Matthew’s first three chapters focus on Jesus’ kingship. He’s making a case to prove that Jesus is the messiah. The Jewish Scriptures had prophecies, and Matthew wants us to see that in every way, Jesus fits. He’s the only one qualified to be King.
When John baptized Jesus, the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. From Heaven came the voice of the Father saying, “This is My Son” (Matt 3:17). Jesus is the Son of God! Yet, this amazing affirmation is followed by Matthew 4 where Jesus is tempted.
Matthew tells us that the Spirit led Jesus immediately into the wilderness. The Lord spent 40 days and nights alone in the highlands near the Jordan River. Mark’s Gospel adds that Jesus was with wild beasts! This is legitimately roughing it. Jesus had no food and was in no man’s land for over a month. Matthew points out the obvious in verse two, that the Lord became hungry! Jesus’ hunger will play in to His temptation in a very human way.
Hebrews 4:15—“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
It’s easy for us to dismiss the temptation Jesus experienced, because after all, He is God. But Jesus was also a man who felt human realities. We know He experienced hunger (Matt 4:2), fatigue (John 4:6), thirst (John 4:7), anger (Matt 17:17), gratitude (Matt 11:25), and that is just to name a few. For this study, it’s important to grasp that Jesus did, in fact, experience temptation (Heb 4:15). He was like us in every way, though without sin.
Temptation #1
Matthew 4:3—“If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Satan waits. Knowing that Jesus is growing famished in the wilderness, Satan approaches and appeals to His hunger. But what is the actual temptation? Would it be sin for Jesus to turn the stones into bread and eat them? Would this violate the law, which Jesus had come to fulfill? No.
Jesus’ response to Satan answers these questions for us. He begins to quote Scripture, starting with Deuteronomy 8:3. The Lord tells rebukes the devil saying “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word, that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” It was God’s will for Jesus to fast and to face Satan.
The devil wasn’t finished with Jesus. He pressed harder by saying, “If you are the Son of God…” Yes, Satan KNOWS that Jesus is the Son of God. He knows, because he was once an angel who served God (Isa 14:12-14). He wasn’t testing to see if Jesus is the Son of God, but appealing to Jesus’ status. In other words, “Since you are the Son of God…” Since you are so exalted, you shouldn’t be out here starving!
Satan wanted to drive a wedge of disunity between the Father and His Son. By appealing to Jesus’ high status, he wanted the Lord to see it’s ridiculous that He’s starving in the wilderness. What kind of father would make his son starve?
The Father had just pronounced Jesus “His Son” and said He’s well-pleased with His Son. Could Satan make Jesus doubt God? Jesus response is clear. By quoting the law, He’s saying He will do the will of His Father. He will trust God even though His circumstances are painfully difficult.
Temptation #2
Matthew 4:5-6—“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand 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, So that You will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Satan steps up his attack. Jesus quoted Scripture, which was a powerful victory in that first temptation. The devil now tries to a new tactic. He takes Jesus to the top of the temple and tells Him to throw himself down. “If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down” (Matt 4:6).
Satan quoted Psalms 91:11-12, but he completely twisted it. In similar fashion to the first temptation, Satan is trying to disrupt the perfect unity of the Father and Son. So, Jesus, You say You trust Your Father? Well, He promised to keep You from harm. Throw Yourself down and see what He does!
Satan knows the Bible. He knows God. In the Garden of Eden, he made a similar appeal to Adam and Eve when he created doubt in their minds about God’s goodness. He did that in Genesis 3:4 when he told them “you surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from [the tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan appealed to Adam and Eve’s own greatness and desire to be like God. He created doubt in their minds about the goodness of God, and they fell. Satan is trying the exact same tactic here with Jesus.
Adam and Eve failed, but Jesus did not. He responds again by quoting Scripture, specifically Deuteronomy 6:16: “It is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt 4:7). Satan twisted Scripture, and Jesus untwisted it by rightly Scripture. Once again, the Lord overcame His temptation.
Temptation #3
Matthew 4:8—“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 things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.”
Satan goes for it in this last temptation. He takes Jesus up and offers to give him all the kingdoms of earth. Satan doesn’t own the earth, but he has some authority and influence on the world.
Jesus came to redeem people from their sin. Yet, Satan is here trying condemn people in their sin. How so? He’s trying to derail Gods plan of redemption. Satan tries to catch Jesus in his weakness after all this time in the wilderness and give him the opportunity to skip the cross! He’s saying he’ll take his ball and go home leaving Jesus with his people to set up his kingdom on earth NOW! No cross. No suffering. Worship me, and it’s all yours.
As you might expect, Jesus responds again with Scripture! This time, we see Jesus’ authority: “Go Satan! For it is written ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’” (Matt 4:10). And Satan obeyed.
Conclusion
Jesus perfectly handled the best Satan could throw at him. He was on a mission to provide salvation for sinful humanity. Yet, Satan was and still is on a mission to condemn as many as possible. Jesus knew He would die for our sins. He knew he would be separated from the Father when he took our sins upon Himself while on the cross. Satan’s offer to leave humanity alone would have allowed Jesus the opportunity to set up his earthly reign now without the pain of the cross and separation from the Father. BUT it also would have left us dead in our sins. It would’ve resulted in a very short-lived kingdom.
Jesus stayed the course, responding to Satan using God’s perfect Word. He stayed on a collision course for His own death, and He was raised to life to reconcile sinful mankind to a Holy God!
Jesus, in his great love for us, came to deal with our greatest problem, sin. He freely offers us his gracious gift of salvation because of his work on the cross on our behalf. Each of us will stand before Him either after our own appointment with death, or when he returns. Will you stand before him relying on your own body of work, weighing your own righteousness? Or will you stand before him placing all your trust in Jesus righteousness and what HE did for you on the cross?