Matthew 4:1-17

Sunday message · The Book of Matthew series

Phillip Santillan  ·  Matthew 4:1-11

Message Summary

Continuing the church’s study of the Gospel of Matthew, Pastor Phillip Santillan preaches on the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:1–11. The Bible, written over some 1,500 years by more than 40 authors, tells one cohesive story with a central character, and its most consistent theme is that God’s people could not keep a law that required perfect obedience (Galatians 3). Some expected a political Messiah, but Matthew opens with the promise that Jesus would save his people from their sins. Jesus, Phil says, “came to live the life we were required to live but could never,” so that we could live with God forever.

The same Spirit at work in Jesus’ conception and baptism now leads him into the wilderness. The Greek word translated tempted can also mean tested, and in Scripture testing often reveals or develops character, as with Abraham (Genesis 22:1) and Philip before the feeding of the five thousand (John 6). First the devil urges the fasting Jesus to turn stones into bread, an appeal to every person’s desire to be their own savior. Unlike the first Adam, Jesus does not give in; Paul calls him the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15). Each time, he answers by quoting Deuteronomy.

Next the devil quotes Scripture, urging Jesus to throw himself from the temple. Phil sees the same move in people who appear religious but live for themselves, pulling verses out of context to support what they already want. One Bible scholar calls it a temptation to use his sonship in a way inconsistent with his God-ordained mission. Modern examples include assuming anything that does not bring prosperity is not from God, or reasoning that God will forgive anyway, so holiness does not matter.

Finally the devil offers all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. If Jesus will one day rule the whole earth, as Paul writes in Philippians 2, what was wrong with the offer? It challenged Jesus’ obedience to God’s timing, and it offered a shortcut around God’s plan that required idolatry, devotion to a false idol promising immediate gratification. The same temptation faces us: believing we know better than God about the timing of our lives.

Phil says the passage can help us resist temptation, but Matthew’s main point is that Jesus is the Messiah, who comes in unexpected ways: he refused to turn stones into bread for himself, yet gave his body as bread for others. Where we all fail, Jesus is victorious. Because our high priest was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence to find mercy and grace in time of need (Hebrews 4). Before the Sermon on the Mount teaches how to live, Matthew wants readers to see that Jesus is strong enough to save and loves us where we are, to take us where we could never take ourselves. Phil closes by urging everyone to approach Jesus with confidence as their refuge and strength, the healer of broken hearts who alone can forgive and restore.