One incidental reference to this period of Jesus' life in the Synoptic narrative further deepens the impressiveness of this self-humUiation. St. Mark relates that on the occasion of one of His visits to Nazareth (Mk 6') His teaching was met by His fellow-townsmen wAth the scornful question, ' Is not this the carpenter?' (6 Wktuk).* This single question gives point to the more general remark of St. Luke mentioned above, and interprets his use of the analytical or periphrastic tense (fiv inroraa- ff6/xetos: for the use of this form of the verb the reader is recommended to see Burton's NT Moods and Tenses, p. 11 f. and p. 16 ; see also Blass, Gram, of NT Greek, p. 203).
His whole life, then, previous to the events which led to His public ministry, was lived under the simple conditions which obtained in a humble but pious country home, and His answer to the Baptist's remonstrance, ' it becometh us (irpiTroi/ idTlv ruiiv) to fulfil all righteousness ' (Mt 3'°), is the result of a training characteristic in its naivetd of a house whose inmates 'waited for tlie redemption of Israel ' (Lk 2^), and were strict observers of the laws governing the religious life of the Jews. See, further, artt. Boyhood and Childhood.
It may not be out of place to note a slight but significant difference in the method of introducing the narrative of Jesus' baptism between the Lukan and the other two S.ynoptic versions. The latter speak of Jesus as coming from Gahlee for the special purpose of being baptized (see fragment of Gosp. Heb. m Jerome's adv. Pelag. 3)— t»D /3arrT,<r((i.«j iJt' «Jio: (Mt 3"), ««i i3«TT,VSr iTi'Iaiv.eiy(Mk 19),— and seem to be conscious of a certain amount of astonishment on account of the act. The Lukan narrative, on the other hand, gives the story an incidental character ; and by its uses of the participle, both in describing the act of baptism and also His prayer which im- mediately followed {x»i 'I»iff-eD ^etTittrQUroi xct} irpeirtvx^fA'.tov, Lk 321), the Evangelist gives a human touch to the whole scene which harmonizes well with the style of his history in this place.
(5) It is, however, when we come to the scene of His temptation, and study it in connexion with the revelation which He had just received from His Father, that we begin to appreciate the full mean- ing of the words of He 4'^ that Jesus was One who • in all points ' {Kara irdxra) was tempted like our- selves. Whatever be the interpretation we are inclined to put upon the nature and method of the temptations (see art. TEMPTATION) to which He was subjected, one thing must be uncompromis-
• This would seem to be the original and correct form of the
formed (see Wright, Sijnopais o/thc Gospels in Greek, p. 52 f.).
inglj' insisted on — the struggle was a real one, it was intense, it was necessary (lirp€T(v yap aiiru: . . . dia iradTtiiaTtav TeXeiu<roi, He 2'°). It is necessary that we should be on our guard against falling into the errors which mar, for example, the work of Hilary of Poitiers in his controversy with the Arians (see especially his Libri XII. de Trinitate, Liber x.). To explain away the reality of the sufi'erings of Jesus arising out of His ditt'erent temptations, whether these sufferings are mental or physical, is of the essence of Docetism ; and a docetie Christ has never yet appealed, and we are confident never wUl appeal, to the conscious needs of humanity. Jesus Himself must have been the ultimate source from which the story of the Temp- tation became known, and it is very evident that the impression made upon His mind by the terrible ordeal was most profound. He had just received from His Father the revelation of His unique Son- ship.* St. Matthew and St. Luke agree in prefix- ing to two of the temptations the words, ' If thou art the Son of God,' the essence of the trial con- sisting in the danger of doubting the truth which had been disclosed to His consciousness, and of testing the fidelity of God by a thaumaturgical exhibition. There is also a subtle psychological and spiritual fitness in the character of the first of the series, which .speaks, perhaps, more for its real force than any direct statement could do. The appeal came to Jesus in the hour and on the side of His physical exhaustion, and this is in direct ac- cordance with the general experience of humanity. Temptation becomes infinitely stronger and more dangerous when physical weakness comes to the aid of the external promptings of the Evil One.
That Jesus believed, and led those to whom He recounted His experiences to believe, in the near presence of a personal spirit of evil during this critical period of conflict, is verj- evident (see Gore, IHss. p. 24 ff.). Moreover, this Evil One (i liiffoXm, Mt 45 8- 11, Lk 43. 6- 13 ; ; S<tT«.i;, Mk 113) is a prince standing at the head of a kingdom which is the direct anti- thesis of the kingdom of God. According to the Lukan version of this incident, Jesus expected to meet again in personal con- flict this great spiritual enemy. The devil left Him only till
ing
_..^ ._ _ . great struggle with