Knowing The Word in Matthew 4:1-11

The Temptation of Jesus

[The Greek verb “peirazo” (vv. 1 & 3) translated “tempted” may better be understood as “tested.” Instead of “the temptation of Jesus” we are reading about “the testing of Jesus.” Look at John 6:5-6 to see the use of “peirazo” 1 of 33 examples of how it is translated “to test.” In this testing there is no doubt that Satan is trying to get Jesus to do wrong; however, the initiation is with God, who tests Jesus’ vocation as the Son of God, who is the fulfillment of Israel. Where Israel failed, Jesus will triumph.

The source of this account must be Jesus himself—no one else was there. Luke and Matthew differ in only some of the details. The focus of the story is on the Old Testament. There are implied parallels between Jesus’ experience and that of Moses (and Israel’s) and Elijah. Remember that Moses, like Jesus, was the representative of Israel before God. However, the main focus is on Deuteronomy 6-8 and its descriptions of the lesson God put before the Israelites in the wilderness before their conquest of the promised land, when he tested them (Dt. 8:2) as a man disciplines his son (Dt. 8:5). Read Deuteronomy 8:1-10. Israel failed to learn its lesson, but where she failed her mission, now the Son of God succeeds. The concept of Jesus as the true Israel, introduced in 2:15, now comes to fuller expression.]

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. [Matthew stresses that the intention of the Spirit was the testing of Jesus in the wilderness, the same place (symbolically) were Israel was tested and where prophets, like John the Baptizer, went to engage with God.] 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights [symbolizes 40 years of Israel’s wandering, Moses’ fast at Sinai (Dt. 9:9), and Elijah (1 Ki. 19:8), he was hungry. [We do not know if Jesus completely abstained from food and drink, but he experienced real human hunger.] 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” [Satan says the Son of God has no need to be hungry. His “if” is not of doubting that Jesus is the Son of God, but that he indeed has the power to satisfy his needs miraculously. Later events prove he does have the power, which is not wrong to use, but Jesus learned in the experience designed by God to teach him the lesson of Dt. 8:3.] 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” [Jesus’ mission was one of continual self-privation, for the sake of the ministry of the word of God. A concern for his own material comfort would jeopardize it. As Son of God he had to put first things first, being totally dependent upon his Father, unlike Israel. He is not here being the “economic” Messiah. The story is about his relationship with his Father.]

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city [in a vision?] and set him on the pinnacle of the temple [180 feet] 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down [this would be a spectacular sign for Jerusalem to see], for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ [Ps 91:11]

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” [Ps 91:12]

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”[See Dt. 6:16. Jesus could do these things, but he will not tempt God as Israel did.] 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain [recalling Moses on Mount Nebo] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory [that which Jesus is to have after his crucifixion]. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” [This is Satan’s dominion which Jesus has come to contest to achieve world-wide dominion. Israel had fallen to this temptation, renouncing their exclusive loyalty to God for the sake of temporary political advantage.] 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” [Dt. 6:13]

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. [The angelic help of Psalm 91:11 may include the provision of food as Elijah received in 1 Kings 19:5-8.]