Enduring Word Matthew 4 (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point of Matthew chapter 4? ›

Matthew 4 has four main sections: the temptation of Christ, the beginning of Christ's ministry, calling the disciples, and healing and teaching. The temptation of Christ is important to the Gospels because it that Jesus is the Son of God (Hagner 61). He went through the temptations and passed the test.

The phrase "Man shall not live by bread alone" is today a common expression meaning that people need more than material things to truly live. However, it is also sometimes used in almost the opposite sense to justify material luxuries beyond simple things like bread.

Matthew 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights and afterwards was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.

Matthew 4:1–11 describes Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. After 40 days and nights of fasting, Jesus faces three temptations from Satan. Each one attempts to lure Christ into abusing His power; to take immediately what God the Father has promised to provide later.

Share. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 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.

God Himself will never tempt us and He has also promised to never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. At the same time He may allow Satan to tempt us, but then use those temptations as a trial to teach us to rely on Him more.

Dear God, help me to remember that my sustenance and nourishment come not only from physical food, but also from your word. May I seek your guidance and wisdom in all aspects of my life, and may your words be a source of strength and comfort to me.

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said that man cannot live by bread alone but they need the Words of God, just like you couldn't eat this slice of bread on its own. There is a trick though, would you like to try it again? (Hand them a glass of water and tell them that they can drink it as often as they need.)

The Devil is tempting Jesus to prematurely reveal Himself as the Son of God by forcing God to send angels to save Him. This would result in revealing Jesus' true identity to Israel immediately. The Father's plan, though, was for His Son to suffer and die for the sins of humanity.

The verse makes clear that the Spirit, presumably the Holy Ghost prominently mentioned two verses before in Matthew 3:16, is the one who leads Jesus into the desert.

What was the first temptation faced by Jesus in Matthew 4:3? ›

“Tell these stones to become bread” – The first dilemma which Jesus faced was how to use his miraculous power, whether to use it for selfish reasons or to help others. Jesus denied himself the opportunity to satisfy his hunger, even though he had been fasting for forty days and nights.

Temptation. In the Christian Bible, Jesus is faced with 3 temptations of the body, mind, and heart at the hands of Satan. These temptations challenged his devotion and faith to the Lord. By walking away from each temptation, Jesus reveals some valuable lessons about faith.

Jesus has rebuffed two earlier temptations by Satan. The devil has thus transported Jesus to the top of a great mountain and offered him control of the world to Jesus if he agrees to worship him. In this verse, Jesus rejects this temptation.

Satan here is trying to convince Jesus to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple because God has promised that he will not be hurt. To advance this temptation the devil quotes scripture, something Swiss theologian Eduard Schweizer sees as an escalation over the first temptation.

The Lord has said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). A great lesson to be learned in life is to live in harmony with others. Where there is disharmony, unhappiness and tragedy result.

It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people (the Jews) but is rejected by them and how, after his resurrection, he sends the disciples to the gentiles instead. Matthew wishes to emphasize that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church that was increasingly becoming gentile.

These 3 temptations represent the challenges Christians face to remain loyal to the Lord. Sometimes, the body, mind, and heart are tested, but God-fearing people stay faithful no matter what.