For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Heb 4:15).[1]

The author of Hebrews encourages the persecuted Christians of the early church, saying that Jesus is the high priest who understands their ordeal because he himself was tempted “in every way” but never sinned. And before Jesus had the rightful claim to that, he went under strict testing, a preparation in ministry that would soon become one of our model for overcoming temptation. This research paper will study the account of the temptation of Jesus in the synoptic gospels primarily in Matthew which contain one of the more detailed account among the three. This paper seeks to answer the purpose of this account in Jesus’ life, its placement in the synoptic gospels and its application to modern times.

In the putting together this research paper, the author uses several tools in its development including word and background study, discourse analysis, as well as, using secondary resources such as commentaries and journals.

Overview of synoptic account

The synoptic gospels all contain the account of Jesus’ temptation.[2] In the gospel of Mark, the account is found in 1:12-13 which is only two verses long, following the account of his baptism by John (1:9-11) marking the start of his ministry. It is interesting to note the precedent “immediately” in verse 12 that indicate a sense of urgency common in the gospel of Mark signifying that it was an immediate event following his ministerial inauguration as compared to the Matthian “then.”

The gospel of Matthew and Luke bear close resemblance of the account except for the difference of the order of the temptation of Jesus wherein the second and third temptation in Matthew are switched as third and second in Luke (compare Mt 4:1-11 and Lk 4:1-13). For this study the author will focus on the Matthian account and note its differences from Luke.

The Matthian gospel

Among the four gospels, Matthew, is considered to be the most Jewish gospel of the four. Though unidentified by name in the gospel, as early as AD 130, early church fathers, including the Papias attribute the gospel to Matthew[3], one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. His profession as a tax collector has greatly influence the style and organization of the book. Text blocks are well organized and would seem arranged by subject rather than in chronological order.

Dating between AD 70 and AD 60, the gospel is believed to be one of the earlier gospels that existed, second to John Mark’s gospel that was written few years back and is believed to be a major resource material of the Matthian gospel. Scholars believe that drawing from Mark’s writing, Matthew sought to clarify some text Mark would have missed due to poor expression in a foreign text.[4]

Written in Hebrew or Aramaic, Matthew writes to the Jewish believers of that time. Among its purpose is to document key events in the life of Jesus coming from a first-hand eyewitness account and ultimately to proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God and the long-awaited messiah of the Jews as prophesied in Old Testament Scripture. His references in Old Testament prophecies is a distinct trait of his gospel and is his major apology to Jesus’ messiahship.

The gospel of Matthew is composed of a prelude, followed by five major discourses, and the finale – his trial, death and victorious resurrection and return to the Father. Much of the prelude (ch. 1-4) comprises Jesus’ early life and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This includes the temptation of Jesus, the text in study, following his baptism by John that marks the start of his ministry.

The temptation of Jesus

The Matthian account of the temptation of Jesus is found in Matthew 4:1-11,

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. ³And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." ⁴But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

⁵Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

'He will command His angels concerning You';
and
'On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'"

⁷Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your god to the test.'"

⁸Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; ⁹and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." ¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" ¹¹Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

This verses are part of the prelude to Jesus by Matthew. The prelude is four chapters long, from 1:1 to 4:25, and could be outlined as follows: (1) the genealogy of Jesus (1:1-17), (2) Jesus’ birth and childhood, subdivided into (a) his birth account (1:18-25), (b) the visit of the Magi (2:1-14), his family’s flight to Egypt (2:13-15), (d) the Herodian massacre (2:16-18) and (e) his family’s return to Israel (2:19-23); (3) his inauguration to the ministry, subdivided into (a) John’s ministry (3:1-12), (b) the baptism of Jesus (3:13-17), the temptation of Jesus (4:1-11) and lastly (4) his early ministry (4:12-25).[5]

To further understand the context of the text in study, the author must go a few verses back. The temptation is preceded by his baptism (3:13-17) where Jesus, coming from Galilee, the place where he grew up (2:22), was baptized in the Jordan River. Realizing that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, John insisted that he was to be baptized by him and not the other way around (3:14). But Jesus, though without sin, chose to be baptized in order “to fulfill all righteousness” (v. 15) demonstrating his adherence to John’s message of “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Lk 3:3) for believers to follow. As he was baptized, coming out from the water, his divine calling was sealed when the heavens opened and the Spirit in form of a dove descended on him, with a voice in the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (v. 16-17).

