ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – OPEN A WINDOW TO THE SUN  – SHEMESH  – שמש  Shin Mem Shin

Matthew 4:11:  “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels, came and ministered unto him.”

I remember as a child hearing the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness and after hearing the entire story and all the events, the only question I had: “What did it mean that angels ministered to Him.  What ministering did Jesus need?”  I knew ministers preached but what would they preach about to Jesus.  I also knew ministers attended to spiritual and emotional needs but was Jesus the Son of God emotionally distressed after His encounter?  I mean if I feel harassed by the enemy I call out to the Name of Jesus and the enemy flees.  The enemy tested Jesus only because Jesus wanted to be tested.  

The word used in this for tempt or tested in the Greek is peirasthehai from the root word peirazo which means to either tempt or entice someone to do something against their will or to entice someone to submit to another’s will. “Go ahead prove to me that you are the Son of God.”   It could also mean to test in order to prove the validity of something or trying something out. Like test driving a car.  You don’t need proof it is a car, you just want to know how it can perform. In other words; “Since you are the Son of God turn these rocks into bread.” Only the context will tell you which use of the word is applied. 

The word used in the Aramaic word comes from the root word nesa and has the idea of test driving a car.  “Hey, you’ve got the body of a human being, try it out, feel how vulnerable it is and how easy it is injured. You’ve haven’t eaten for 40 days.  Wouldn’t a nice piece of bread taste good right now?”  

But what would have been wrong for Jesus to turn the bread into stone to satisfy his hunger?  If you have ever been on an extended fast you will know that you are not really hungry.  I fasted one time for 30 days and at the end of the fast, I had to force myself to eat.  Yeah, a Big Mac did sound pretty good but I wasn’t desperate for it or craved it. I didn’t feel weak, I still worked a physical job in a mailroom with no limitations.  Jesus was most likely not hungry, he could have walked back to town and broke his fast.  He knew full well 40 days without food was the limit God gave a human being to go without food so it was time to break the fast.  Why not go ahead and break the fast, turn stones into bread and chat with the enemy a little?  He could use his supernatural power to make bread or even extend his fast by healing his body.  Why not do that?  

I think – get that?  I think?  This is just an opinion given for your consideration.  I think Jesus wanted to control when His fast would end.  He wasn’t going to let the enemy decided for Him when to break the fast not would He let His physical body decided.  The enemy does not have a human body, he cannot know what it is like to go 40 days without food. Perhaps he thought Jesus was hungry. Perhaps he thought he could entice  Jesus to end this time with His Heavenly Father by tempting Him with the prospects of food.  “Forty days of intense communion with your father, hey that’s enough, now tend to the needs of this physical body.”  But Jesus said: “No, man does not live by bread alone, I live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the father and his words are still coming.  I am not ready to tend to my physical needs.  My priority is with the father, not tending to these physical needs.”

So, after two more appeals to the physical, Jesus proved to us that we can control the nagging force of our bodies.  We can control our diet and lose weight, we can control the sugar and salt we put into our bodies. We just don’t want to bad enough.  If we were communing with our Heavenly Father would we stop for a lunch break, we need to attend to the body you know? I know after 30 days of fasting drinking only water I experienced the closeness, the power, the love and lovingkindness of the Father on a whole new level.  I did not want to eat, even if you put a Big Mac in front of me, there is no way I would touch it unless I knew God was directing me to break that fast. 

Then we get to the big question.  After the enemy finished and left angels came to minister to Jesus. What did the angels do in this ministering to Jesus?  The word in Greek is diekonoun which means to serve, to administer or to kick up dust.  The idea of kicking up dust shows the zealousness of service.  So, the angels were quite zealous to serve Jesus but what did they do to serve Jesus.

The Aramaic word is shemesh spelled Shin Mem Shin. This is a word which means to serve but in its Semitic origin, it is a window opening to let in the sun. Many commentators say that the angels fed Jesus.  I think that is a guess but to be fair the Greek word diekonoun is used in extra-Biblical literature for a slave or servant bringing food to a master. So, it is a good guess and perhaps they are right.  Who am I to disagree?  But I wonder if any of these commentators ever fasted for an extended period. I think they might have a different response.  You see, having fasted for 30 days and getting ready to break that fast, which would break off that wonderful communion with the Heavenly Father feasting on the Bread of Life,  I would have loved to have other believers nearby who had fasted and together we would have one glorious encounter with the Heavenly Father together, receiving the Divine Light of God in a way that would stay with us for the rest of our journey upon this earth. 

Perhaps the angels ministering to Jesus was joining with God opening the window of God’s Divine Light a little further so they all could enjoy one big love fest.  In all my years of worshipping in a church, it just seems we kind of pay lip service to someone’s testimony of a real victory from God.  Why can’t we as a church pause from our formal worship and just join with this believer who experiences a victory and shemesh him or minister to Him by joining with Him in our praise, love, and adoration to God?