Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 4

MATTHEW CHAPTER 4

The wilderness. See Barnes on Matthew 3:1.

The Spirit. Luke says (Luke 4:1) that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. It was by his influence, therefore, that Christ went into the desert.

To be tempted. The word to tempt, in the original, means to try, to endeavor, or to attempt to do a thing. Then, it means to try the nature of a thing, as metals by fire.

Then, it means to test moral qualities by trying them, to see how they will endure. Then, it means to endeavor to draw people away from virtue by suggesting motives to evil.

This is the meaning here, and this is now the established meaning of the word in the English language.

The devil. This word originally means an adversary or an accuser; then, anyone opposed; then, an enemy of any kind.

In the Scriptures, it is given preeminently to the leader of evil angels—a being characterized as full of subtlety, envy, art, and hatred of humankind. He is also known by the names Satan (Job 1:6–12; Matthew 12:26); Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24); the old Serpent (Revelation 12:9); and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

The name is sometimes applied to men and women. For example, in 2 Timothy 3:3, concerning truce-breakers and slanderers—in the original Greek, "slanderers" is "devils." Similarly, 1 Timothy 3:2 states, So must their wives be grave, not slanderers—in the original Greek, "slanderers" is also "devils."

For to be tempted, see also Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1.

Had fasted. He abstained from food.

Forty days and forty nights. It has been questioned by some whether Christ abstained completely from food, or only from bread and the food to which He was accustomed. Luke says (Luke 4:2) that He ate nothing. This settles the question.

Mark says (Mark 1:13) that angels came and ministered to Him. At first, this might seem to imply that He ate during that time. However, Mark does not specify when the angels performed this service of kindness. We are therefore free to suppose that Mark meant to say it was done at the end of the forty days, especially since Matthew, after giving an account of the temptation, says the same thing (Mark 4:2).

There are other instances of individuals fasting forty days recorded in the Scriptures. For example, Moses fasted forty days (Exodus 34:28), and Elijah also fasted the same length of time (1 Kings 19:8). In these cases, they were undoubtedly miraculously supported.

The tempter. The devil, or Satan. See Matthew 4:1.

If thou be the Son of God. If you are the Messiah—if God's own Son—then you have power to work a miracle; and here is a fit opportunity to try your power, and show that you are truly His Son.

Command that these stones, etc. This referred to the stones lying around Him in the wilderness. No temptation could have been more plausible, or more likely to succeed, than this.

He had just been declared to be the Son of God (Matthew 3:17), and here was an opportunity to show that He was truly so. The circumstances were such as to make it appear plausible and proper to work this miracle.

"Here you are," was the language of Satan, "hungry, cast out, alone, needy, poor, and yet the Son of God! If you have this power, how easily could you satisfy your wants! How foolish is it, then, for the Son of God, having all power, to be starving in this manner, when by a word He could show His power, relieve His wants, and when in the thing itself there could be nothing wrong!"

But he answered and said, etc. In reply to this artful temptation, Christ answered with a quotation from the Old Testament. The passage is found in Deuteronomy 8:3.

In that passage, the discussion concerns manna. Moses says that the Lord humbled the people and fed them with manna, an unusual kind of food, so that they might learn that man did not live by bread only, but that there were other things to support life, and that everything God had commanded was suitable for this purpose.

The term "word," used in this passage, very often means thing in Hebrew, and clearly has that meaning here. Neither Moses nor our Saviour was referring to spiritual food or to the doctrines necessary to support the faith of believers. Instead, they simply meant that God could support life by other things than bread: that man was to live not by that only, but by everything that proceeded out of His mouth—that is, everything He chose to command men to eat.