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mt 4:1).

After a dramatic proclamation of Jesus’ Sonship, our text in study tells us that he was “led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness” (v. 1). The adverb “then” (Gk. τότε, bearing the same meaning[6]) denotes that the temptation is a subsequent event immediately after the baptism experience of Jesus. Matthew and Mark[7] both records this, while Luke does not. An interesting meaning besides literally being led up for the word “led up” (Gk. ἀνάγω) is “to set sail.”[8] This meant that Jesus could have been supernaturally transported by the Holy Spirit to the place where Jesus would be tempted without physically traveling to the place. Also, the adverb “up” meant that the wilderness has a higher altitude than his former location in the Jordan River area. Jones believes that a suitable site for the wilderness experience is in Mount Quarantania, in the midst of a desert region between Jerusalem and Jericho, and has been the traditional site since the fifth century.[9]

The same verse tells us the purpose why the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness. It writes that the purpose is “to be tempted by the devil.” At a quick reading, one could mistakenly conclude that it was ultimately the Spirit that led Jesus to be tempted to commit sin, which then would be contradictory to what the Scripture says about temptation that it is not prompted by God for the demise of the believer (James 1:13)[10]. However, a close study of the word “tempted” could bring some light in this dilemma. “tempted” or πειράζω both meant “to test” or “to tempt.”[11] This could mean that God could use the evil purpose of the devil to cause Jesus to sin in order to test him from which God knew that he would emerge victorious and refined (James 1:3)[12].

²And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry (Mt 4:2).

Verse 2 tells us that Jesus fasted for forty days. Three observations are made by the author. First, it is probable that Jesus anticipated what would happen in this wilderness experience – that he would be tested and tempted, thus requiring fasting to strengthen the spirit and sensitivity to the will of the Father in order to overcome the temptation. It is interesting to note in another place in Scripture where in response to the disciples’ inquiry for the reason of their failure to cast out a demon from a boy preceding deliverance by Jesus, he replied, “this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mk 9:29). Second, Matthew seems to be alluding to the forty years of wilderness experience of the Israelites in the Old Testament, thus implying that while Israel failed to the test of the wilderness, Jesus would overcome. Third, one could see a glimpse of Jesus’ humanity when the verse tells us that after fasting for forty days and nights, he experienced physical hunger, prompting the devil to tempt him by challenging him to turn stones into bread. Therefore it would be safe to dissolve assumptions that Jesus was not vulnerable to the temptations of the devil, because while he is the Son of God, he is also human, therefore able to “sympathize with our weaknesses … yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15).

Verse 1 and 2 served as the prelude to the temptation event. Verse 3-10 contains the three temptation episodes. Here Satan is portrayed as the tempter. And for each temptation, Jesus overcame them with Scripture.

³And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." ⁴But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

Satan’s first temptation is for Jesus to turn the stones in this rocky wilderness into bread (v. 3). This temptation, as well as the second, challenges Jesus’ Sonship. Both begins with the phrase “if You are the Son of God …” The conjunction “if” denotes that Satan could be implying doubt to Jesus that he may or may not be the Son of God. But if Jesus is susceptible to such doubt, the phrase “command that these stones become bread” tells us otherwise. Verse 2 tells us that he fasted for forty days and after the fast he was hungry, and he knew that he could have easily met his hunger with his power. Therefore Satan could not be casting doubts in Jesus’ Sonship but instead challenging him to display his power for personal gain. This, as well as the next two temptations posed a defining moment for Jesus’ future ministry on earth. As another author observed,

The temptation narratives picture Jesus asking what that means. Is he to be a wonder-worker, using his powers to meet his own needs … Is he to do a spectacular but pointless miracles?^{^[13]}

In response, Jesus quotes from the Torah (v. 4), specifically in the book of Deuteronomy thus further gives us an allusion between Jesus and the Israelites in the wilderness wonderings. He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 which were originally spoken by Moses when he imparted the law to the people. Some scholars believe that Matthew alludes to Jesus in the gospel being the second Moses, the law giver. By quoting this verse Jesus is saying that his purpose is to do the will of the Father and not his own will. And this would become his pivotal purpose of his ministry. The apostle John strengthens this purpose when he writes of Jesus in another account saying, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me” (Jn 4:34, also see Mt 26:42). Jesus overcame the first temptation.

