Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 4:8-11

"Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 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. Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him." — Matthew 4:8-11 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The Devil, left in uncertainty by this second reply, moves on to a third temptation. Christ had broken the nets of appetite and passed over those of ambition; now the Devil spreads for Him the nets of greed. He takes Him up to a very high mountain, one that, in going around the earth, he had noticed rising above the rest. The higher the mountain, the wider the view from it.

He did not show Him the kingdoms in such a way that He truly saw the actual kingdoms, cities, nations, or their silver and gold. Instead, he showed Him the regions of the earth where each kingdom and city was located. For example, if from some high ground I were to point out to you, "See, there lies Rome, and there lies Alexandria," you would not be expected to see the cities themselves, but only the direction in which they lie.

In the same way, the Devil might have pointed out the different regions with his finger and described in words the greatness and condition of each kingdom. For something is said to be "shown" if it is presented to the understanding in any way.

Origen of Alexandria: We should not suppose that when the devil showed Him the kingdoms of the world, he presented before Him the kingdom of Persia or India, for instance. Rather, he showed Him his own kingdom: how he reigns in the world, meaning how some people are governed by fornication and others by greed.¹

Remigius of Auxerre: By "their glory," he means their gold, silver, precious stones, and worldly goods.

Rabanus Maurus: The Devil shows all this to the Lord, not as if he had the power to expand His vision or show Him anything He did not already know. Instead, by describing in appealing and pleasant terms the vain, worldly pomp in which he himself delighted, he thought that by this suggestion he could create a love for it in Christ.

Glossa Ordinaria: He did not see with the eye of lust, as we do, but saw as a physician looks upon a disease without receiving any harm from it.²

St. Jerome: This was an arrogant and empty boast, for he does not have the power to bestow all kingdoms, since we know that many of the saints have been made kings by God.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: However, things that are acquired through iniquity in this world—such as riches gained by fraud or perjury—these are what the Devil bestows. Therefore, the Devil cannot give riches to whomever he wishes, but only to those who are willing to receive them from him.

Remigius of Auxerre: What wonderful foolishness in the Devil! To promise earthly kingdoms to the one who gives heavenly kingdoms to His faithful people, and to promise the glory of the earth to Him who is Lord of the glory of heaven!

St. Ambrose of Milan: Ambition has its own dangers. In order to govern, it must first be a slave to others; it bows in flattery so that it may rule in honor. While it seeks to be exalted, it is forced to stoop.³

Glossa Ordinaria: See the Devil's pride, just as it was of old. In the beginning, he sought to make himself equal with God; now he seeks to usurp the honors due to God, saying, "If you will fall down and worship me." Whoever, then, worships the Devil must first fall down.⁴

Pseudo-Chrysostom: With these words, He puts an end to the Devil's temptations, so that they should not proceed any further.

St. Jerome: The Devil and Peter are not, as many suppose, condemned with the same sentence. To Peter it is said, "Get behind me, Satan," meaning, "You who are opposed to my will, follow behind me." But here it is, "Go, Satan," and "behind me" is not added, so that we may understand it to mean, "Go into the fire prepared for you and your angels."

Remigius of Auxerre: Other copies read, "Get behind me," meaning, "Remember the glory in which you were created, and the misery into which you have fallen."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Observe how Christ, when He Himself suffered wrong at the hands of the Devil who tempted Him, saying, "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down," was still not moved to rebuke the Devil. But now, when the Devil usurps the honor of God, He is angry and drives him away, saying, "Go, Satan."

From His example, we learn to bear injuries to ourselves with greatness of spirit, but not even to endure hearing wrongs committed against God. For to be patient when we are wronged is praiseworthy, but to ignore it when God is wronged is impiety.

St. Jerome: When the Devil says to the Savior, "If you will fall down and worship me," he is answered with the contrary declaration: that it is more fitting for the Devil to worship Jesus as his Lord and God.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The one Lord our God is the Holy Trinity, to whom alone we justly owe the service of piety.⁵

By "service," we are to understand the honor due to God. Our version of the Scriptures renders the Greek word latria as "service" (Latin: servitus) wherever it occurs. However, the service that is due to men (as when the Apostle bids slaves be subject to their masters) is called dulia in Greek.

In contrast, latria is always—or so often that we can say always—used for the worship that belongs to God alone.⁶

Pseudo-Chrysostom: We may fairly suppose that the Devil did not depart in obedience to the command. Rather, the divine nature of Christ and the Holy Spirit who was in Him drove him away, and "then the devil left him." This also serves for our comfort, showing us that the Devil does not tempt the people of God for as long as he wishes, but only for as long as Christ allows. And though Christ may permit him to tempt for a short time, in the end He drives him away because of the weakness of our human nature.

St. Augustine of Hippo: After the temptation, the holy angels—who are to be dreaded by all unclean spirits—ministered to the Lord. By this, it was made even more clear to the demons how great His power was.⁷

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The text does not say that "angels descended from heaven," so that it might be known that they were always on earth to minister to Him. Instead, they had departed from Him by the Lord's command to give the Devil an opportunity to approach, for perhaps the Devil would not have come near if he had seen Him surrounded by angels.

We cannot know in what specific matters they ministered to Him—whether in healing diseases, purifying souls, or casting out demons. For He does all these things through the ministry of angels, so that what they do, He Himself appears to do. However, it is clear that they did not minister to Him now because His weakness required it, but for the honor of His power. For it is not said that they "helped Him," but that they "ministered to Him."

St. Gregory the Great: In these events, the twofold nature in one person is shown: it is the man whom the Devil tempts, and it is the same one who is God to whom angels minister.⁸

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Now let us briefly review the symbolic meaning of Christ's temptations. The fasting represents abstinence from evil things; the hunger is the desire for evil; and the bread is the gratification of that desire. Anyone who indulges in any evil thing turns stones into bread. Let him answer the Devil's persuasions by declaring that man does not live by indulging his desires alone, but by keeping the commands of God.

When anyone is puffed up with pride as if he were holy, he is led to the temple; and when he considers himself to have reached the summit of holiness, he is set on a pinnacle of the temple. This temptation follows the first because victory over temptation often gives birth to conceit.

But notice that Christ voluntarily undertook the fast, whereas He was led to the temple by the Devil. Therefore, you should voluntarily practice praiseworthy abstinence, but do not allow yourself to be exalted to the summit of holiness. Flee from arrogance, and you will not suffer a fall.

The ascent of the mountain represents the pursuit of great riches and the glory of this world, which springs from a proud heart. When you desire to become rich—that is, to ascend the mountain—you begin to think of ways to gain wealth and honors. It is then that the prince of this world is showing you the glory of his kingdom.

Finally, the Devil provides you with reasons why, if you seek to obtain all these things, you should serve him and neglect the righteousness of God.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: When we have overcome the Devil and bruised his head, we will see that the ministry of angels and the help of heavenly powers will not be lacking for us.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Luke did not record the temptations in the same order as Matthew, so we do not know whether the temptation on the pinnacle of the temple or the one on the mountain happened first. This is of no importance, however, as long as it is clear that all of them truly occurred.⁹

Glossa Ordinaria: Although Luke's order seems more chronological, Matthew relates the temptations in an order that corresponds to how Adam was tempted.¹⁰

1. Luc., Hom. 30
2. ord.
3. Luc., c. iv, 11
4. non occ.
5. cont. Serm. Arian, 29
6. City of God, book 10, ch. 1
7. City of God, book 9, ch. 21
8. non occ. see in Ezek. i. 8. n. 24. in 1 Reg. i. I. n. 1. 2
9. de Cons. Evan., ii, 16
10. ap. Anselm