The Temptation of Jesus
Matthew, chapter four, picks up immediately after the events of chapter three which depicts Jesus’ baptism. If you haven’t already read the study on chapter three, you can find it here.
Let’s take a look at how the narrative begins.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1, ESV)
Notice that the verse begins with the word “then.” The Greek word used here is tóte. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, tote is an adverb which means “at that time.” In Greek, just as in English, adverbs can tell “when” an action occurs. In other words, the text is saying that the events described in Matthew 4:1-11 happened immediately after the events at the end of chapter 3, which was Jesus’ baptism.
This is important because it was as Jesus came out of the water that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and the Father’s voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17b, ESV).
It was at the moment of His baptism, that God declared that Jesus is His Son. Immediately after that pronouncement, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the “wilderness.”
Although we don’t know exactly where this “wilderness” was, it was probably the Judean desert. Some translations even use the word “desert” instead of “wilderness.”
The next part of the verse states that Jesus was to be “tempted by the devil.” Notice that the verse is specific as to the identity of the tempter. Although the Holy Spirit leads Jesus to the desert, it is not God who is tempting Him. God’s Word makes it clear that God does not tempt us to sin.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. (James 1:13, ESV)
At this point, we need to pause a moment to define the word “tempt.” The Greek word for tempt/tempted is peirazó which does mean “tempt” but it can also mean “test.”
Now let’s get back to English. According to dictionary.com, the word tempt means “to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.” Dictionary.com also provides an obsolete definition which means “to try or test.”
Nearly every English translation of the Bible uses the word “tempted” to describe what Satan does to Jesus in this narrative. Here is a comparison of Matthew 4:1 in several translations.
Then was Jesus let up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (KJV)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (ESV)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (NIV)
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. (GNB)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. (NLT)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (NASB)
Notice that all of these translations use the word “tempted.” However, the Contemporary English Version (CEV) translates the verse this way: “The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him.”
I like the CEV translation because after completing a word study of Matthew 4:1, I believe that it provides the most accurate account of what is happening is the passage.
Immediately after Jesus’ baptism where God the Father proclaims that Jesus is His Son, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the desert where the devil will come to test Him.
Let’s get back to the word “tempted/temp” for a moment. Even in English, there are different ways to use this word.
For example, someone might say, “I was tempted to blow my diet and each a piece of chocolate cake.” In this context, the speaker wants to each the cake but decides to stick to his diet instead.
But in a different context, that same person may say, “My friend made a delicious-looking chocolate cake and kept tempting me to eat a piece.” In this context, the speaker does not want the cake, but someone else keeps trying to get him to eat it.
Do you see the difference? In the first instance, the person wants to do something, but in the second instance someone else wants him to do something.
Matthew 4:1 is describing the second example. The devil is testing Jesus by trying to get Him to sin. Jesus does not want to do wrong!
Let’s move on. Matthew 4:2 states: “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he [Jesus] was hungry (ESV, brackets and emphasis added).
So, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the desert so that Satan can test Him. Once Jesus gets to the desert, He fasts for 40 days. It is clear from the verse that Jesus does not eat anything during those 40 days. The Bible records accounts of others who fasted for 40 days.
- Moses fasted for 40 days on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28).
- Elijah fasted for 40 days as he journeyed to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).
Now this is interesting because according to gotquestions.org, Horeb is another name for Sinai, and Horeb comes from a Hebrew word which means “desert.”
So Jesus, Moses, and Elijah all fasted for 40 days, and all of these fasts correlate to Sinai/Horeb/desert.
It is not mere chance that Jesus fasted for 40 days. The number 40 is a significant number in the Bible. It usually symbolizes a period of testing.
The number forty had often been used, since the primordial times, as a divine signal of judgment, or testing. The enemy would know this.
Gods of the Final Kingdom, Carl Gallops, page 52
Here are a few instances of testing and the number 40 in the Bible:
- When God sent the flood, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12).
- The spies Moses sent into the Promised Land were there for 40 days (Numbers 13:25).
- After the children of Israel refused to take the Promised Land after a negative report from 10 of the 12 spies, God caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years (Numbers 14:34).
