Matthew 4

Chapter 1 - 4 Review

Chapter 1

Jesus’s kingship is shown by his birth - his descent from the royal line of David and his miraculous conception

Jesus’ kingship is shown by the circumstances surrounding his birth - by the homage of the magi, the hatred of Herod and God’s miraculous protection of the young child

Chapter 3

The greatest man who ever lived heralds the Messiah, the One who was greater still. The herald’s job was to prepare the way and proclaim the arrival of the king

Chapter 4

Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan declared his royalty. His testing in the wilderness demonstrated it

Chapter 4

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Read and summarize

The Crisis of Temptation ( 4:1-11 )

— It was the kingship of Christ that was emphasized in 1:1-3:12

— At 3:13, there is a shift: the king becomes the sin-bearer

— By means of His baptism He reaffirms His resolution to offer Himself as a ransom for many

— This King is also a priest

— “Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” ( Heb 6:20; Ps 110:4 )

— Offering Himself implies suffering — He suffers vicariously

— One of the forms of suffering is temptation ( 4:1-11 )

— “He suffered being tempted” ( Heb 2:18 )

— He is not only the priest who “suffers being tempted” but as the king who gives battle to His chief opponent and overcomes him

The Preparation ( 4:1-2 )

( 4:1-2 ) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

— Mark adds that Jesus immediately went to the wilderness after his baptism ( Mk 1:12 )

— A great truth of life is that after victory often comes temptation

— God’s Word warns: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” ( 1 Cor 10:12 )

— Satan met Adam in the perfect environment of the garden; Adam lost his battle while in paradise

— Satan met Christ in the forbidding desolate wilderness where “He was with wild beasts” ( Mk 1:13) without food for forty days ( Lk 4:2); Yet Christ won His battle

— What better proof can there be that spiritual and moral failure are not caused by circumstances but rather by our character and response when tempted?

— What did Christ do for forty days while fasting?

— No doubt spent time in prayer with the Father

— Even in His perfect humanity Jesus needed time in for this thoughts and prayers like we all do

( 4:1 ) tempted by the devil

— The Greek word for tempt is πειράζω (peirazō ), tempt. The word is neutral

— Whether the test is good or bad depends on the test

— God often uses Satan’s tempting to evil as His own means of testing for good. What Satan intended the Son into sin, the Father used to demonstrate the Son’s holiness and worthiness

Calvin

“There were two reasons why Christ withdrew into the wilderness. First, that, after a fast of forty days he might come forth as a new man, or rather a heavenly man, to the discharge of his office. Secondly, that he might be tried by temptation and undergo an apprenticeship before he undertook an office so arduous and so exalted”

— One is reminded of Moses at the burning bush ( Ex 3:1-4:17 )

— And of Paul’s retreat to Arabia

The Temptation ( 4:3-10 )

Q: In what ways did Satan seek to tempt Christ, and how did Jesus respond ( 4:3-10 )?

( 4:3-10 ) Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

— Three temptations and each worse than the last

— The first was to distrust the Father

— The second was to presume upon the Father by putting Him to the test

— The third was to renounce the Father and to worship Satan instead

Q: Perhaps you’ve heard these questions or asked these questions yourself. Was it possible for the Savior to succumb to temptation?

— Definitely not!

— He was without sin ( Is 53:9; John 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21 )

— He was overflowing with

— holiness

— pardoning love

— a yearning to heal

— impart the true knowledge of God (Is 53:5; Matt 5:43-48; 14:14; 15:2, 3; Luke 23:34; Acts 10:38 )

Q: If He was unable to sin, was His temptation real?

— Yes, “He was tempted in all points ( or in every respect ) as we are, yet without sin; that is, without falling into sin ( Heb 4:15 )

— He experienced the various temptations to which men in general, including believers, experience

— In all these things, He was urged by Satan to believe that He could receive a good thing by committing a bad act

Going Deeper

“If You are the Son of God

— Satan was not questioning Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God or God in human flesh

— The conditional “if” carries the idea of since in this context

— Satan’s plan was for Christ to use His divine power that he has set aside in His humanity ( Phil 2: )

Serving Self ( 4:3-4 )

( 4:3-4 ) Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

—The first temptation was much more than satisfying His hunger

— It was going against God’s will

— He was hungry and thirsty and He had the right to have something to eat and drink

— But Satan appealed to Jesus’ supposed rights as the son of God; how could He feed the children of Israel and allow His son to starve

The idea is that it was not wrong for Jesus to turn stones into bread

— It was the word “if.”

