Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. 3 The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” 4 He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 6 and 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 ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” 8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 9 and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” 10 At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Matthew places this scene immediately after Jesus is named God’s beloved Son at his baptism. The same Spirit who descends upon him now leads him into the desert. The devil’s repeated challenge, “If you are the Son of God,” tests what kind of Son he will be: whether he will use power for himself, force God to prove himself through a dramatic rescue, or take earthly power by doing what the devil wants—bowing down and worshiping him.
The forty days and forty nights recall well-known moments of preparation in Israel’s Scriptures. Moses fasts before receiving the Law (Ex. 34:28). Elijah journeys and is strengthened for his prophetic mission (1 Kgs. 19:4-8). Behind those forty-day parallels stands Israel’s forty-year wilderness testing, where God’s people learn—often painfully—that life depends on God and not on what they can secure for themselves (Dt. 8:2-3). Matthew’s narrative begins with a concrete fact: after fasting, Jesus is hungry. The trial is not imaginary. It touches real human need.
The first temptation turns that hunger into an invitation to use power to meet a basic human need: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” Jesus answers with Scripture from Deuteronomy: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” In Deuteronomy, that line interprets Israel’s experience with manna. God fed his people, but he also taught them that food is not the deepest foundation of human life. Matthew shows Jesus refusing to make his mission revolve around providing for himself on his own terms. His life is ordered to the Father’s will. This matches the later way Jesus speaks about his deepest “food” as doing the will of the one who sent him (Jn 4:34).
The second temptation moves from hunger to a public display of God’s care for his Son. The devil takes Jesus to “the holy city” and places him on the temple parapet. He again begins, “If you are the Son of God…,” and then quotes Scripture (Ps. 91:11-12) as if God’s promise of protection can be turned into a guarantee for reckless self-display. Jesus answers with another line from Deuteronomy: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Deuteronomy’s warning recalls Israel’s demand for proof in the wilderness, when the people challenged God’s presence and care (Ex. 17:1-7; Dt. 6:16). Matthew’s point is clear. Trust in God is not proved by forcing God’s hand. Scripture is not a tool for manipulating God or justifying spiritual presumption.
The third temptation is the most direct. The devil shows Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence” and offers them as a gift—on one condition: “if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” The offer is a shortcut to ruling over humanity—but only by breaking obedience to God and worshiping the devil. Jesus answers with Scripture once more: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” (Dt. 6:13). The issue is worship, and therefore the heart of covenant fidelity. Israel’s wilderness story includes the lure of idolatry (Ex. 32). Matthew shows Jesus refusing any bargain that would exchange true worship for power. The final shape of Jesus’ authority will not come from compromise with evil, but from the Father. That is why Matthew can end with the risen Jesus declaring, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Mt. 28:18).
When the devil leaves, angels come and minister to Jesus. The testing ends, and God’s care is shown without being demanded or engineered. Matthew’s scene also sets a pattern that will return later in the Gospel. The taunt “If you are the Son of God” will surface again at the cross (Mt. 27:40). Here, at the beginning, Jesus refuses the path of self-assertion, spectacle, and idolatrous power. He will remain the Son who obeys. In that sense, this testing is not a detour from his mission; it clarifies what his mission will never be. Hebrews later sums up the basic truth Matthew is displaying: Jesus is tested, yet remains without sin (Heb. 4:15).
Lord God, as you strengthened your Son in the desert, strengthen us when we are tested. Teach us to trust your word, to refuse every false shortcut, and to worship you alone. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Mt 4:1-11.
- NABRE Bible notes on Mt 4:1-11.
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, Matthew, pp. 12-13.
- New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), Matthew, p. 638, para. 19.
- Navarre Bible: St. Matthew’s Gospel, pp. 56-57.
- Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), Matthew, pp. 916-917.
- The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century (2020), Matthew, p. 1179.
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