⁵Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

'He will command His angels concerning You';
and
'On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'"

⁷Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your god to the test.'"

Verses 5 to 7 tells us of the second temptation and this time Satan takes Jesus into the holy city which undoubtedly refers to the city of Jerusalem which Luke explicitly identifies (Lk 4:9). The temple refers to Herod’s temple, and it is told that Satan had Jesus stand on the pinnacle of the temple. The Greek word for pinnacle or πτερύγιον literally meant “a little wing” and therefore meaning anything resembling a wing. Thus a “parapet” instead of “pinnacle” would be closer to the original text.[14] With this description Gundry suggests three specific locations in the temple where the temptation happened:

On the top of the temple’s main tower, some 180 feet above ground, the location where artists generally set the story.
On the top of the lintel of the main gateway into the temple, the most prominent position where the pair could easily have been seen.
A tower on the southeast corner of the outer wall that looks down into Kidron Valley, which James the Just was said to have later been thrown from by way of execution.

Satan again begins the temptation with the phrase, “If You are the Son of God …” This time he challenges Jesus to jump off the pinnacle of the temple because he is able to save himself and even command his army of angels to rescue him. This is the only time in this temptation episode that Satan quotes from Scripture. This Scripture is found in Psalm 91:11-12, again whose author is believed to be Moses (cf. Ps 90). Satan’s ability to twist the Scripture to the demise of Jesus did not succeed. Jesus counters the claim from Scripture, this time from Deuteronomy 6:16, again originally cited by Moses to the Israelites who already failed to follow[15]. Again, for the second time, Jesus overcame.

And for the third and final temptation, Satan took Jesus to “a very high mountain” where one could see “all the kingdoms of the world” (v. 8). Various interpretations are offered but two are worth considering. First, Calvin supported the view that Satan could have taken Jesus to a vision of a “high mountain” where he would see the entire world. And second, “All the kingdoms of the world” could refer only to the “known world” at that time thus limiting Jesus’ view to what his human eyes can only see. While there would be mountains in the region, the first explanation would still be a viable interpretation.

Satan then begins to make an offer. He would give all the kingdoms to Jesus as long as Jesus bows down and worships him (v. 9). Jesus says, “Go, Satan,” the only place in the story that the word “Satan” is used to refer to him. Jesus also then responds by quoting again (v. 10) this time in Deuteronomy 6:13, which in the original refers to rejection of idolatry.

And after Satan’s failed attempts to lead Jesus to succumb to temptations, verse 11 tells us,

¹¹Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Once the temptations are finished, Satan departs and angels came to minister to Jesus. In the original Greek, the phrase “devil left him” was in the historic present tense, indicating a lack of permanence. This means that Satan would later return to further tempt Jesus. Luke explicitly tells us this when he said, “the devil … left him until an opportune time” (Lk 4:13). While both Matthew and Mark mention the angels, Luke does not. The word “minister” or διακονέω[16] is often interpreted as angles feeding Jesus. Traditional artists interprets this as Jesus being presented with a feast. This ending to the temptation story may be of common literary device of using a feast scene to emphasize a happy ending. This also proves that Jesus did not lose or even diminish his faith in God while in the ordeal.

Lessons from the narrative

The temptation narrative posts some helpful insights and foundations on the ministry of the believer. First, one could learn that God’s call must be tested. In the narrative, even after the glorious introduction of Jesus to the ministry, he has to be led by the Holy Spirit to the test. This has been true to biblical characters called by God – Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job etc. In this way Jesus exemplified how the believer should respond when gripped with temptation. Again, this is clearly summarized by the apostle James,

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (Jas 1:2-4, NIV).

¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (Jas 1:13-15, NIV).

Another insight is that the believer has the power to engage the enemy by spiritual warfare. It was Jesus who also said to “[tie] up the strong man” and “carry off his possessions” (Mt 12:29). Here, Jesus “prepares” himself for the test by blocking himself of every physical nourishment through fasting. Fasting has been a tested method for increased sensitivity and faith in God. Also, Jesus countered Satan’s attacks with the Word of God. Both fasting and the Word are essential to battling the temptations and attempts of the devil to destroy the believer. It is the apostle Paul who said believers are equipped with weapons that “have power to demolish strongholds” (1Co 10:4-5).

