Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 4:3

"And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." — Matthew 4:3 (ASV)

When the tempter came to Jesus, he did not challenge Jesus’ sonship but assumed it and reflected on its meaning. Sonship of the living God, he suggested, surely means Jesus has the power and right to satisfy his own needs. Jesus’ response is based solely on Scripture: “It is written” . Everyone must recognize his or her utter dependence on God’s word. Jesus’ food is to do the will of his Father who sent him .

The point of each temptation must be determined by closely examining both the temptation and Jesus’ response. This first one was a temptation for Jesus to use his sonship in a way inconsistent with his God-ordained mission. Satan’s aim was to entice Jesus to use powers that were rightly his but which he had voluntarily abandoned to carry out the Father’s mission (cf. 26:53–54; 27:40). Reclaiming them for himself would deny the self-abasement implicit in his mission and in the Father’s will. Israel demanded its bread but died in the wilderness; Jesus denied himself bread, retained his righteousness, and lived by faithful submission to God’s word.