Doubt God

— It was a temptation to doubt God’s veracity, his truthfulness, hidden in what appears to be concern about Jesus’s physical hunger

— It was a test to induce Jesus to use His divine powers to serve His own self-interests and thereby rebel against God’s will

Hendricksen

— It is clear that temptation came from the outside: the tempter came to Him

— Only in this way are are we permitted to think of Christ as being tempted

— Satan is the tempter ( 1 Thess 3:5; Matt 4:1; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2; 1 Cor 7:5 )

— His meanness consists especially in this, that he first tempts man to sin

— Then, when the tempted one follows his advice, the tempter becomes the accuser!

— Moreover, he will even continue to accuse the fallen one after our sin has been forgiven ( Zech 3:1-5; Rev 12:10 )

Jesus Answered

Jesus answered by quoting scripture

( 4:3 ) “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

In other words

Jesus is saying - it doesn’t matter if I’m hungry

— God will preserve my life if he wants to

— What matters is whether or not I doubt his word

— God’s people are never justified in complaining and worrying about their needs; if we live by faith in Him and in obedience to His Word, we will never lack anything we really need ( Phil 4:19; Matt 6:8 )

Testing God ( 4:5-7 )

( 4:5-7 ) Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

— The Jews had an expectation that the Messiah would appear at the Temple

— Satan brought Jesus to the Temple, in effect saying, let’s start your rule here and now

James Boice

“At this point Satan got into the act saying, ‘Well, I can see that you are a student of scripture, having memorized that verse from Deuteronomy. But of course, I am something of a bible student myself. When I am not wandering up and down the earth temping Job or someone, I have periods of bible study, and not long ago, when I was reading Psalms, I came across some interesting verses. Psalm 91:11-12. ‘For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ (cf Matt 4:6). Do you believe that? I believe it. In fact, I believe it so much that I a going to make a suggestion. Let’s go up to the highest point of the temple, you and me, You jump off. God will ‘bear you up’ and the people who see the miracle will follow you immediately. It will get your ministry off to a rip-roaring start.”

Jesus Responded

Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy a second time

( 4:7 ) Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” ( cf Deut 6:16 ) — David could say, “ Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” ( Ps 119:11 )

— Very practical to memorize scripture when confronted with temptation

Worshiping Satan ( 4:8-10 )

Q: What have you found helpful in resisting temptation ( 4:3-10 )?

( 4:8-10 ) Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

— Satan finally drops all pretenses; His real purpose is for Christ to worship him!

— Instead of enduring the painful road to the cross — and even longer wait in heaven for God’s time to be complete, He could have it all now

— Satan offered Christ the crown without the cross

— Satan always comes to us in this way

— To succeed in business or politics, to fulfill all your lusts and desires

— All we have to do is do it the world’s way which is Satan’s way

— Cheat on your taxes, everyone does; say anything to get what you want

— No one desires our happiness more than our heavenly Father

— A few chapters later Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” ( Matt 7:11 )

— We can have the happiness God gives; why should we settle for the cheap substitute that Satan offers

Satan’s Schemes

—Satan tempts us the same way that he tempted Jesus

— Try to question God’s providential care and try to solve our problems by our own plans in our own way and in our own power

— Try to test God by placing ourselves in danger and presume on His care: physically, economically, morally, spiritually, or any other

— He will appeal to selfish ambition and try go get us to use our own schemes to fulfill the promises that God made to us (cf. 1 John 2:16 )

— We can resist temptation only by resisting the way that Jesus resisted - by holding with complete obedience to God and His Word. He did not think it over! ( cf. James 1:13-15 )

Lessons Learned

( 1 ) No one is exempt from temptation

( 2 ) Temptation may come following our greatest victories

( 3 ) Temptations are neutral, they either prove our character or they lead to sin when we are drawn away by our own desires ( James 1:14 )

( 4 ) We need our daily spiritual food; Bible study and prayer ( Matt 4:4 )

( 5 ) Resist the Devil with the Word of God ( Ep 6:17; Ps 119:111; 1 Pet 3:15 )

( 6 ) Temptation attacks us when we are alone; we need the community of believers; our life group

( 7 ) Satan attacks our physical, our spiritual and physiological needs

( 8 ) Satan uses pride to lead us to sin

( 9 ) Satan perverts the truth

( 10 ) We must not tempt God

Going Deeper

( 4:10 ) Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!

