Show Don't Tell: Matthew 4:1-11

Instead of saying "Jesus was tempted in the wilderness," feel the hunger. Forty days. No food. The wilderness outside Jericho—rock, dust, heat by day, cold by night. Watch the tempter approach. "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." The rocks at Jesus' feet—round, smooth, bread-shaped. His stomach clenches. "Man shall not live on bread alone." Next: the temple pinnacle. Vertigo. The city spread below. "Throw yourself down—angels will catch you." A twisted Scripture, a dare to force the Father's hand. "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Finally: a high mountain. Every kingdom visible—Rome, Persia, the whole glittering world. "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me." The shortcut to dominion without the cross. "Away from me, Satan." Angels come. They minister to him. The battle is won—not with power but with Scripture and refusal.