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Matthew 4:1
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Satan Tempts Jesus

1 Then aJesus was led up by bthe 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.
3 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, a‘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 ainto 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:
a‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,
b‘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, a‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”  
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and ashowed 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,1 “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, a‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”  
11 Then the devil aleft Him, and behold, bangels came and ministered to Him.  

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry

12 aNow when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, 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,
Commentaries:


No entry exists in Forerunner Commentary for Matthew 4:1.

Matthew 4:1-11

On Satan's temptation of Christ, the usual elements are present, including a subtle tempter who can quote Scripture to serve his purpose. In this back-and-forth encounter, the intended victim consistently thwarts the tempter, and the test ends with Satan slinking away in defeat. This had a positive ending because Jesus stayed close to God and always remembered God's sovereignty.

How can a sinless person be tempted? We cannot be drawn to an object unless the object seems desirable to us. Examine each temptation of Christ. In every instance, the appeal was a genuine call to a completely innocent instinct or desire.

In the first temptation it was to hunger. In the second it was to faith. In the third it was to power as a means of establishing righteousness. In each case, Jesus felt the tug and pull of His human instinct. And we know how insistent the hunger demand is on the Day of Atonement.

Christ had fasted for 40 days when this happened, and yet He was able to resist, having God's Spirit. But when Jesus understood that fulfilling these desires was wrong in those situations, He immediately declined the request. He demonstrated that He could overcome the tempter and resist temptation. It was not that He was physically not able to sin, but that He is so pure that He was not able to sin. Titus 1:15 says,

Excerpted from Decide Now How You Will Respond!



Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Matthew 4:1:

Matthew 6:13
James 1:14


 
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