Matthew 4 (ESV)
The Temptation of Jesus
4:1 Then1 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “ If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “2 It is written,
“ ‘ Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and 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,
“3 ‘ He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“ ‘ On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “ Again it4 is written, ‘ You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “ All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “ Be gone, Satan5! For it is written,
“ ‘ You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “6 The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles —
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”7
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
18 While8 walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon ( who is called Peter ) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “ Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”9 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Footnotes
Matthew 4 Commentary
In Matthew 4, Jesus, after fasting for forty days in the wilderness, was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2). The devil challenged him to turn stones into bread, but Jesus replied that man lives on God’s Word (Matthew 4:3-4). The devil then urged Jesus to jump from the temple, citing scripture, but Jesus responded that one should not test God (Matthew 4:5-7).
Finally, the devil offered him all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship, to which Jesus commanded him to leave, affirming the worship of God alone (Matthew 4:8-10). After this, Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, fulfilling prophecy (Matthew 4:12-16), preaching repentance (Matthew 4:17), and calling his first disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, followed by James and John (Matthew 4:18-22). He taught, preached, and healed many, attracting large crowds (Matthew 4:23-25). ⓘ
Jesus In The Wilderness
Satan didn’t just show up on Jesus’ doorstep as so many of the children’s stories portray. What does the text say? The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into enemy territory? Yes. God often allows us to enter hard, dry, and lonely seasons so that the strength of our faith can be tested and proven. Satan wanted to lure Jesus into self-serving motives, but God was using the moment to confirm His Son’s total trust and obedience.
Another intriguing thought is where the phrase “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” shows up in Scripture.
The Old Testament is chock-full of verses describing God leading his people (Israel) into the wilderness. (Exo 13:18; Exo 13:21; Exo 15:13; Exo 15:22; Deu 8:2) We all remember how that turned out. Israel failed their wilderness test. Jesus retraces the steps of His people and then quotes three verses that contrast the specific struggles of the Israelites (Deut 8:3; Deut 6:16; Deut 6:13). Jesus is demonstrating the complete obedience that Israel (and humanity) lacked.
“Satan was already using the same three kinds of temptations in the Garden of Eden: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food” (desires of the flesh), “and that it was a delight to the eyes” (desires of the eyes), “and a tree to be desired to make one wise” (pretensions of life), “she took of the fruit and ate” (Gen 3:6).”
Jewish New Testament
Three times Jesus was tempted and three times he answered with, “It is written…” As previously mentioned, each verse was from Deuteronomy, the very place where Israel had faced the same wilderness testing and failed. Coincidence? No way. Where Israel grumbled, Jesus trusted. Where Israel doubted, Jesus obeyed. He didn’t rely on emotion, willpower, or cleverness. He simply trusted the truth of God’s Word.
Do we let the Word of God fight our battles? Do we use the weapon that God has given to us?
Almost True
Jesus demonstrates what true obedience and faith look like, and Satan shows us what it looks like to manipulate truth by the slightest of margins to justify our own selfish position. Satan knew the Word. He quoted the Word. He applied the Word. The key issue was that Satan didn’t submit to the Word. His application is full of compromises and shortcuts, with the ultimate shortcut coming in Matthew 4:9. Satan offers Jesus glory without suffering.
Throughout Scripture (and even in Jewish expectation), the Messiah was prophesied to inherit all the kingdoms of the world (Psa 2:7-8; Dan 7:13-14). Satan knew those promises. He’s a theologian in the worst sense because he knows the Bible’s words but rejects its authority and context.
So when he said, “I will give you all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,” Satan was appealing to something true: Jesus was destined for glory and dominion. But here’s the crucial part… Satan didn’t grasp the path to that glory. Consequently, Satan also didn’t own the kingdoms of the world in any ultimate sense (Psa 24:1). What he offered was a false promise: worldly acclaim, political rule, comfort, and control. These are the very things humans are tempted to pursue without God.
Often, we are tempted similarly. “Make a small compromise, and you can have it all right now.” Jesus refused to take shortcuts, and neither should we. He demonstrated that trusting in God, despite the rugged path, is always the best way.
Testing, Victory, Ministry
After the devil left, angels ministered to Jesus, and then He began His public ministry. The wilderness wasn’t the end; it was the foundation. In other words, the testing preceded the calling.
When Adam and Eve were hiding in the garden, God asked where they were to test their heart response. Moses spent 40 years in the desert before leading God’s people out of Egypt. When Abraham climbed up the mountain, God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to test his obedience. Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to “sift the disciples like wheat,” but Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail the test. Paul may have even spent time in the desert of Arabia before returning to Damascus to be used by God.
Before we can fulfill our calling, we will (probably) have to endure some form of testing. The good news is that the pressure of surviving such a test does not depend on our human strength. God has given us victory through Jesus, His Word, and by the power of His Holy Spirit.
Repentence & Disciples
Like John before Him, Jesus calls people to repent. He asks them to turn back to God because the kingdom of heaven has come near. Repentance isn’t punishment; it’s an invitation. According to John 1:35-42, several of these same men had already met Jesus while they were disciples of John the Baptist. Andrew, for example, had heard John call Jesus “the Lamb of God” and went to find his brother Simon (Peter) to tell him.
So when Jesus approached them later by the Sea of Galilee, they already recognized Him as someone set apart by God. When the invitation came, they didn’t negotiate or delay. They didn’t ask for guarantees or time to tie up loose ends. They left their nets (economic identity) and their father (social identity). In doing so, they stepped into a new identity defined not by trade or tribe, but through a relationship with Jesus.
They left immediately because the One who called them was greater than everything they left behind.
“The kingdom is like a precious treasure, worth the abandonment of all other treasures (Mat 13:44-46). Many of us today respond defensively, “I would abandon everything if Jesus asked me to, but he has not asked me to.” Yet if we value the priorities of the kingdom—people and proclamation more than possessions—I wonder whether Jesus is not speaking to us through the world’s need for the gospel and daily bread. Let the one who has ears to hear, hear.”
IVP New Testament