— When Jesus said Away with you Satan!, he immediately fled because he had no choice

— The Lord gives all of His children the power to resist Satan

— “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” ( James 4:7 )

— The devil may return but with every temptation God has provided a way of escape ( 1 Cor 10:13 )

The Triumph ( 4:11 )

Q: In what ways is Christ our role model for resisting temptation? What are the lessons we can learn from Him?

( 4:11 ) Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

— Satan’s temptations failed but God’s tests succeeded

— Jesus trusted the Father; I will not presume on His Word; and I will not circumvent His will

— I will take the Father’s good gifts from the Father’s hand in the Father’s own way and in the Father’s own time

The Light Dawns ( 4:12-17 )

— In this section Jesus is described as a “great light”

— One of the most beautiful descriptions of Christ is that of light

— John opened his gospel with these words

— “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” ( John 1:4-5 )

— John tells us that John the Baptist “came that he might bear witness of the light.. the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man” ( John 1:8-9 )

The Right Time ( 4:12a )

( 4:12 ) Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

— It is always dangerous to confront evil and it cost John the Baptist imprisonment and eventually his life

— He spoke out against Herod Antipas for his great wickedness including the taking of his half-brother Philip’s wife Herodias ( Matt 14:3-4; Lk 3:19-20 )

Going Deeper

— Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, another son of Herod the Great; so when she married Philip, she was marrying her uncle

— What caused the arrest of John the Baptist was that another of Herodias’ uncles talked her into leaving her husband (his brother) in order to marry him! — thus compounding the incest

— John was outraged that a ruler in Israel would commit such sin openly, so he rebuked him severely

The Right Place ( 4:12b-16 )

( 4:12-16 ) He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

— Matthew points to another OT fulfillment ( Is 9:1 )

— Jesus would come from the regions of Zebulun and Nephtali

Zebulun & Nephtali

— Now known as upper and lower Galilee

— God really brought punishment to this area (NE Galilee E of the Jordan river) was the first to suffer the invasion of the Assyrian king

— Tiglath-Pileser ( 2 Ki 15:29 ) wiped this area out around the sea of Galilee

Q: What was Isaiah saying in this passage quoted by Matthew ( 4:12-16 )?

Darkness

— This was the first area to suffer the darkness

Glorify

— But it will be the first to be glorified

The Right Proclamation ( 4:17 )

( 4:17 ) From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

— Jesus started his ministry with the very words that people heard from John the Baptist: Repent

— The message is the same today as when Jesus and John gave it

Q: What did Jesus mean when He said that the Kingdom of heaven is near ( 4:17 )?

— The king had arrived and the kingdom of God was near

— The kingdom of heaven/God is near because it is in our hearts ( 3:2 )

— The world does not have peace, but those do who know the prince of peace

Going Deeper

— Mark and Luke used the phrase “the Kingdom of God”

— Matthew did not use the name God because of the Jew’s great reverence for the name of God

— Because Israel did not repent the literal, physical kingdom had to be postponed

Fishing for Men ( 4:18-22 )

— Jesus came on a search and rescue mission ( Lk 19:10 )

— God’s people were to share His concern ( Ex 32:32 )

— The writer of Proverbs reminded Israel that “he who is wise wins souls” ( Prov 11:30 )

Going Deeper

— By comparing the gospel we notice at least 5 different calling of the twelve

— The first call was to salvation and faith in Christ ( Jn 1:35-51; 2:11 )

— The calling that Matthew mentions here was to witness

— After neither the first or second call did the disciples leave their occupations

— At the time of the third call ( Lk 5:1-11 ), Peter, James and John were back again fishing

— Jesus repeated the call to be fishers of men, and the disciples then realized the call was permanent and “they left everything and followed him” ( 4:11 )

Calling Peter and Andrew ( 4:18-20 )

( 4:18-20 ) And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

— This was not the first time that Jesus had spoken to these men

— He had talked to Peter and Andrew previously ( Jn 1:35-42 )

— Jesus asked them to “fish for men,” to help others find God

— From the beginning of His ministry His plan was to use disciples to win disciples

— We all need to fish for souls; to fish you must be intentional

— All of the disciples were Jewish; Jesus came to the Jewish people

— They were casting nets, Jesus cast a net and caught them

Going Deeper

— We are all expected to bear fruit in evangelism

— Peter exhorted us: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” ( 1 Pet 2:9 )

— And the great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” ( Matt 28:19 )

— Jesus did not command that his disciples become fishers of men but that He would make them fishers of men

— We can never be effective disciples without His Power; “I am the vine, you are the branch” ( Jn 15:5 )

Q: Christ urged Simon, Peter, James and John to follow him. What does “following Christ” look like today, twenty centuries later ( 4:18-22 )?