The substance of His answer, then, is:—"It is not so absolutely necessary that I should have bread as to make a miracle appropriate to obtain it. Life depends on the will of God. He can support it in other ways, as well as by bread. He has created other things to be eaten, and man may live by everything that His Maker has commanded." And from this temptation we may learn:

1. That Satan often takes advantage of our circumstances and needs to tempt us. The poor, hungry, and naked, he often tempts to grumble and complain, and to be dishonest in order to supply their necessities.
2. Satan's temptations are often strongest immediately after we have been remarkably favored. Jesus had just been called the Son of God, and Satan took this opportunity to test Him. He often attempts to fill us with pride and vain self-conceit when we have been favored with any peace, or any new view of God, and endeavors to urge us to do something that may debase us and lead us to sin.
3. His temptations are plausible. They often seem to be only urging us to do what is good and proper. They seem even to urge us to promote the glory of God and to honor Him. We are not to think, therefore, that because a thing may seem to be good in itself, it therefore should be done. Some of his most powerful temptations are when he seems to be urging us to do what will be for the glory of God.
4. We are to meet the temptations of Satan, as the Saviour did, with the plain and positive declarations of Scripture. We are to inquire whether the thing is commanded, and therefore whether it is right to do it, and not trust our own feelings or even our wishes in the matter.

Taketh him up. This does not mean that he bore him through the air, or that he compelled him to go against his will, or that he worked a miracle, in any way, to place him there. There is no evidence that Satan had power to do any of these things; and the word translated taketh him up does not imply any such thing. It means, to conduct one; to lead one; to attend or accompany one; or to induce one to go.

It is used in the following places in the same sense. Numbers 23:14: And he (Balak) brought him (Balaam) into the field of Zophim, etc.; that is, he led him, or induced him to go there. Matthew 17:1: And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, etc.; i.e., led, or conducted them—not by any means implying that he bore them by force. Matthew 20:17: Jesus, going to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart, etc. See also Matthew 26:37; Matthew 27:27; Mark 5:40.

From these passages, and many more, it appears that all that is meant here is, that Satan conducted Jesus, or accompanied him; but not that this was done against the will of Jesus.

The holy city. Jerusalem—called holy because the temple was there, and it was the place of religious solemnities.

Setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple. It is not perfectly certain to what part of the temple the sacred writer here refers. It has been supposed by some that he means the roof. But Josephus says that the roof was covered by spikes of gold, to prevent its being polluted by birds; and such a place would have been very inconvenient to stand upon. Others suppose that it was the top of the porch or entrance to the temple. But it is more than probable that the porch leading to the temple was not as high as the main building.

It is more probable that he refers to a part of the sacred edifice sometimes called Solomon’s porch. The temple was built on the top of Mount Moriah. The temple itself, together with the courts and porches, occupied a large space of ground. To secure a level spot sufficiently large, it was necessary to put up a high wall on the east. The temple was surrounded with porches or piazzas fifty-five feet broad, and seventy-five high. The porch on the south side was, however, sixty-seven feet broad, and one hundred and fifty high. From the top of this to the bottom of the valley below was more than seven hundred feet; and Josephus says that one could scarcely look down without dizziness.

The word pinnacle does not quite express the force of the original. It is a word given usually to birds, and denotes wings, or anything in the form of wings, and was given to the roof of this porch because it resembled a bird dropping its wings. It was on this place, doubtless, that Christ was placed.

Satan proposed that he should cast himself down from there; and, if he was the Son of God, he said it could do no harm. There was a promise that he should be protected. This promise was taken from Psalm 91:11-12.

To this passage of Scripture Christ replied with another, which forbade the act. This is taken from Deuteronomy 6:16, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. That is, you shall not try him; or, you shall not, by throwing yourself into voluntary and uncommanded dangers, appeal to God for protection, or trifle with the promises made to those who are thrown into danger by his providence. It is true, indeed, that God aids those of his people who are placed by him in trial or danger; but it is not true that the promise was meant to extend to those who wantonly provoke him, and trifle with the promised help. Thus Satan, artfully using and perverting Scripture, was met and repelled by Scripture rightly applied.