Matthew Session 3: “The Temptation of the King”
Matthew 4:1-11
REVIEW
As we get stated with our lesson for this morning, I want you to think of the word temptation.
Not the Temptations, although I’m as big of a fan as anyone, but temptation. What are you
tempted by? If I were to ask you to list out 20 different temptations that you face on a regular
basis, I bet you could do it. There are so many things out there vying for our attention,
screaming at us that the grass is greener on the other side. Things that we know we shouldn’t
do are sometimes the very things that we find ourselves doing. Paul wrote half of our New
Testament but testified to a similar sentiment in the book of Romans, saying the very thigs I
hate I end up doing.
Sometimes temptation is huge, it’s big, it’s in your face: COME AND SIN, IT’LL BE FUN.
Other times it’s more subtle. The temptation to offer a rude comment under your breath to
someone you love. The temptation to eat too much, not exercise, not take care of yourself.
The temptation to think that God loves everyone but he likes you more than that other guy.
Not a lot, just a little bit more.
Today we at the story in Mathew ch 4 of Jesus being tempted in the desert. Matthew, Mark
and Luke all record this as happening directly after Jesus’ baptism. He was inaugurated as king,
and then goes into the desert for a time of serious, focused preparation. And in this time, he is
tempted.
Matthew over and over reminds us that Jesus is fully man and fully God. We saw in session 1
that he is born of a virgin, conceived of the Holy Spirit. But still once born has to run for his life
from a maniacal king who wants to murder him. His baptism was a miraculous occurrence
where the heavens opened up and God spoke as the spirit descended on him like a dove, but he
had to walk 60 miles to get there. Today Jesus fasts for 40 days in the desert, and yet is
tempted in very subtle ways. And it’s important that we don’t gloss over these temptations,
they were real temptations. If you google, “was it possible for Jesus to sin?” you’re going to get
a wide variety of answers – the paradoxical nature of being fully human and fully God will get
you that. But he is Emmanuel, God with us, Hebrews states that toda Jess understands our
weaknesses in every way because he was tempted in every way but did not sin.
John Piper is a Calvinist pastor, it seems that many who struggled with this question when I
googled it were Calvinists with a strong belief of predestination, says that Jesus was both
capable and incapable of sinning. So there’s that.
But for now, we’re going to take this story at face value, which says that Jesus went into the
desert and was tempted. Let’s read the firs four verses of our story today:
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After
fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said,
“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word
4
that comes from the mouth of God.’”
So a very simple, mater-of-fact opening statement in this next section, directly following the
baptism. Remember at the baptism the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus, and the very next thing
that happens is that the same spirit leads him into the desert. And the way this opening verse
puts it, he is led into the desert to be tempted, as though this is the purpose for going. It also
speaks to the overarching view of the Jewish community that God, in his great sovereignty, is
the ultimate cause of all that happens. And only Mathew as a Gospel writer presents it this
way, that he was led into the desert so that he might be tempted. He was already out where
John was in the wilderness, so this must have been even deeper into it, where no one else was.
So Jesus goes and spends 40 days and forty nights out fasting in the desert. Fasting would have
been a common religious practice in these times, it comes up regularly in the Gospels. Jesus
says later in the sermon on the mount, “when you fast” not “if you fast”. But to fast for 40 days
would not have been common. Something like this can only be undertaken with supreme
caution and care, as it would completely exhaust all physical resources within a person.
Now what other instances in the Bible can you think of where the number 40 is involved? It’s a
very important number throughout the Bible:
40 days of rain for Noah
Moses spent 40 days on Mt Sinai
Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the desert
The prophet Elijah spent 40 days fasting as well
40 is seen as a number indicating fullness, completeness of spiritual refinement. We talked last
week about the importance of wilderness, and 40 is similar.
Deuteronomy 8:2 says: “2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the
wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart,
whether or not you would keep his commands.”
The same is true here, this is a time for Jesus to be tested and to affirm what his ministry will
truly be about.
So it is a the end of those 40 days that the devil comes to tempt him. Think about it, if you’re
like me, then you’re already thinking about what you’ll have for lunch today. But I say no, no
lunch today, no dinner today, in fact, you can’t eat again until March. And at that point is when
you’ll need to go through something really difficult.
But really, what is so difficult about this? The first temptation seems harmless enough, right?
Make some bread and eat it, what is the big deal? Just thinking about it has got me wanting to
eat some bread, what is the problem? Well let’s remember, he is getting ready to embark on
fulltime ministry, and yes he does have the power to turn stones, or anything, into bread. So
the questions he is faced with is, how are you going to use your power? Will it be used for the
sake of others, or will it be used simply to satisfy your own comforts?
Jesus, in response to Satan’s question, reaches back into the scriptures and quotes,
interestingly enough, Deuteronomy 8:3, the very next verse after the one we just read about
the purpose of being in desert for 40 days. The entire verse says this:
3
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you
nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every
word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Jesus here is committed to being a servant, to embracing his identity as one of us, God with us,
and relying on God the Father more than anything else. It was an admission that while food is
important, spiritual nourishment is just as important, and he was committing himself to rely
more on God than an any physical thing that would bring him comfort.
Ok let’s look at temptation #2, verses 5-7
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the
5
temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
So Jesus passes the first test, and then he is taken to Jerusalem, the holy city, and not just that,
but the most holy place in Jerusalem, the temple, and not just that but the highest point on the
temple. And Satan says, if you are truly the Son of God, then throw yourself off of here and the
angels will catch you. And to bolster the suggestion, Satan says hey if we’re quoting scripture I
can do that too. He quotes Psalm 91:11 and says, hey I’m just quoting the Bible, that’s what it
says, you should definitely do it.