- Once Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh to deliver God’s message of judgment if the people did not repent, he preached in Nineveh for 40 days (Jonah 3:4).
- God told the prophet Ezekiel to lie on his right side for 40 days to symbolize Judah’s sin (Ezekiel 4:6).
It is also significant that Jesus fasted for 40 days because that is about the longest the human body can go without food. Remember that Jesus is fully God and fully human. His body could not go without food any more than ours can.
“Research tells us that after 40 days, the body begins to shut down and can no longer sustain itself.”
Cosmic Chess Match, L.A. Marzulli
When a person fasts for a long period of time, hunger pangs go away after about a week. However, they eventually come back which is the point when a person is beginning to starve to death. Matthew 4:2 specifically states that after fasting for 40 days, Jesus was “hungry.” Jesus was in an incredibly weak state physically because He was actually starving.
While Matthew 4 describes a physical confrontation with Satan, Luke 4:1-2 indicates that the testing went on during the entire 40 days.
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. (ESV, emphasis added)
Mark 1:12-13 also indicates that the testing occurred during the entire 40 days of fasting.
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. (ESV, emphasis added)
Based on these verses, I believe that Satan tested Jesus during the entire 40 days that the Messiah was fasting in the desert and that testing was spiritual. At the end of the 40 days of spiritual testing, Satan physically appears to Jesus to test him in the natural.
The first test is recorded in verse 3: “And the tempter came and said to him, ‘if you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’” (ESV)
Jesus’ response is immediate.
But he answered, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (ESV)
In response to Satan’s attach, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. In this passage, Moses is speaking to the children of Israel.
And he [God/Yahweh] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD [Yahweh]. (ESV, brackets and emphasis added)
The testing continues in verse five.
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, let you strike your foot against a stone.” (ESV)
Notice that Satan shows that he can use Scripture too; however, he quotes Psalm 91:11-12 out of context.
Here is the entire Psalm from the ESV. I have emphasized the parts of the Psalm that Satan quotes.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD [Yahweh], “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD [Yahweh] your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
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 food against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.
Satan and his false teachers use the Bible, but they manipulate it to make it seem to say what they want it to say. This is why we need to read and study God’s Word for ourselves. We also need to rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us as we study.
The Devil aims to shake our faith in the word of God, and bring us to question the truth of that.
Blue Letter Bible: Commentary on Matthew by Matthew Henry: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Mat/Mat_004.cfm?a=933005
This second test demonstrates Satan’s power. No, he is not as powerful as Yahweh, the Most High God and Creator, but he is powerful. When verse five states that the devil “took him [Jesus] to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,” I believe that in an instant Satan transported Jesus from the desert where He had been for 40 days to Jerusalem, the “holy city.”
Once again, Jesus fights Satan with Scripture.
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” (Matthew 4:7, ESV)
Jesus again quotes from Deuteronomy.
You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. (Deuteronomy 6:16, ESV, emphasis added)
Immediately following this second test, Satan tries again.
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.” (Matthew 4:8, ESV)
Once again Satan demonstrates his power by instantly transporting Jesus to another location. This time they are on a “very high mountain.” What follows is really interesting because verse eight states that Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world.” I believe that Satan uses his supernatural power here to show Jesus all the kingdoms from all points of history. Luke 4:5 states Satan “showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time” (ESV, emphasis added).
This time Jesus’ response is two-fold:
- Jesus tells Satan to “go” (verse 10).
- Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20.
After Jesus does these things, verse 11 tells us “Then the devil left Him.”
Notice that although Satan has demonstrated his power, he is no match for the Son of God. It is he who takes orders from Jesus. No matter how powerful he is, Satan is still under the authority of God Almighty!
Matthew 4:11 wraps up this time of testing by stating that after Satan left Jesus, “angels came and began to minister to Him.”
During this time of testing, Jesus sets an example that we are to follow. We also struggle with supernatural enemies, and God’s Word is one of the weapons that God has provided for us. Just like Jesus, we need to wield the Sword of the Spirit.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:11-16, ESV, emphasis added)
Notice that the word of God is the only OFFENSIVE weapon that is part of our armor as followers of Christ? Just like Jesus, we need to know God’s Word so that we can use it in our own struggle with the enemy.
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