Sermon Notes

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 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, “It is written, ‘One does 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 placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying 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 dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do 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, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
4 1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.” 4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” 5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.” 7 Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.” 8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.” 10 Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” 11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs. (The Message, MSG)

The testing or temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:1-13) explores how the cosmic battle between good and evil manifests itself within the confines of everyday human experience. While the canonical gospels boldly declare that Jesus is the divinely appointed Messiah—literally, the savior of the world—they also highlight how he was tested/tempted because he was seeking to live in total obedience to God’s purpose for his life. In his humanity, Jesus models how women and men must behave when they are committed to God’s purpose for their lives. Divine purpose—not fleshly pleasure or possession, self-preservation, or worldly political power—should define how we respond to those accusatory forces (both external and internal) that seek to shape who we are and determine how we function on this earthly journey.
Christians mistakenly assume that Jesus only came to show us what God was like. But this is an oversimplification that leads to a tragic misunderstanding of God’s intention. Yes, Jesus reveals the character and love of God through his numerous interactions with people. However, as he ministers to the people that he encounters on his path to Calvary, his actions reveal that Jesus models how humans are supposed to live and serve. As Jesus lives in full, unbroken, totally submitted relationship with God, he discloses what fully actualized purpose looks like and lives like. His actions are the example for what it looks like to live as God intended.
As God’s son, Jesus doesn’t rely on divine parentage to take short cuts from his divine assignment. Although he is the incarnated Son of God, Jesus chooses to live as the Son of Man—literally the son of Adam—dedicating himself to God’s purpose and mission regardless of the cost. This complete trust and dependence in God compels Jesus to live his life in single-minded obedience to God. It is this obedience to divine purpose that allows Jesus to resist the adversary, or the “Satan,” who tempts Jesus to stray from God’s plan, path, purpose. Contemporary Christians should look to Matthew 4 as an invaluable key to resisting the adversary’s tempting schemes. If we know our purpose, then that purpose clarifies who we are, what we should do, and how we should react when presented with opportunities to stay with purpose or stray from purpose.

Contemporary hearers/readers of the Gospel of Matthew have a very different understanding of the “Devil,” or “Satan” than ancient readers. In fact ancient Hebrews or Israelites/Judahites had no concept of an evil force that existed in diametric opposition to God. This idea only developed after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon when Judahites struggled with the idea that God was responsible for their demise.
The term “satan” only appears as a proper noun in the Hebrew Bible/TaNaK/Old Testament in one place: 1 Chronicles 21:1. In the book of Job, “satan” is a noun that occurs with a definite article (the)meaning “the accuser.” Essentially, it is a title which indicates a function like a contemporary district attorney or chief prosecutor. As the prosecutor in the Divine court, “the satan” is not necessarily an evil agent, but a figure that is capable of both evil and good, as are humans. By Second Temple Judaism, (the New Testament era), the idea of “the satan” developed into a figure which was independent from God and staunchly opposed to God’s purposes. Essentially, the notion of “the satan” as a prosecuting attorney morphed into an evil figure whose sole purpose was to stand in opposition to Divine purpose.
Further, it is also important to note that Judaism did not have any teachings which stated the Messiah was to be tested or tempted by Satan. So the gospel writers—along with Q (the source for Matthew and Luke)—are creating an entirely new tradition to teach their hearers/readings about the solidification of Jesus ministry, mission, and purpose through the fires of testing/temptation. In the Gospel of Mark, the battle between Jesus and Satan is simply a battle of will without verbal exchange. Matthew’s gospel, Jesus and the Devil battle word for word as the Devil tempts Jesus to stray from his Divine purpose. As the Son of God, Jesus remains loyal to God by resisting the Devil and reasserting his dependence on God for sustenance, validation, and guidance.

