Matthew 4:1-11 NASB
¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
²And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
³And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
⁴But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”
⁵Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'”
⁷Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'”
⁸Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; ⁹and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'”
¹¹Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
Devotional
Jesus remains faithful to his Father.
In all temptations Jesus stands firm.
Why does the Spirit now lead Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1)? Jesus must be tested to show that His faithfulness to, and his love for, His Father are real. With the assignment to fulfill His task as Savior unconditionally (Hebrews 10:7).
Things had gone terribly wrong in paradise.
Adam had failed there. But now God has sent Jesus, the new Man, the second Adam (Romans 5:15). He must mend the breach between the LORD and us (John 14:6). God’s Son as human beings substitutes our lives for us. Thus He makes sure that sins can be forgiven and the guilt is removed (Hebrews 9:26).
The devil also wants to make Jesus fail.
He begins with what Jesus needs most now: bread (Matthew 4:2,3).
But Jesus does not want anything to come between Him and His Father. He only wants to receive the bread in obedience to the word from God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4). He does not abuse his power as a Son to solve his problems prematurely.
But the devil does not give in so quickly and makes another attempt to deceive Jesus.
He is now also going to quote the Bible (Matthew 4:5,6). Paul later says that the devil also masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
But quoting from that same Word, Jesus says we should not tempt God (Matthew 4:7).
To tempt here means to provoke God to wrath, by asking Him not humbly, but presumptuously. If we do so, we do not know our position before Him.
No, in faith we must put everything in His hand. No matter how difficult it may be.
Trusting that He will give us what we need.
Then the devil makes one last attempt. He shows Jesus every country (Matthew 4:8).
By surrendering Himself to him, Jesus can gain power and prestige without having to go down the road to the cross (Matthew 4:10).
Again Jesus resists. Then angels take the place of the devil (Matthew 4:11).
According to Jewish tradition, being served by the angels was part of the wealth of paradise.
By disobeying the LORD, Adam turned paradise into a desert.
Jesus makes the desert a paradise by obeying God.
Question
▪︎ God tests, the devil tempts. What is the difference?
Prayer Suggestion
▪︎ Pray for God’s help when you are tempted.
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
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