Calling James and John ( 4:21-22 )

( 4:21-22 ) 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

— Jesus called James and his brother John

— They were motivated and immediately left their boat

— When Jesus asks us to serve him, we must be like the disciples and do it at once

Going Deeper

— this James is always mentioned along with his brother and he was martyred by Herod Agrippa

Q: What would you pick out from these verses that speak of His divine credentials ( 4:23-25 )?

The King’s Divine Credentials ( 4:23-25 )

( 4:23-25 ) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

— Here we see Christ’s divine credentials

— One way that Jesus demonstrated His divine character was through his miracles of healing

—Matthew now lays out the King’s message, His preaching, His teaching and His healing

— Through His preaching; when the family lost Jesus during the passover, Jesus was explaining the law (at 12 years old)

Q: Why did Jesus want to teach? What was His purpose?

Teaching and Preaching ( 4:23 )

( 4:23 ) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

— Jesus wanted the people of that day to understand His word which had become perverted; the leaders had built fences upon fences

— Jesus went to the synagogues because He knew that is where faithful Jews would meet

— The leader of the synagogue was not a pastor but more of an administrator; His job was to invite Rabbis to come and speak

— Jesus was concerned with preaching and teaching

— teaching shows His concern for understanding the Word

— preaching shows His concern for our commitment to the Word

— When Jesus preached and taught, He was announcing the He was the King who had come to bring God’s promised perfect kingdom

— Jesus preached the Good News

— that the kingdom was at hand

— that God is with us,

— and that He loves us

Going Deeper

Hendricksen

The gospel of the kingdom

— This refers to God’s kingship, rule or recognized sovereignty

— That may be the meaning of Luke 17:21, “The kingdom of God is within you,” and is the meaning of Matt 6:10, “Thy kingdom come, they will be done...”

— The gospel of the kingdom also refers to complete salvation, i.e., all the spiritual and material blessings which result when God is King in our hearts, recognized and obeyed as such

— That is the meaning, according to the context, in Mark 10:25, 26, “It is easier … than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. and they … said, “Then who can be saved?”

— It refers to the church, the community of people in whose hearts God is recognized as King

— The kingdom of God and the church are equivalent in the context of Matt 16:18, 19 “…and upon this rock will I build my church… I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven”

— And it refers to the redeemed universe: the new heaven and earth with all their glory, something still in the future

— It is the final realization of God’s saving power

— Thus in Matt 25:34 “… inherit the kingdom prepared for you...”

Q: Why didn’t Jesus not go to Turkey or Egypt or any of the neighboring countries?

Healing ( 4:23c-25 )

— Jesus words should have been enough; His disciples followed him before He performed a single miracle

— God can heal us not just physically but spiritually as well

— Many followed Jesus but the majority did not

— Healing was a preview of Christ’s millennial kingdom

— Jesus came to the Jews and His message was for Israel; after they rejected Him His message went to the Gentiles

Going Deeper

— God makes it clear that not all sickness and illness are caused by sin or foolishness

— Job suffered greatly, though he was blameless, upright and feared God ( Job 1:1 )

Alexander Maclaren

“It may be doubted whether we have an adequate notion of the immense number of Christ’s miracles. Those recorded are but a small portion of those done. Those early ones were illustrations of the nature of His kingdom; they were His first gifts to His kingdom subjects.”

— His miracles demonstrated

( 1 ) He was divine; no mere human could do these things

( 2 ) He was compassionate and merciful

( 3 ) The miracles showed that He was the promised Messiah ( Is 35:5-10; 61:1-3 )

( 4 ) He showed that the coming Kingdom was a reality; these were a foretaste of what the kingdom will be like ( Matt 10:7-8 )

Additional Resources

MacArthur, John. Matthew 1-7. Moody Press, 1985.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997.

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.

Bluelettterbible.org Matthew Commentaries: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/mat/1/1/t_comms_930001

Matthew Study: https://bible-studys.org/matthew/

Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%204.html