1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”
Immediately after his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he experiences the ultimate clarification of what will become his ministry. It is important to note that the Matthean writer clearly links the wilderness testing to his baptismal experience in Matthew 3:13-17 as further explanation of Jesus role as servant. By invoking the baptism of Jesus, and God’s statement, “My Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”—which are revised words of the Servant Song of Isaiah 42:1-4—Matthew places the wilderness temptation within the context of an apprentice’s final exam before embarking upon their assignment. After the temptation, Jesus’ public ministry will begin. He must be clear on his assignment, be sure of who he is, and have clarified his mission parameters before his ministry starts so that he will be both effective and successful.
“The wild” was probably the desert of Judah, and in Matthew, the temptation came after the 40-day period of fasting. According to New Testament scholar, Cane Hope Felder, the devil confronts Jesus three different times, in three different ways, with food, protection and power. (Or, as Precepts Commentary lays out, the flesh test, power test, and pride test.) Felder says, “The temptation episodes of Matthew and Luke have captured, in a symbolic form, different aspects of evil that perennially undermine human aspirations. Whether the need is for food (daily sustenance and material possessions), magical powers (including “black” magic), or political power, a person should always be aware of potential enslavement by evil. This first temptation—to turn the stones to bread—follows the pattern of miraculous provision (like Moses).
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
Jesus had been without food for 40 days and nights. Therefore, Matthew presents this temptation as arising from a normal, natural need—out of his basic humanity. There was nothing wrong or deviant that caused his temptation, but simply that he was a human being. Temptations come to us, as contemporary believers in the same way. What the devil was saying to Jesus was, “God doesn’t really care for You. If He did, He would not leave You in a wilderness without food for 40 days and nights. This is not an indication of real love. So why don’t You act upon Your innate powers of deity and turn these stones into bread?” His suggestion is that God is either too busy, too unconcerned, or too removed to take care of him. There is a subtle pressure here to act on his own, independent of God. The devil’s attempt is to reverse the priorities of life and to make the physical life the most important thing.
Jesus’ response reminds us that, the deepest need in human life is not the physical—it never was and never will be. The devil’s work is to always twist and distort things and make them look different than they are; to twist our perspective so that we see life out of physical desire instead of spiritual hunger. Jesus is saying that it is better to die of hunger in the wilderness and be in right relationship with God, than to satisfy that physical hunger at the cost of that relationship. Drawing a parallel with the Israelites whose faith wavered due to their hunger in the wilderness, and only regained their faith when they received miraculous manna, Jesus remains faithful without the presence of a miracle. Further, by calling himself, man, as opposed to Son of God, Jesus asserts his humanity, modeling the human ability to resist the devil’s evil intentions—even when suffering physical need for sustenance.
5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.” 7 Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”
Whereas the first temptation was about the flesh, the second temptation is geared toward challenging Jesus’ power as God’s son. The temptation to jump from the high point of the Temple follows the pattern to attract public attention through the dramatic performance of signs and wonders. While the first temptation was thrust at Jesus’ weakness as a man—His basic need for physical supply—the second temptation is an appeal to the exact opposite extreme. Satan is saying, “Since you say you really trust in God, let me suggest how you can manifest that trust. Put yourself in a place of danger. Cast yourself from the pinnacle of the Temple, and by that everyone will see that your trust in God is so great that You dare put yourself in any dangerous circumstance. And remember, it is written, ‘He will give His angels charge over you.’”
This temptation thrusts right at our need for wisdom, our need to know the balance of life, how to avoid the extremes. The devil’s tactics are always the same. If he can’t push us off one way, he’ll push us off another way. Further, the second temptation is more subtle and powerful because the devil bolsters it with scripture. He quotes Psalm 91. It serves to remind us that Satan is familiar with the scripture. This is why we must be even more familiar—we must not only know what it says, but how to rightly interpret and use it.
The force of this temptation is that it reveals one of the most common misconceptions of Christianity—the idea that the greatest display of faith is in some spectacular demonstration. The truth is that, while miracles are always welcome, the greatest display of faith is in our ability to discipline our lives to follow God’s teaching on love, discipleship and service—day by day.
In response, Jesus puts his life and ministry back into divine perspective. While spectators have not been mentioned. It is clear that the Devil/Stan wants Jesus to make an extravagant display of power or ability that will be witnessed by people. However, leaning on scripture, Jesus reveals that the greatest display of faith is not in some spectacular demonstration, but in resting on what God has said.
8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”
The temptation to rule all the kingdoms of the world assumes that Jesus would lean into his Davidic familial heritage and embrace becoming a great political or military leader. To do so would go against what God was calling him to do and be—a Messiah that inaugurates the Kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of this world. With this final test, the Devil removes all pretense or disguise, making a direct appeal to the deepest desire of human hearts, to have a life that is recognized as being worthwhile, valuable, famous, influential. The devil said to Him, “You can have all this if You will fall down and worship me.”
These kingdoms were exactly what Jesus Christ had come to earth to claim. The Devil is offering it to Him. However, the implication of the offer is that: 1) the kingdoms belong to the Devil (they are in his possession) and 2) that the Devil has the right of ownership to bequeath them to another. While it may be true that the Devil has influence within these earthly kingdoms, the scripture clearly teaches that God is the owner (Psalm 24:1). The Devil does not own these kingdoms, so he has no authority to hand them over to anyone else, not even to the Messiah. Jesus knew this and He responds in the security and power of that knowledge.
10 Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” 11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.
In the final verses of the lesson, Jesus responds with calling the Devil, “Satan,” for the first time in this passage. This is not by accident. Jesus is making it clear that Satan has no power or authority to offer him anything. He is only an accuser and adversary—the “satan,” as highlighted in Job 2—one who is under God’s control and Divine authority. Jesus’ response boils down to two words: worship and serve. To worship God is to serve; to serve is to worship. Essentially, Jesus says only God can give value to life. The kingdoms and glory of the world can never provide authentic value. The Devil was striking at the deepest desire of a person’s life—to have a life that is worthwhile. However, only God can provide a worthwhile life. Therefore, only God is deserving of our worship and service. After third verbal defeat, the accuser leaves Jesus and angels come to minister to him.
It’s important to notice that as Jesus is confronted with these three tests or temptations, each time he employs the word of God to combat his accuser. Jesus does not argue or debate. He takes refuge in dependence upon the fact that God had spoken. In each instance, Jesus resisted the temptation and, in so doing, stayed on the right track of the servant who will ultimately suffer and die as a result of his obedience to God. It is important to note that Jesus’ ministry would later reveal all three aspects of divinity that were contained in the temptations: provision (the feeding of the 5000); wondrous signs (walking on the water, turning water to wine, stilling the sea); political dominance (Jesus repeatedly talked the inauguration of God’s kingdom defeating worldly kingdoms.) However, these activities were not the sum of Jesus’ purpose, nor were they the culmination of his assignment. None of these activities handled the issue of sin in the world, or humanity’s need for redemption—only Calvary could do that.

