Matthew 4:1-11

Bird's-eye view

After the glorious affirmation of His sonship at His baptism, Jesus is immediately thrust into a direct confrontation with the devil. This is not an accident; the Spirit who descended like a dove now drives Him into the wilderness for this contest. This is war. The temptations in Matthew 4:1-11 are a foundational episode, establishing Jesus as the new Adam and the true Israel. Where Adam failed in a perfect garden and Israel failed in the wilderness, Christ triumphs in a desolate wasteland. Each temptation is a direct assault on His identity and mission, and each response is a masterful appeal to the authority of Scripture. Satan questions His sonship, His reliance on God, and His path to kingship. Jesus answers not with original divine pronouncements, but by quoting Deuteronomy, putting Himself under the authority of the written Word. This is the great champion, our federal head, winning the decisive victory that sets the course for His entire ministry. He refuses the shortcuts and proves His worthiness to be the King who will crush the serpent's head, not by seizing power on the devil's terms, but through obedience, suffering, and ultimately, the cross.

Outline

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Right after the heavens opened and the Father declared His love for the Son, the Spirit leads Him into the wilderness. Notice the divine initiative here. This temptation is not an unfortunate accident that befell Jesus; it was a divine appointment. The same Spirit who anointed Him for ministry now leads Him into combat. The word for "led up" can have the sense of being driven, indicating a divine necessity. This is the second Adam being taken to the place of testing. Adam was tested in a lush garden, a paradise. Christ, our champion, is taken to the wilderness, a place of desolation and demonic activity, to face the ancient serpent. This is also the true Israel, who after passing through the water of baptism, now enters the wilderness for forty days, recapitulating Israel's forty years of testing. Where they failed, He will succeed.

v. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

Fasting is a spiritual discipline intended to humble oneself before God and sharpen focus. Jesus undertakes this extended fast, which naturally leaves His human nature in a state of extreme weakness. The text points out the obvious, but it is a critical detail: "He became hungry." This underscores the reality of His humanity. He is not playing at being a man. He is fully human, susceptible to the pains and weaknesses of the flesh, which makes His victory all the more significant. It is at this point of maximum physical vulnerability that the tempter chooses to strike. This is not a fair fight by worldly standards, but our God loves to win against stacked odds.

v. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

The devil’s first attack is a direct challenge to the Father’s declaration at the baptism. "If you are the Son of God..." Satan is planting a seed of doubt, not for his own information, but for Jesus's torment. The temptation is subtle. It is not a temptation to do something inherently sinful; making bread is not a sin. The sin would be in the how and the why. He is tempting Jesus to use His divine power for His own provision, to act independently of the Father's will and timing. It is a temptation to impatience, to satisfy a legitimate desire through illegitimate means. It’s an appeal to the lust of the flesh, the same category of temptation that Eve faced.

v. 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ ”

Jesus’s defense is not a display of divine power, but a submission to divine revelation. He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. He could have rebuked Satan with a word of original, divine authority, but He deliberately places Himself under the authority of the written Scriptures. This is instructive for us. Our weapon in temptation is the Word of God. The point is that true life, true sustenance, comes not from physical provision but from moment-by-moment dependence on God and His every word. Jesus is choosing to trust His Father to provide, even in the wilderness, just as Israel was supposed to learn in their wilderness wanderings.

v. 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, LEST YOU STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’ ”

Satan, having been defeated by Scripture, now tries to use it himself. He is a twisted exegete. He takes Jesus to the highest point of the temple, the center of Jewish worship, and tempts Him to a spectacular display of divine protection. Again, the challenge is, "If you are the Son of God..." Prove it. Make a public spectacle. This is the temptation of presumption, what the Bible calls the pride of life. Satan quotes Psalm 91:11-12, but he misapplies it. He twists a promise of protection for one who is in the will of God into a dare to test God. He conveniently leaves out the context, which is about abiding in the shadow of the Almighty, not jumping off buildings to prove a point.

v. 7 Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’ ”

Jesus counters Scripture with Scripture, demonstrating the principle of interpreting Scripture with Scripture. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:16. He correctly identifies the devil's proposal for what it is: not an act of faith, but an act of testing God. True faith trusts God's promises without demanding signs. To jump would be to demand that God prove Himself, which would be an act of rebellion, putting Himself, the creature, in judgment over the Creator. Jesus clarifies that if He were to do this, He would be the one tempting God, not the other way around. He refuses to force the Father's hand.

v. 8-9 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.”

This is the final and most audacious temptation. Satan, the temporary prince of this world, offers Jesus what is rightfully His: the kingdoms of the world. This is the lust of the eyes. The offer is a shortcut to glory, a crown without the cross. Satan is offering to hand over the title deed to the world, bypassing the suffering and death that was the Father's appointed path. The price is simple: one act of worship. One moment of bending the knee to the usurper. Christ had indeed come to win the kingdoms of the world, but He came to do it by crushing the serpent's head and taking them by force, not by cutting a deal with him.

v. 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ ”

Here, Jesus’s response is sharp and decisive. "Go, Satan!" This is a command of dismissal. The issue is now crystal clear: idolatry. There is no middle ground. Worship is due to God alone. Once again, He anchors His refusal in the book of Deuteronomy (6:13). The fundamental duty of man is to worship and serve God exclusively. Any deviation from this is idolatry, the root of all sin. By offering the world in exchange for worship, Satan revealed his ultimate desire: to be God. Jesus refuses the devil's offer because He is committed to the Father's glory, which is the ultimate end of all things.

v. 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Having been utterly defeated on all three fronts, the devil departs. He will return at a more opportune time, but for now, the battle is won. And immediately, heaven responds. The angels, who would have caught Him had He jumped in faith, now come to minister to Him in His exhaustion. This is the Father's provision, coming right on time, after the test has been passed. This is a beautiful picture of God's care for His obedient Son. The second Adam has held fast where the first Adam fell. The true Israel has succeeded where the old Israel failed. The victory is total, and it sets the stage for a ministry that will be characterized by the same unwavering obedience to the Father and reliance on the Word of God.

Application

The temptation of Christ is not just a historical event; it is a pattern for our own spiritual warfare. We see here the nature of our enemy and the weapons we are to use. First, we must recognize that temptation often comes when we are weak, and it frequently attacks our identity in Christ. The devil’s "if" is a potent weapon designed to make us doubt God's word to us. Second, our defense is the same as our Lord's: "It is written." A Christian who is not marinated in the Scriptures is a Christian who is unprepared for battle. We must not only know the Word but know how to wield it against the specific lies of the enemy. Third, we must understand the nature of the temptations. They are not always obvious calls to wickedness, but subtle invitations to satisfy legitimate desires in illegitimate ways, to presume upon God's grace, or to take shortcuts to glory. Finally, Christ's victory is our victory. Because our federal head has triumphed, we who are in Him have access to the grace and power to stand firm. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin, and so He is able to sympathize with our weakness and provide grace to help in time of need. We fight, but we do not fight alone, and we do not fight for a victory that is in doubt. The serpent's head has been crushed.