Matthew 4:1-11
Every person knows what it is like to fail. And the Bible is full of such stories:
- Adam and Eve were in the best possible situation of any human being – and then they fell into temptation
- Abraham, although having such a great walk with God, lied about his wife to save his own skin
- David, at the height of his kingdom fell into temptation w/ Bathsheba
- Solomon, David’s son with Bathsheba, expanded that kingdom even further, before following his wives into idolatry
- It was only after his great experience on Mount Caramel that Elijah ran away at a death threat from Jezebel, not only wanting to give up on the ministry, but to give up his own life
- Hezekiah saw God kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night, but then fell into the temptation of pride, showing off his treasures to the Babylonians and bringing the promise of Judah’s fall
- Peter gave the fantastic statement of faith – that Jesus is the Christ, and then moments later was rebuked by Jesus w/ the words, “Get behind me, Satan”
And now Jesus finds Himself in that situation. He is coming from a great experience, being baptized by John with the Holy Spirit coming upon Him as a dove, and God the Father recognizing Jesus as His beloved Son. It could not get any better. And the next thing for Jesus is that He is tempted by the devil. Will He be like any human being and fail?
A Temptation To Doubt God’s Care (v. 1-4)
Verse 1 tells us that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Not led by the devil! The wilderness is an extremely barren place; it’s not a tourist resort. Jesus fasts for 40 days and nights, most likely spending much time in prayer with God.
While Jesus is hungry, the devil or tempter comes to Jesus with a temptation: make these stones into bread.
Essentially, the temptation is this, “How can you be God’s Son? Here you sit, in the middle of the wilderness. You’re starving; you’re hungry. You know, God’s not going to take care of you – God helps those who help themselves – so help yourself; make up some bread.”
Can you relate to this? Have you ever been in a circumstance where it seems God has forgotten you? or doesn’t care what’s happening with you?
Jesus answers the temptation by going straight to God’s Word – He does this every single time. It is God’s Word that we hide in our hearts so that we may not sin against Him. Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”
Jesus remembers God does care, and the care is not limited to physical comfort. God the Holy Spirit showed His care in leading Him into the wilderness. God the Father showed His care in giving His approval. Jesus has been spending time in communion with God. So, I will trust God’s care for me, even in the hard times.
A Temptation To Doubt God’s Truth (v. 5-7)
Strike 1 for Satan, but he’s not giving up. The setting for this second temptation is the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem. The drop, as recorded by the historian Josephus, was about 450 feet!!
Since Jesus answered the 1st temptation with the Word of God, Satan decides to use the Word of God in the 2nd temptation. Here, Satan quotes from Psalm 91:11-12, with the idea that Jesus should prove His deity by an incredible public miracle. I can imagine it being like a superhero effect. The whole point being that Jesus should do this to make sure, once again, that He is the Son of God.
In response, Jesus doesn’t argue with Satan’s twisting of Scripture. Instead, He goes to God’s Word to answer the core of the temptation, “It is written ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’”
This comes from Deuteronomy 6:16, where Israel is rebuked for testing God in the wilderness. They forgot what God had said, and so demanded that He do what they wanted Him to do.
Has that happened to you? Where you tell God want you want Him to do for you and your time frame? The heart of this temptation is to do things your own way, rather than God’s way.
So Jesus’ answer is ‘No. no one tells God what to do.’ Plus, God had already spoken, “This is My Beloved Son.” There was no need for further proof of this.
A Temptation To Doubt God’s Plan (v. 8-10)
Strike 2 – but nobody ever said that Satan was a quitter. So, back he comes for the 3rd temptation, and this location is a very high mountain. From there, Satan brings before Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Imaginge the glory, splendor, greatness of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, England, France, America, etc. Satan will give these to Jesus, if Jeus gives worship to Satan.
In effect, what Satan is tempting Jesus with is a short cut. “Look, I can give you all of this, not God! All you have to do is worship me. There’s no need for the painful death on the cross. This will be super easy; barely an inconvenience.”
When have you been tempted to take a short cut? To follow your plan instead of God’s best plan?
Jesus displays His full authority here, as He commands Satan to leave. But Jesus also gives the Word of God in answer, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13-14, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”
Worship belongs to God and God alone. While other options will look easier in the short term, to worship God is to trust His plan for us.
Verse 11 wraps up the scene: 1) Satan obeys Jesus’ command and departs. And 2) angels come and minister or serve Jesus. God does indeed care about His beloved Son.
Conclusion
What can we learn about Jesus from this passage?
Jesus is your Example. Jesus faced temptation and overcame. How? By relying on God’s Word. We must be spending time with God in His Word, in the Bible. We cannot overcome temptation if we turn from what He has given to us
Jesus is your Hope. Adam’s temptation resulted in the fall of all mankind, that we are all sinners and w/o excuse before God. But Jesus’ victory over temptation gives us hope! Because of Him, we can have salvation!
Jesus is your KING! Ultimately, this is the point that Matthew is making here. Once again, we are brought face to face with the uniqueness and greatness of Jesus. It is He who resists the temptations of Satan as Adam couldn’t. And it is He who commands Satan to go and it is obeyed!
Discussion Questions:
- What did you learn about Jesus from this passage?
- How can God’s Word help you overcome temptations that you face?
- How does Jesus give you hope when you face temptation?
- What can you begin to do today to prepare for a temptation (even unexpected) tomorrow?