just after this episode. All His miracles to prove His word were to help people.
• When you’re busy doing for others, there’s less time for your selfishness.

Conclusion

• Think on these things and next time temptation comes your way, you’ll be prepared. Do them and the Devil will flee.