4:1–11 The temptations faced by Jesus follow the same pattern as the Israelites' disobedience in the desert. The Israelites demanded bread, doubted the Lord's presence, and despaired of His help (compare Num 11). Jesus reverses all of these acts of faithlessness.
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4:1 was led up into the wilderness God led His people through the desert for 40 years due to their unfaithfulness (see note on Luke 4:1). The Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days so that His fidelity
might be set in contrast to the nation's infidelity.
by the Spirit Matthew emphasizes that the Spirit leads Jesus; the devil is allowed to test Him but does not lead Him.
devil The Greek term used here, diabolos, refers to a spiritual figure who is adversarial to God and His purposes. In Mark 1:13 and Matt 4:10, this figure is referred to by the Greek term satanas (see noteon Mark 1:13).
4:2 fasted forty days and forty nights Fasting during this time period meant eating nothing at all. The text does not seem to imply that Jesus was sustained supernaturally during His fast; instead, it emphasizes that He experienced hunger. Jesus' 40-day fast recalls Moses' 40 days on the mountain (Exod 24:18), the Israelites' 40 years in the desert (Num 14:33–34), and Elijah's 40 days at Mount Horeb (1 Kgs 19:1–8).
4:3 the tempter approached and said to him The text does not say whether the devil is in human form.
If you are the Son of God The devil uses this challenge twice in his temptations of Jesus. He turns the words of Matt 3:17 into a taunt.
order that these stones become bread Parallels the Israelites' failure in the desert. They complained that God did not provide enough food for them (Exod 16:3). The devil is tempting Jesus to break His fast, which the text implies would be equivalent to disobedience to God the Father.
4:6 throw yourself down This test of God's providence is far more extreme than any test Israel underwent in the desert. No biblical precedent exists for God's choosing to save someone from falling in this way.
4:7 You are not to put the Lord your God to the test A quotation from Deut 6:16, which refers to the Israelites' testing Yahweh in Exod 17:2–7.
showed him all the kingdoms It is uncertain what Matthew intends to describe. The Greek word deiknymi used here means "to show or point out." The apparent implication is that the devil simply points out the general direction of the kingdoms of the earth, naming them as he does so. Visions or physical movement may be involved, but this text does not mention such phenomena.
fall down A common posture of respect and submission in the ancient Near East.
worship me The Greek word used here, proskyneō, does not necessarily refer to religious worship. It also can be used to describe the act of honoring an earthly king.
4:10 Go away, Satan Jesus later rebukes Satan's work through Peter using a similar remark (Matt 16:23).
it is written Jesus quotes Deut 6:13, where the entire passage speaks against doubting Yahweh. Deuteronomy 6:10–11 describes how Yahweh would lead the Israelites into the promised land and provide them with an abundance of good things; Deut 6:12 warns against forgetting Yahweh. God led His people into the promised land despite the strength of its inhabitants. He also brought about the kingdom of His Messiah despite opposition.
4:11 angels came and began ministering to him Compare Luke 4:13, which strikes a more ominous tone. At Jesus' arrest, He tells Peter that He could have angels sent to defend Him (Matt 26:53).
4:12–17 Following His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus returns to the region of Galilee and begins His ministry. This is approximately ad 28. Luke estimates that Jesus was around 30 when He began His public ministry (Luke 3:23).[2]
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