Again it seems pretty harmless of a suggestion, the devil is not suggesting Jesus kill someone or
lie about anything, it seems pretty harmless, in fact it sounds like fun, and furthermore it’s a
chance to demonstrate his power to the most faithful worshippers. I mean, these people are
waiting for a messiah and The Messiah is about to begin his life of fulltime ministry, why did he
not just do it? Why not start it off with a bang and show them who he is?
It seems this is a question that is similar to the first. Will he choose a life where he will be
rescued from any danger, from any harm? Or is he ready to choose a life that involves peril,
that involves the chance that he will not be rescued when in danger? If he were to jump right
then and there, he is putting God to the test.
He would be the one doing the commanding, instead of coming as a suffering servant, he would
be the one making the demands. He would be treating the Father as his concierge instead of as
king. Remember, from the second chapter of Philippians, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, and emptied himself of the powers that
would hand him all the comforts and luxuries he could ever want. Jesus declares much later in
Matthew that he came to serve, not to be served. He is here on a mission of service and love.
Yes right then and there he could throw himself off the top of the temple and make some
serious headlines, make a spectacle that would garner plenty of attention, but just as a person
cannot survive on bread alone, our spiritual live can’t survive on spectacle or a spiritual high
alone. Jesus’s ministry will be about something much deeper than that, and he would not be
made into just a spectacle of cheap tricks that only serve himself and no one else.
All right, last temptation, we’ll finish our passage for today:
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of
8
the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down
and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God,
10
and serve him only.’”
11
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
All right, so the devil gives it one more try, Jesus is so weak, he’s famished, he’s having these
temptations thrown at him, and Satan takes him in a vision way up high where he can see all
the kingdoms of the world, and says it can all be yours if only you worship me.
Now this one just seems so in your face and obvious what should happen. He’s not saying, hey
make a little bread for yourself, he’s saying bow down and worship me. He’s going all out on
this one. Now it does seem interesting that the devil believes he can give Jesus all the
kingdoms of the earth, and Jesus does not argue with him. He doesn’t say “those aren’t yours
to give”. Why not? It seems there is an element present here that the kingdoms of this earth
are in some way under Satan’s dominion.
And what is the true temptation here for Jesus? I mean, this actually is all his as the Son of the
Father, one day every knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim him as Lord, but what is
offered here is a shortcut.
Take control now, Satan says, you don’t need to go through what is coming. You shouldn’t
have to endure any of the pain that is coming your way. You are the Messiah, the promised
one, why should you have to go to the cross? Just do it now, it’ll be so much easier.
Ultimately these temptations were about who was in control. Would Jesus submit to the will of
the Father, or would he take control over his reputation, power and possessions. He passed the
test, and submitted to God above all else, giving up control. And if the Messiah did so, and if
we are to be his disciples, his followers, if we are to be like him, then this is the example we
must follow. Our image of the Messiah determines the kind of Christian we are.
So what about us today. There are so many things that tempt us, but really the big picture is
not about will we sin here, will we commit a sin there? No the bigger picture is who is in
control. It is so hard for us to give up control sometimes, especially over the things that Jesus
had to give up control over.
Our possessions, our physical needs: we re so reliant on our income, on our daily bread, do we
see God as providing those things for us, or do we keep a tight grip on our control over them?
Who really is in charge of your stuff?
Our reputation, do we care more about what God thinks or about what others think?
Our power: is life only about following our own dreams, our own ambitions, and hoping God
gives a stamp of approval, or do we seek his will, which sometimes might mean enduring
difficult things for the sake of Christ?
The temptation to take control over our own lives can be so subtle. Satan quoted and abused
scripture, it does not always present itself
In what ways have you seen a very subtle temptation?
How ae we often tempted to take shortcuts in our own spiritual lives?
What steps can we take to be proactive in combating temptation?
Looking at the example of Jesus, it would seem that spending time with and memorizing
scripture would be a primary way. Psalm 119:11 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that
I might not sin against you. Knowing the Bible and receiving it as a gift from God is a great way
for us to resist when we are tempted.
Whether it’s gossip, lust, envy, worry, white lies, gluttony, anger, selfishness, apathy towards
the things that God cares about in our world, God is ready and willing to empower us to resist
temptation and follow after him no matter what.
Matthew 4:1-11
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After
fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said,
“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word
4
that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the
5
temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
7
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of
8
the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down
and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God,
10
and serve him only.’”
11
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty
years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not
you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then
feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you
that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of
the Lord.
Jesus: King or Concierge, A Study in the Gospel of Matthew
Session 3: The Temptation of the King
Matthew 4:1-11
Think about the word temptation, what do you think of?
Jesus was fully man and fully God, and part of embracing his humanity is understanding
that he would be tempted.
Temptation #1: Matthew 4:1-4
40 is a significant number in the Bible. Where else is that number present?
If wilderness represents a place of spiritual refinement and purification, then 40
represents a completeness of that refinement.
Jesus is about to embark on a journey of fulltime ministry. What kind of Messiah
would he be? Would he use his power to serve himself or others?
Each time Jesus is faced with a temptation, he overcomes by reciting scripture!
Temptation #2: Matthew 4:5-7
Another harmless suggestion, it seems at first glance
Satan even quotes scripture at Jesus!
To do this would be to put God the Father to the test – to demand something of
him rather than to serve His purposes
Jesus’ ministry would not be about self-serving spectacle
Temptation #3: Matthew 4:8-11
Satan seems to have some authority in handing over the earth to Jesus
This temptation is about control – would Jesus submit to the will of the Father
and be willing to take the hard road, or would he take a shortcut?
Reflection Questions
In what ways have you seen a very subtle temptation?
How are we often tempted to take shortcuts in our own spiritual lives?
What steps can we take to be proactive in combating temptation?
