Matthew 4:1-11

Verse 1

Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

This was the first thing Jesus did after his baptism. It wasn’t ministry to the sick, a sermon or a more bible study - it was testing in the wilderness

If the Son of God was led into the wilderness to be tested, why would we expect this not to happen to us? To be led out by God into a wilderness season to be tested also?

Distinction between who’s leading and who’s testing. Satan is used by God as a pawn. God is leading, Satan tests or tempts.

Already the Jewish reader of this story is seeing Jesus as the “New Israel” son being led into the wilderness after a water event.

Will Jesus be the son of God who can finally pass the test.

Israels history with tests have not been good. The Garden, The flood, Exodus, Promised land and now Jesus.

This verse challenges our view and understanding of God. The Lord can deem something that we would label as evil and terrible as good for us ie. Jesus being led into the wilderness to be tested by Satan. We usually drive a wedge between good and evil and say God is over good and Satan is over evil. But God is in fact ruling over both and therefore can like a chess master use both good and evil and pieces on his board to outwork his heavenly and ultimately good and perfect strategy or will.

Verse 2

Matthew 4:2 “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

Jesus goes on an all nothing fast - no food and most liekly no water

Only two others in scripture endured a no water or food fast for 40 days and that was Elijah and Moses.

40 Days in mirroring the 40 years Israel were wandering in the wilderness.

Jesus is aquainting himself with our story. But also living his prophetic ministry as a new moses and Elijah.

Jesus is obviously hungry. But this is an important key. The real test begins when we get hungry. When we follow through with following God’s will. Can we withstand temptation to in our most vulnerable moments?

This is a fasting period. This is important. There’s a general principle here for saying no to temptation, but also the Lord will lead you into fasts or seasons where you obstain from something for a certain period of time. You need to know the difference between something permanant vs something temporal.

Verse 3

Matthew 4:3 “And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.””

Satan’s timing is always the most inconvenient. When we are at our most vulnerable.

More accurately “Since you are the son of God”. So Satan is both acknowleging who Jesus is (He already knows him via King Herod’s attempt to kill him, Johns presching and Jesus baptism with a heavenly proclamation), whilst also taunting him with the term Son of God.

Test 1

Matthew 4:3–4 “And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

This is an appeal to the lust of the flesh. Satan is trying to entice Jesus into giving his fleshly desires what they want. Which in this moment is food.

But Jesus shows he doesn’t have the same disposition to sin as we do the seeds of Adam. He is born of the virgin Mary God incarnate not of Adam. And is able to say no to sin.

The lust of the flesh speaks of all the desires our flesh wants. Galations 5 has an extesnive list of acts of the flesh.

Jesus replies every time with Scripture. He knows His bible. As we should to counter the attacks of the enemy.

Deuteronomy 8:3 is the verse Jesus quotes. He knows exactly what test Satan is throwing at him. It’s the same one he decieved Israel with in Exodus 16 when they were hungry wandering in the desert so they complained to God. The Lord wanted to teach them that bread isn’t what sustained them but His very words. So he priovided miraculously through Manna and Quail.

Jesus fulfills what the Lord desired of Israel in this moment.

Test 2

Matthew 4:5–7 “Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and 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, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ””

He taunts him again with the phrase Son of God.

This is an appeal to the Pride of Life. Which speak of the desire we have to lift oursleevs above our station, step out of God’s will and boast in our achievements for all to see.

Satan wanted Jesus to give in to the temptation to publically display his power to the world.

In sight of the city of Jerusalem evoking a legion of angels to burst through the 4th dimension. That would show everyone who he truly was.

Satan knows His Scripture. That’s scary.

He loves to use scripture to lead us astray.

This is the false teachers play, the heretics play at times. Somtimes the person from another religion quoting our bible to disprove who Jesus is. Or even closer to home and more intimate this can be our own family, friends and church community who either mis quote scripture or rip it out of context to maniulate Gods people into pleasing them instead of God.

Satan quotes bible but he mis quotes. On purpose I’d say.

It’s Psalm 91:11–12 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”

Satan literally leaves out a sentence in the middle to guard you in all your ways. To protect you as you walk with the Lord.

Satan rips this out of context and tries to make Jesus believe this is for this very moment.

But ultimately Satan is asking Jesus to do something God hasn’t asked him to to and therefore put God to the test. Which is sin.

This is a throwback to Exodus 17 at the waters of Massah where they tested the Lord literally “To see if the Lord is really among us”.

Satan is trying to temp Jesus to dis believe the Lord is really here.

Jesus again shows he is in a different category. He is God with us.

He quotes Deut 6:16 which states you shalll not put God to the test. Jesus knows his bible better.

But it’s important not just to know your Bible but to live it.

Test 3

Matthew 4:8–10 ESV

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 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.’ ”

This appeals to the lust of the eyes. Which speaks of all the things in the world we see with our eyes and desire.

The mountain image is very significant in Scripture. It is the picture of God’s presence and reign. Satan is strategic in doing this not just to literally show him, but to try and get Jesus to believe this is where and how He could rule over the world.

He pulls out the big guns. The promise of the world. This is a very successful strategy from Satan that takes out people alot. The promise that the world is the greatest promise to possess.

This test mirrors The golden calf story in Exodus 32. Israel didn’t believe God would deliver and fashioned a golden calf so they had a God who went before them and attributed the Exodus to these faslse God’s. They worshipped other God’s to fast track the process of getting what they desired - the world.

Jesus responds with another quote from Deut 6:13 to worhsip God and serve him only.

This Israel failed to do countless times in their history and constantly erected altars to false Gods.

Jesus again shows he is not like Israel and withstands Satans last attempt to get him to abandon the will of His Father. Jesus prevails.

Verse 11

I think of the Scripture “Resist the devil and he will flee” from the book of James.

Angels came, sent by the Father to minister to Him.

Note Jesus doesn’t call them and use his heavenly right and power.

Philippians 2 says he “didn’t consider himself equal with God to be used for his own advantage.”

The road of resistance, perseverance and humility leads to the Lords favour and ministry over us. Not self exaltation, pride and disobediance.

1 John 2

1 John 2:15–17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

John writes with the full perspective of Israels failures, Christs accomplishments and our present and daily challenges.

These are still the strategies of Satan today - the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

Whoever can do the will of God like Jesus brings everlasting life into the present and every day.

Conclusions

Jesus has finshed the work we could not. Praise God. Ultimately he has fulfilled the Fathers perfect will.

But he makes it possible for us to do likewise and resist the devil.

The same spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness and through the moments of testing lives in us and as he leads us through tests can empower us for obedience.

Jesus gives us a template: The Word - Daily reading plan Fasting - Regular commitment