The Temptation of Jesus Part 2
Matthew 4:1-11
Last time we met, we started on this very important section of Scripture. Remember that Jesus had just stepped out of the baptistery waters. He had just been anointed by the Holy Spirit and declared to be the Son of God in whom His Father was well pleased (Matt. 3:13-17).
Now it is time for His testing. “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). This testing was the will of God for Him and He was obedient to the Spirit’s leading. His testing took place in the wilderness, just as the nation of Israel was tested in the wilderness before going into their inheritance in the promised land.
The tempter was the devil. The word “tempted” can mean either to tempt or solicit to sin or it can mean to test or try to prove character. God tests our faith. Satan tempts us with sin. As something the devil does, it must be taken as to tempt, in the sense of to try to entice to sin. But what the devil sees as a temptation, God uses as a test to prove Jesus’ faithfulness.[1] What the devil means for evil, God has designed for good.
Already we have seen Jesus withstand one temptation.
After He had gone 40 days and 40 nights without food, Matthew 4:3 says, “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”” The tempter hit Jesus with a legitimate physical need but he desired for Jesus to fulfill that need in an illegitimate way. It was a temptation to use His sonship for His own comfort rather than depending on the provision of His Father and the leading of the Spirit.
But instead of succumbing to that temptation, Jesus reassured Himself of what to do by quoting Scripture in Matthew 4:4, “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.’” More necessary than bread for Jesus was obedience to God’s Word.[2] Jesus overcame the temptation to turn stones into bread to satisfy His own hunger by believing the word of God. Jesus focused on the spiritual not the physical, on the word of God not the word of the tempter, and on obedience to His Father not filling His own needs. The test demonstrated His qualifications as the obedient Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Today we will briefly look at Jesus’ second temptation. Here the setting changes from the wilderness to Jerusalem. Matthew 4:5 says, “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,” (Matt. 4:5). This was probably the top of what was known as Herod’s royal portico at the southeast corner of the temple enclosure. This pinnacle was the greatest height around the temple and overlooked the Kidron valley, some 450 feet below.[3]
From that height the devil said to Jesus, “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.’ ” (Matt. 4:6) Jesus overcame His first temptation by appealing to the word of God. Taking note of His devotion to scripture, the devil then used scripture against Jesus. John Phillips writes this about how the devil used the scripture:
Satan quoted Psalm 91:11–12 not from the original Hebrew manuscripts, but from the Septuagint translation, the same version Jesus had used in defeating the first temptation. In this second temptation the Septuagint was particularly useful to the devil because the translators had added the words “at any time.” Satan not only seized on the unwarranted addition; he also was careful to leave something out: “to keep thee in all thy ways.” And he omitted Psalm 91:13, which speaks of the Lord treading on the lion and adder and trampling the young lion and the dragon under His feet. Naturally Satan did not even want to think about that verse! Thus in handling Scripture, Satan used a convenient translation, paraphrased it to serve his own purpose, eagerly accepted an addition, deliberately left something out, and ignored the context. The Lord knew His Bible better than to be taken in by Satan’s garbled version of a great and much-loved Messianic Psalm.[4]
Be careful, not everyone who quotes scripture is using it properly or teaching it accurately. The devil twisted a scripture about God’s protection into a temptation to presume on God’s care. His aim was to pin Jesus into a corner with the Scriptures.
Why would this be a temptation to Jesus? It does help to understand some of the Jewish expectations of the day. From reading the Gospels, it is clear to us that the Jews expected the Messiah to arrive on the scene with a bang. Everywhere we look, they want to see miraculous signs from Him (Matt. 12:38; 16:1; John 2:18; 4:48; 1 Cor. 1:22).
One such miracle that the Jews looked for was a miraculous arrival of the Messiah to the temple. Malachi 3:1 prophesies, “1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.” Some Jews thought this even meant that the Messiah might descend from heaven to the temple. The devil tempted Jesus to do something spectacular, a real sign of being the Son of God. He said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down” (Matt. 4:6). It would be a guaranteed proof of His Messiahship.
How many today have been suckered in by that same temptation? Go out and prove you believe God. Make God prove He can deliver. They step out and do something utterly foolish, for no other reason than to make God prove Himself. In an extreme sense this is what the serpent handlers and the poison drinkers do. In a less extreme sense, this is what anyone does when they ignore the obvious and hold out only for the supernatural. “Satan was urging the Lord to be presumptuous, not trusting. There is a fine line between trusting God and tempting God.”[5]
How did Jesus answer this temptation? Matthew 4:7, “Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ” ” Jesus again appeals to the word of God quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus knew that Scripture never contradicts itself. This section of Deuteronomy is a warning against disobedience. Listen to Deuteronomy 6:16-19:
16 “You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.” (Deut. 6:16-19).
The Israelites had put the LORD their God to the test at Massah by demanding water (Exodus 17:1-7). Of course, God had promised to provide water for them, but they wanted God to make it appear at their demand. They wanted to force God to honor His word right then. They were questioning God’s presence with them, putting God to the test. And if He didn’t come through as they wanted, they threatened to go back to Egypt. So in Deuteronomy 6, God commanded them never to do that again.
Let us remember something valuable here. God tests us, we don’t test God. We are the ones on trial, not God. God has nothing to prove to us, we have everything to prove to Him. God is not some genie in a bottle Whom you can demand to show up whenever you desire to put Him on display. His Scripture is given not so that you can use it against Him or demand things from God. His Scripture is given so that you will know His will and His nature and His Savior Jesus Christ—and that you will trust Him.
Jesus trusted God, but He did not test God. Jesus is our Lord and our example. Last week we learned to focus on God and His word, not your needs and wants. God will take care of the bread, you seek the kingdom. This morning we learn to patiently trust God. Don’t try to force Him to instantly appear and do something spectacular for you. Instead, trust that God has a plan. Trust that He is able to complete it. Trust and obey. Look to Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2 says,
1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1-2).
Today we have the privilege of obeying the Lord by observing the two ordinances the Lord Jesus gave to His church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As we saw in Matthew 3, Jesus at His baptism identified Himself with sinners. Now in believer’s baptism, we identify ourselves with Christ, His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of a new resurrected life. We make a public profession of our faith in Jesus who died for us and was raised from the dead.
In the Lord’s Supper, we remember the sacrificial death of our Lord and His blood which cleanses us from sin. We proclaim the Lord’s death and our faith that He is alive and will come again. As we sing our invitation hymn, take this time to examine yourself and your relationship with God. Are you saved? Have you believed on Jesus Christ to forgive your sins? Have you been born again as a child of God? Are you trusting Him and His word daily to overcome temptation and keep you from sin? Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ today.
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[1] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
[2] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 113.
[3] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 4:5.
[4] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 4:6b.
[5] John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch, 2014), Mt 4:6b.