Lastly, every believer and minister of the Lord must be wary not to use and abuse his calling and gifts/abilities for the edification of the body for personal gain. Here Jesus was tempted by Satan to abuse his power. Even though later he would have easily multiplied the bread to feed a multitude (Mt 14:13-21), he did not choose to turn the stones into bread. His food, or his mission, is “to do the will of the Father” (Jn 4:34). This attitude should be followed by every believer.

Conclusion

The temptation experience of Jesus is a very important highlight in Jesus life and earthly ministry. By God’s sovereign will and omniscience, God can use the evil-aimed darts of the devil and turn it around for the strengthening of every believer. It is in this experience that Jesus was refined, developed his mission and set up the foundations from which he would minister to the Jews and Gentiles. Every genuine believer has to expect to undergo and rise up to the challenge that will leave him stronger and ready for God’s use.

“So pain endures fro a time. Its role is to purge us, make us to know ourselves, and it drives us to the Lord to plead for mercy. The passion of our Lord and the knowledge that his will will indeed be done gives us strength to bear up to all this.” – Julian of Norwich^{^[17]}

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Synoptic Parallel of the Temptation Narrative

Matthew 4:1-11	Mark 1:12-13	Luke 4:1-13
¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.	¹²Immediately the Spirit impelled^* Him to go out into the wilderness.	¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness
²And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He ^then became hungry.	¹³And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.	²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.
³And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”		³And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
⁴But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”		⁴And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
⁵Then the devil took^* Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,		⁹And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;
⁶and said^* to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”		¹⁰for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’ ¹¹and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
⁷Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”		¹²And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
⁸Again, the devil took^* Him to a very high mountain and showed^* Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;		⁵And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
⁹and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”		⁶And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷“Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”
¹⁰Then Jesus said^* to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”		⁸Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
¹¹Then the devil left^* Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.		¹³When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Appendix 2: Outline of Matthew 1-4

Jesus’ genealogy (1:1-17)
Jesus’ birth and childhood (1:18-2:23)

The birth account (1:18-25)
The visit of the Magi (2:1-14)
The family’s flight to Egypt (2:13-15)
The Herodian massacre (2:16-18)
The family’s return to Israel (2:19-23)

Jesus’ inauguration to the ministry (3:1-4:25)

The ministry of John (3:1-12)
The baptism of Jesus (3:13-17)
The temptation of Jesus (4:1-11)

i. The setting (v. 1-2)

ii. The temptations (v. 3-10)

1. "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." (v. 3-4)

2. "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down." (v. 5-7)

3. "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." (v. 8-10)

iii. The outcome (v. 11)

The early ministry of Jesus (4:12-25)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bell, James S. Jr. and Anthony P. Dawson. From the Library of C. S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Shaw Books, 2004.

Carson, D. A. and others. An Introduction to the New Testament. Manila: OMF Literature Inc, 1998

Gundry, Robert H. Survey of the New Testament, 4th ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2003

Jones, Alexander. The Gospel According to St. Matthew. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1965

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew (Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.

Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975

Stamps, Donald C. ed. Full Life Study Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1992

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Crusade Bible Publishing, Inc., 1990

^{^[1]}Biblical citations in this paper are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and will be noted if otherwise.

[2] A synoptic parallel of the verse is documented in Appendix 1.

[3] D. A. Carson and others, An Introduction to the New Testament. (Manila: OMF Literature Inc, 1998) and Donald C. Stamp ed, Full Life Study Bible. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1992)

[4] Robert H. Gundry, Survey of the New Testament, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2003)

[5] See the outline of the prelude to Jesus’ Ministry in Appendix 2.

[6] James Strong, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. (Nashville, Tennessee: Crusade Bible Publishing, Inc., 1990)

[7] Mark uses the adverb “immediately” (Gk. εὐθύς) meaning “straightway” or “just then”

[8] Strong, Strong’s

[9] Alexander Jones, The Gospel According to St. Matthew. (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1965)

[10] James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”

[11] Strong, Strong’s

[12] James 1:2-3, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

[13]Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Pillar New Testament Commentary). (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992)

[14] Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Matthew. (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975)

[15] Complete text of Deuteronomy 6:16 reads, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.”

[16] Strong, Strong’s

[17] James S. Jr. Bell and Anthony P. Dawson, From the Library of C. S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey. (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Shaw Books, 2004)

Firescribbler

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

A research study on the temptation of Jesus narrative

A RESEARCH STUDY ON THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS NARRATIVE IN MATTHEW 4:1-11

Introduction