Matthew 4 Commentary

Following His baptism by John, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The devil approaches Jesus with the first of three temptations. He asks Jesus to use His divine powers to turn stones to bread after Christ had fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness. Jesus uses scripture to refute the devil.

For the second temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the top of God’s Temple in Jerusalem and tells Him to jump. The devil argues that this will publicly proclaim Jesus’s identity as the Divine Messiah.

The devil tempts Jesus a third time by offering Him immediate power and glory in exchange for worshiping him. Jesus rebukes him to depart and quotes Deuteronomy a third time. The devil flees and Jesus is ministered to by angels.

To temporarily avoid trouble with the religious leaders of Jerusalem, Jesus moves to Capernaum north of Galilee to begin His ministry. Matthew notes this fulfills yet another prophecy from Isaiah.

King Jesus begins His earthly ministry by announcing His Kingdom.

Jesus begins to recruit His disciples. As Jesus walks along the shore of Galilee He sees two sets of brothers who are fishermen: Simon and Andrew, and James and John. Jesus calls each pair to leave their livelihood and follow him. They do so immediately.

Jesus’s ministry begins. He not only teaches the gospel in synagogues to Jewish audiences, but also heals disease and demon-possession from among Jews and Gentiles.