Matthew Chapter 4 - Helpful Notes.

If the emphasis of Matthew 3 was largely on Repentance, then I guess you could say that the emphasis of Matthew 4 is largely, at least the first part, on Temptation.

After the wonderful testimony of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we see that it doesn’t take long for the Devil to make an appearance. Should it come as a surprise to us, that when we enjoy a time of blessing, or refreshment, that it is followed by the devil’s assault?  Matthew Henry comments, “The enriched soul must double its guard. The devil has a particular spite at useful persons.” How true! The Devil is a past master at choosing his prey AND choosing his moment, he has been deceiving mankind for thousands of years, so his methods are well tested; they are diverse and deadly. William Gurnall, in his book “The Christian in Complete Armour,” said that the Devil, “shows his wily subtlety…in choosing the most advantageous season for temptation.” How true that is, even with the Lord Jesus himself. I want you to notice two things:

• The time when the Tempter comes.
• The object of the temptations.

Jesus is alone; he is hungry having fasted for 40 days and forty nights. In verse 2 we read that “he was afterwards hungry.” That is after fasting, Jesus, being in a body of human flesh, felt the weakness of that flesh, expressed as hunger…and at that precise moment, the Devil showed up!

When do the Devil’s strongest temptations come to you? When you are weak, when your flesh is wanting to take the lead, when those who otherwise might be of support are absent!

Even the Lord Jesus is tempted; and yet he was “without sin.” So here is an important difference to learn; temptation is not sin. Suffering temptation cannot be the same thing as committing sin, otherwise the spotless Lamb of God would be guilty of sin, here in the wilderness. There are two responses to temptation: One is “Enduring temptation,” as James puts it, the other is what Jesus himself calls “entering into temptation.” Go to Matthew 26:40-41 (Read) what does it mean to enter into temptation? Someone has described it as being, “engaged with it, connected to it.  You let it inside and its sitting in your living room.  The temptation that landed in your flesh has found a place in your affections. Temptation grows in power as it builds a position in your soul.”

Jesus is tempted, but he does not enter into temptation.

The Lord Jesus is not merely a man. He is God in the flesh; the God/Man as some theologians have termed it. We have also learned that he had not sinful flesh like us, therefore He was not “drawn away of his own lust, and enticed…” However, as Michael McGhee Canham says, “Temptation is not restricted to internal solicitations to evil, arising from one’s sinful nature, but also includes external solicitations to evil coming from Satan himself. It was in this sense that Satan solicited Christ to do evil.”

What was the object of the temptations?

We can see quite clearly from the three temptation’s that follow, that Satan is trying to get Jesus to act independently of his Father. Why is this significant? Why is this a problem? Why is this sin? Because Jesus said in John 6:38 “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” Again in Hebrews 10:9 this quote is applied to Jesus, in his Kenosis, his Incarnate self, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” The Scriptures affirm, ”To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) To get Christ to act independently of his Father, would be to overturn the very reason for His incarnation; it would be to violate, what Wesley called “His eternal, intimate, indissoluble unity with the Father.” Let’s turn to John 5:19 (Read) Satan is striking at the very unity of the Godhead.

Now it is interesting that the nature of Christ’s temptation, is very similar to the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden and through Adam’s disobedience, the fall of man. Both temptations revolve around what John calls, “the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16)

Let’s take a look at the temptations, in order:

1. “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” (Verse 3) As has been noted, by many scholars, Christ’s answer in each case is “it is written.” The sword of the Spirit has been rightly termed “the offensive weapon of the Christian’s armour.” For us too, I think this is the most effective way to answer the devil. In verse 4, Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3; so let’s have a look at it in context. (Read) He spoke and manna came down; He also sent Quail into the camp. God commanded the ravens to bring “bread and flesh” to Elijah, by the brook. So in all these matters, the sustenance of those who had their trust in God, was not based on the availability of food, but rather on the care and ability of God.
2. “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city…” (verse 5) That is to Jerusalem. Even in places of worship, in the holiest places Satan is at work. His temptations afflict the human heart. Look how versed the devil is in the scriptures. See how easily he can bring them to rememberance! Yet watch how subtly he perverts them. Go to Psalm 91:11-12 (Read) See the bit he left out? If we do not keep “in all our ways,” that is walking in obedience to God, then we forfeit the promise. Hebrews 5:8 says,”Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered…”Once again Jesus resists the devil, declaring “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
3. In verse 8 we have the final temptation. (Read) It sees that the devil shows the Lord Jesus some kind of vision of all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory; their wealth, their might, their splendour and so on… Here we see the real aim of Satan, the worst and most blasphemous temptation was saved until last. Ironic, since Jesus, as the Son of God, was already promised the kingdoms of the world. Go to Revelation 11:15 (Read) As Jesus rejects Satan’s proposal to take the place of God, and instead holds to the truth of the word; the devil leaves and the angels come and minister to Him. We can take encouragement from this example, in fact James expounds this principle in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

In verse 12 Jesus learns that John the Baptist has been thrown into prison and he makes a journey from Nazareth in Galilee, down to Capernaum by the borders of “Zabulon and Nephthalim.” That is Zebulun and Naphtali, an area largely inhabited by Gentile pagans. And so we see another Prophesy fulfilled. Let’s look at it: Isaiah 9:1-2 (Read) The light of course is Christ, “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) the darkness being their sin, their ignorance and their delusional manner of living.

What message does Jesus bring with Him as we first hear Him start to preach? God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life? You’re a winner? Your someone special? No! Read verse 17 (Read) REPENT! Remember how we defined that in Matthew 3, based on William S. Plumer’s principles of repentance? Know that you are a sinner, have humility, confess your sins to God, a sense of shame, sorrow, self-abhorrence, hatred of sin, love of holiness, and amendment of life. Same thing John the Baptist was saying! Repent and “bring forth fruits meet for repentance.”

In verse 18 we see the first disciples being called. In this case it’s “Simon, called Peter and Andrew his brother.”

I think it is interesting that Jesus does not say “Believe in me,” but “Follow me!” As Jesus says, later on in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” You are not a disciple of Jesus, unless, like Peter and Andrew, you follow Him.

We read in the next verse that they “straightway left their nets, and followed him.” The same with James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. They immediately left the ship, and their Father, and followed him.” (Verse 22) What have you left to follow Jesus?

As Jesus begins His ministry, we see a number of things happening:

• He teaches in the Synagogues of the Jews. (Verse 23)
• He preaches the Gospel of the Kingdom. (Verse 22)
• He heals all manner of sickness and disease. (Verse 23)
• He healed all those that were taken with “torments” and “possessed with devils.” (Verse 24)

I want you to notice two things about this ministry. Firstly, those coming to Jesus for help, had no other hope in this life. No other way of healing. Secondly, the result of these miracles was: (Read verse 25)

Christ was ever a healer. The greatest healer there has ever been! He brought healing to the helpless.

“When other helpers fail, and comforts flee…(He is the)…help of the helpless.”

This goodness, this help, this healing are to show that Christ can not only heal physically, but that He can heal our souls of sin.

I believe that ultimately, that is what drove and still drives, multitudes to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Copyright © Paul Jennings.