After Satan had ended his temptations, he departed from Jesus
for a season, and angels prepared Him food in the wilderness,
and strengthened Him, and the blessing of His Father rested upon
Him. Satan had failed in his fiercest temptations; yet he looked
forward to the period of Jesus' ministry, when he should at different
times try his cunning against Him. He still hoped to prevail against
Him by stirring up those who would not receive Jesus, to hate
and seek to destroy Him. Satan held a special council with his
angels. They were disappointed and enraged that they had prevailed
nothing against the Son of God. They decided that they must be
more cunning and use their power to the utmost to inspire unbelief
in the minds of His own nation as to His being the Saviour of
the world, and in this way discourage Jesus in His mission. No
matter how exact the Jews might be in their ceremonies and sacrifices,
if they could be kept blinded as to the prophecies and be made
to believe that the Messiah was to appear as a mighty worldly
king, they might be led to despise and reject Jesus.
I was shown that Satan and his angels were very busy during Christ's
ministry, inspiring men with unbelief, hate, and scorn. Often
when Jesus uttered some cutting truth, reproving their sins, the
people would become enraged. Satan and his angels urged them on
to take the life of the Son of God. More than once they took up
stones to cast at Him, but angels guarded Him and bore Him away
from the angry multitude to a place of safety. Again, as the plain
truth dropped from His holy lips, the multitude laid hold of Him
and led Him to the brow of a hill, intending to cast Him down.
A contention arose among themselves as to what they should do
with Him, when the angels again hid Him from the sight of the
multitude, and He, passing through the midst of them, went His
way.
Satan still hoped that the great plan of salvation would fail.
He exerted all his power to make the hearts of the people hard
and their feelings bitter against Jesus. He hoped that so few
would receive Him as the Son of God that He would consider His
sufferings and sacrifice too great to make for so small a company.
But I saw that if there had been but two who would have accepted
Jesus as the Son of God and believed on Him to the saving of their
souls, He would have carried out the plan.
Jesus began His work by breaking Satan's power over the suffering.
He restored the sick to health, gave sight to the blind, and healed
the lame, causing them to leap for joy and to glorify God. He
restored to health those who had been infirm and bound by Satan's
cruel power many years. With gracious words He comforted the weak,
the trembling, and the desponding. The feeble, suffering ones
whom Satan held in triumph, Jesus wrenched from his grasp, bringing
to them soundness of body and great joy and happiness. He raised
the dead to life, and they glorified God for the mighty display
of His power. He wrought mightily for all who believed on Him.
The life of Christ was filled with words and acts of benevolence,
sympathy, and love. He was ever attentive to listen to and relieve
the woes of those who came to Him. Multitudes carried in their
own persons the evidence of His divine power. Yet after the work
had been accomplished, many were ashamed of the humble yet mighty
teacher. Because the rulers did not believe on Him, the people
were not willing to accept Jesus. He was a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. They could not endure to be governed by
His sober, self-denying life. They wished to enjoy the honor which
the world bestows. Yet many followed the Son of God and listened
to His instructions, feasting upon the words which fell so graciously
from His lips. His words were full of meaning, yet so plain that
the weakest could understand them.
Satan and his angels blinded the eyes and darkened the understanding
of the Jews, and stirred up the chief of the people and the rulers
to take the Saviour's life. Others were sent to bring Jesus unto
them; but as they came near where He was they were greatly amazed.
They saw Him filled with sympathy and compassion, as He witnessed
human woe. They heard Him in love and tenderness speak encouragingly
to the weak and afflicted. They also heard Him, in a voice of
authority, rebuke the power of Satan and bid his captives go free.
They listened to the words of wisdom that fell from His lips,
and they were captivated; they could not lay hands on Him. They
returned to the priests and elders without Jesus. When asked,
"Why have ye not brought Him?" they related what they
had witnessed of His miracles, and the holy words of wisdom, love,
and knowledge which they had heard, and ended with saying, "Never
man spake like this man." The chief priests accused them
of being also deceived, and some of the officers were ashamed
that they had not taken Him. The priests inquired in a scornful
manner if any of the rulers had believed on Him. I saw that many
of the magistrates and elders did believe on Jesus; but Satan
kept them from acknowledging it; they feared the reproach of the
people more than they feared God.
Thus far the cunning and hatred of Satan had not broken up the
plan of salvation. The time for the accomplishment of the object
for which Jesus came into the world was drawing near. Satan and
his angels consulted together and decided to inspire Christ's
own nation to cry eagerly for His blood and heap upon Him cruelty
and scorn. They hoped that Jesus would resent such treatment and
fail to maintain His humility and meekness.
While Satan was laying his plans, Jesus was carefully opening
to His disciples the sufferings through which He must pass--that
He would be crucified and that He would rise again the third day.
But their understanding seemed dull, and they could not comprehend
what He told them.