There are two significant points that can assist us as we face temptation in our own lives. First, temptation does not come to us because we are sinners; it comes to us because we are human beings. It was not as a sinner that Jesus was tempted, and our being sinners does not add anything to the force of temptation. He felt the full force of it simply because He was a human. It’s our humanity that makes us subject to the power of temptation. The whole thrust of the temptation was for the devil to get Jesus to move off the principle of dependence and trust in the indwelling Father. This is the thrust of temptation with us as well. The devil attempts to get us to act on our own, independent of God.
Second, temptation often comes from not just from outside, but from within. It is not the outside force that creates temptation, or outward circumstances or situations, but temptation arises from within. Jesus said it is not what goes into a person, but what comes from within, that defiles him or her. Satan, the name Jesus calls the devil in his response to the final temptation, is the actually the accuser in Greek. Sometimes, the adversary that we contend with is the accuser from within. The accuser from within can be that thing that we want so bad that we can almost see it, taste it, hold it. We think that our failures and faults are due to certain outward pressures. But Jesus says that it’s not our circumstances, but some weakness within, some allurement to which we yield, some inner urge. Jesus, therefore, was driven into a solitary wilderness where nothing outside could allure Him, no pressure from without, into a highly waste desert, there to experience the full force of human temptation, to show us it comes from within.

i. See Adam Porter’s article, article, “Reception History: Satan,” in The SBL Study Bible New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (HarperCollins Publishers, 2023) 738.
ii. Michael Joseph Brown is quoting Cain Hope Felder in Brown’s article, “Matthew” in True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary, Brian K. Blunt, et.al., ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007) 90.