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In this lesson:
Jesus is tempted. Note the parallels between this passage and Israel wandering in the wilderness (the Exodus). Both Jesus and the Israelites spent time in the desert preparing for their future mission. Both were tested, and just as Israel wandered for forty years (Deuteronomy 8:2), Jesus fasted for forty days. Also, notice that Satan can quote Scripture. Study Tip: When studying, always listen to what God is telling you. |
Temptation of Christ in the Wilderness
By Flemish painter Juan de Flandes (1460-1519). |
The Gospel According to St. Matthew
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus' wilderness temptations 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. |
Margin notes:
"Tempted of the devil." (4:1) - "Tested by the devil." "He was afterward an hungred." (4:2) - "Afterward, He was hungry." "When the tempter came to him." (4:3) - "When Satan came to Him (Jesus)." Just as Satan led Adam and Eve astray in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-6), he now tries to confound Jesus. Because Adam succumbed to Satan, mankind lost paradise (Genesis 3:23) and a relationship with God. Now, Satan tries to repeat his success with Adam and seduce Jesus. Had Satan succeeded, mankind would have remained estranged from God. But Jesus ("The last Adam") won, whereas "The first Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) lost. See "Today's Questions" below. "If thou be the son of God." (4:3) - "Since you are the Son of God." The word "if," as used here, is conditional, meaning "since." Satan knows full well who Jesus is. "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone." (4:4) - Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. Just as the Israelites were physically sustained in the desert wilderness by God miraculously sending them a portion of manna (bread) every day, believers are spiritually sustained by taking in a portion of God's Word each day. "Lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." (4:6) - Satan knows Scripture, here he quotes Psalms 91:11-12. Notice how Satan uses this passage about "trusting" God and twists it to justify "testing" God. "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (4:7) - "It is written again; you will not test the Lord." This is paraphrased from Deuteronomy 6:16. "Get thee hence, Satan." (4:10) - "Begone, Satan." "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (4:10) - Paraphrased from Exodus 23:25, Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20. "Then the devil leaveth him." (4:11) - Satan will flee if we resist him and submit to God (James 4:7). |
Mark gives a short account of Jesus being tempted in Mark 1:12-13. Luke gives a more detailed report in Luke 4:1-13.
New Living Translation
Matthew 4:1-11
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."
4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say,
'People do 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, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
'He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"
7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."
10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say,
'You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.'"
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."
4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say,
'People do 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, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
'He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"
7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."
10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say,
'You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.'"
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (4:4)
"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (4:10)
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (4:4)
"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (4:10)
Today's Questions:
1. Why would the Holy Spirit allow Jesus to be tempted by Satan? (4:1)
2. Was there a risk that Jesus might have fallen for Satan's temptations? (4:3-11)
God gave us the Bible -
1. To know Him.
2. To know ourselves.
Answers: (Do you agree?)
1. For Jesus to complete His mission, he had to face Satan and win. If Satan had succeeded in tempting Jesus, as he did with Adam and Eve, Jesus' mission to bring salvation to mankind would have failed. The Messiah's victory was a foreshadowing of His final triumph over sin, thanks to His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection.
Additional note: Notice the similarities between Satan tempting Eve and Jesus. Satan pushed Eve to eat from the Forbidden Tree (Genesis 3:1-3) and told Jesus to turn stones into bread (4:3). Satan promised Eve she would not die (Genesis 3:4) and told Jesus He would not be injured (4:6). Satan promised Eve she would be a God (Genesis 3:5) and promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (4:8-9).
Also, Jesus fasted for forty days, just as God's prophets Elijah (1 Kings 19:8) and Moses did centuries earlier (Exodus 34:28).
2. While a minority of Bible students believe that Jesus was never at risk of falling to Satan's temptations, most believe that Satan's temptations were real (Hebrews 4:15). If Satan's temptations had not been real, then our salvation would not be legitimate. If Jesus had not resisted Satan, His earthly mission to free us from our sins would have failed. See also Hebrews 2:14-18.
Advice from Jesus:
"Man shall not live by bread alone." (4:4)
"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (4:7)
"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (4:10)
1. Why would the Holy Spirit allow Jesus to be tempted by Satan? (4:1)
2. Was there a risk that Jesus might have fallen for Satan's temptations? (4:3-11)
God gave us the Bible -
1. To know Him.
2. To know ourselves.
Answers: (Do you agree?)
1. For Jesus to complete His mission, he had to face Satan and win. If Satan had succeeded in tempting Jesus, as he did with Adam and Eve, Jesus' mission to bring salvation to mankind would have failed. The Messiah's victory was a foreshadowing of His final triumph over sin, thanks to His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection.
Additional note: Notice the similarities between Satan tempting Eve and Jesus. Satan pushed Eve to eat from the Forbidden Tree (Genesis 3:1-3) and told Jesus to turn stones into bread (4:3). Satan promised Eve she would not die (Genesis 3:4) and told Jesus He would not be injured (4:6). Satan promised Eve she would be a God (Genesis 3:5) and promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (4:8-9).
Also, Jesus fasted for forty days, just as God's prophets Elijah (1 Kings 19:8) and Moses did centuries earlier (Exodus 34:28).
2. While a minority of Bible students believe that Jesus was never at risk of falling to Satan's temptations, most believe that Satan's temptations were real (Hebrews 4:15). If Satan's temptations had not been real, then our salvation would not be legitimate. If Jesus had not resisted Satan, His earthly mission to free us from our sins would have failed. See also Hebrews 2:14-18.
Advice from Jesus:
"Man shall not live by bread alone." (4:4)
"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (4:7)
"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (4:10)
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible" published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2025 evolke
© 2025 evolke