Matthew 4:3-10 NLT

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:1-11

The temptation of Jesus. In his baptism our Lord was proclaimed as the Messiah. This must have intensified his feeling of the burden and glory of his vocation. A ferment of emotions must have been stirred in his soul. The inquisitive, critical eyes around him, the eager questioning to which he must straightway have been subjected, the necessity of determining what course he should pursue, made solitude a necessity for him at this time. He must ascertain with definiteness the principles which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:1-11

The temptation. This appears to have extended through the forty days of the sojourn of Jesus in the wilderness. Mark says, "He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan" ( Mark 1:13 ). The text describes only the acme at the close of the forty days. It is given as a specimen of the wiles of Satan, and forms an epitome of all the temptations he has ever contrived. From it we learn— I. THAT SATAN IS ARMED WITH FORMIDABLE POWERS . 1 . Probably he appeared in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:2-4

The temptation of hunger. This was a serious encounter. One rebuff was not sufficient to drive off the tempter. The devil is most persevering; only persevering resistance can hope to overcome him. The successive temptations were varied in form. The tempter is wily and subtle. If he does not succeed in one way he will try another. Each temptation has its own features; yet there is a common character running through them all. In every case Jesus was urged to use his miraculous powers and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:2-4

The first ordeal-temptation recorded of Jesus. This reply of Jesus to the first temptation specially recorded as addressed to him by Satan is a quotation from Deuteronomy 8:1-20 . —part of the language spoken by the lips of Moses, but dictated by the Spirit of God for the admonishment of his people. The words occur in that impressive review which Moses took of the career of the people whom he had led like a flock through the wilderness, when now the time was approaching for those... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:3

The tempter ( 1 Thessalonians 3:5 only; cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3 ). Came ; came up to him ( προσελθών ) . The word expresses local nearness, and suggests, though we cannot affirm it as certain, that he appeared visibly. The thought of physical nearness is continued in "taketh him" ( Matthew 4:5 , Matthew 4:8 ), and "the devil leaveth him" and "angels came near" ( Matthew 4:11 ; cf. Matthew 4:5 , note). On the other hand, such expressions may be parabolic, and intended to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:3

Temptation through physical conditions. In this and two later homilies the several temptations are to be more precisely treated. The four homilies will be suggestive of a series of sermons on the "Lord's temptation." The temptation must be closely associated with the baptism. The one thing necessary to the understanding of it is our apprehension of the fact, that Jesus had become suddenly conscious of the trust of miraculous powers; and he had to fix the principle on which alone he would use... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:4

It is written . Our Lord's three quotations are from Deuteronomy 8:3 ; Deuteronomy 6:16 , Deuteronomy 6:13 . Some portion of Deuteronomy ( Matthew 6:4-9 ; Matthew 11:13-21 , because included in the Sh'ma) was the first part of Scripture taught a Jewish child. Possibly, though there is no evidence upon the subject, the neighbouring portions were often added. If they had been in our Lord's case, such a recurrence of them to his mind in his present state of exhaustion is in complete... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:4

The true food of a spiritual being. "Man shall not live by bread alone." Observing the original connection of the words quoted, we find an illustration of the fact that God could sustain life by other means than ordinary food. "Such an answer must have peculiar force and meaning, as it comes from the lips of Christ. He tells Satan that obedience to God is better than bread; that if either is to be given up there cannot be a doubt, there can hardly be a difficulty, about the decision Simply... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:5

Then the devil taketh him up. Revised Version omits "up." Matthew ( παραλαμβάνει , here and verse 8) lays stress on the companionship, and, in a sense, compulsion; Luke ( ἤγαγεν , verse 9; ἀναγαγὼν , verse 5), on guidance and locality. Into the holy city (Luke, "into Jerusalem"). From Isaiah 52:1 , the end of which verse, "There shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean," heightens the implied contrast of the devil's presence there. (For the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:5-6

Temptation through human ambitions. The second temptation was to the sin of presumption, to which sin the ambitious man, who sets an end before him, and means to gain it somehow, is especially exposed. From the tempter's point of view Jesus was ambitious to be the Messiah, so he tempted him to adopt the most showy and most speedy way of fulfilling his ambitions. "Make a show; the people love a show, and you will gain the end of your ambition at once; everybody will shout that you are... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:1-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:1-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:2-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:2-4

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 4:5-6

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