Matthew 4:1-11 Satan Tempts Jesus
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
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.’”
Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him 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 shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly 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 will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.” Notice that Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness, where there would be no distractions, no pressure from his family or other people. Jesus went to the wilderness specifically so he could be tempted by the devil. Most of us would never go into the wilderness in the first place or deliberately put ourselves in the way of temptation in the second. And to make matters worse, Jesus was fasting for forty days and nights. Evidently, Jesus had drinking water but no food. Now that Jesus was weak from fasting, Satan shows up.
Ever notice that Satan doesn’t bother with temptations when we are spiritually strong but when we are at our weakest? And those temptations seem so reasonable. After all that fasting, Jesus is hungry. Satan’s first suggestion is that Jesus use his divine power to turn stones into bread. After all, Satan and Jesus both know Jesus can do it, so what’s the problem? But Jesus sees the temptation behind the temptation. Satan is really tempting Jesus to become his own amateur providence, to provide for himself, rather than depending on his Heavenly Father. But Jesus uses Scripture to answer Satan. “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.’” So far, it’s Jesus 1, Satan 0.
What’s the lesson for us here? Trust God and avoid attempts at manipulation. I write fund-raising letters to support our work in the mission hospital where we have spent more than 20 years. One of the constant temptations is to exaggerate needs or misrepresent them to make them more dramatic. But if we are doing God’s work, we must use God’s methods and not Satan’s. One couple of our acquaintance used photos of themselves in front of a worthwhile project to raise funds; however, there was one problem: the project belonged to a different ministry.
“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him 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 shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Once more, Jesus doesn’t take Satan on by himself but answers Satan out of Scripture. While Satan twists Scripture, trying to use Scripture to tempt Jesus, Jesus handles Scripture appropriately and refuses to stupidly throw himself 400 feet from the top of Herod’s temple to the ground. Satan is quoting Psalm 91:11-12 “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” The first verses of Psalm 91 tell us, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91 isn’t simply a set of demands to be lodged against the One True Living God, but an expression of perfect trust in God’s provision. The last thing anyone claiming God’s protection should do is to do something ridiculous and then demand God deliver them.
As we proceed in this new year, we must watch ourselves so that we don’t knowingly put ourselves in jeopardy and then demand God deliver us. How can we do this? We should proceed prayerfully, asking God for guidance. Psalm 32:8 assures us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye upon you.”
“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly 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 will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
The final temptation is for Jesus to take a shortcut to power by worshiping Satan. But Jesus refuses, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13. Sometimes we might be tempted to take shortcuts rather than allowing God to work the way He wants to. But when we allow God to move, He can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)
Jesus was victorious in his temptations and with God’s power, we too can be victorious. But notice the one thing Jesus never did: He never relied on himself. As we enter the new year, let us go forward, trusting God to guide us and protect us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust Your guidance and Your provision so that we will fulfill Your perfect Will for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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