Early Writings
by Ellen G. White
The Ministry of Christ
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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 [159]
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. {EW 158.1}
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. {EW 159.1}
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. {EW 159.2}
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 [160] 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. {EW 159.3}
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. {EW 160.1}
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 [161]
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. {EW 160.2}
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. {EW 161.1}
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. {EW 161.2}
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