The Gospel According to Saint Matthew
Matthew 4
Chapter IV · Vol. IV, pp. 53–54
1 Christ fasteth forty days, and is tempted of the devil. 11 The angels minister unto him. 12 He dwelleth at Capernaum, 17 beginneth to preach, 18 calleth Peter and Andrew, 21 James and John, 23 and healeth all the diseased.
1 Then was aJesus led up1 of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be btempted of the devil.Cited in WLC 48
a Mar.1.12,13. Lu.4.1-13. 1 Ki.18.12. Eze.3.14; 8.3; 11.1,24; 40.2; 43.5. Ac.8.39.
1 The language is topographically accurate. The Jordan runs through a depressed valley, nearly a thousand feet below the level of the sea. 'The wilderness' of Judea, the undoubted scene of the temptation, was a mountainous region which rose abruptly from the Jordan valley to a height of from two to four thousand feet.—P.
2 And when he had cfasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward dan hungered.2
c Ex.34.28. De.9.9,18. 1 Ki.19.8.
d Mar.1.13. Lu.4.2. ch.21.18. Jn.4.6.
2 The narratives in Mark and Luke show that our Lord was tempted by Satan during the forty days. The three temptations here recorded occurred at the close of the period, and were probably more severe than any which had preceded them. Bodily weakness, and the cravings of the natural appetite, also rendered Christ, humanly speaking, less able to withstand the wiles of the tempter.—P.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, eIf thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
e Lu.4.2,3, with ch.3.17; 17.5.
4 But he answered and said, gIt is written, hMan shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.Cited in WLC 155 · WCF 1.1, 5.3
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, kHe shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.Cited in WLC 135
k Ps.91.11,12. Lu.4.9-11. 1 Ti.3.16. ver.11.
7 Jesus said unto him, lIt is written again, nThou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.Cited in WLC 105, 135, 155 · WCF 1.1 · HC 105
8 oAgain, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.Cited in WLC 99 · WCF 21.1
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, pGet thee hence, Satan: for it is written, qThou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.3Cited in WSC 46 · WLC 99, 104, 105, 155, 179 · WCF 1.1, 21.1, 21.2 · HC 94
A.M. cir. 4033. A.D. cir. 29.
q De.6.13; 10.20. 1 Sa.7.3. Lu.4.8.
3 See note * below.
* In this threefold temptation we have combined in principle the whole range of human temptation. St. John contrasts the love of the world with the love of God. The former comprehends all sin; the latter all righteousness. He then sums up the whole contents of 'the world' in three things: 'the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life' (1 Jn.2.16). These three constitute the whole range of sin, and the sole channels of temptation. Satan knew this, and he tried them all with Jesus. He first assailed him through 'the lust of the flesh'—the natural appetite which man must satisfy if he would sustain life. 'The pride of life' was next assailed—the natural desire for display, for exhibiting power. The final assault was upon 'the lust of the eye'—ambition, in fact. The apostle affirms that Christ was 'in all points tempted like as we are;' and here is proof of it.—P.
13 Andt leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea-coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
t Lu.4.30,31. Mar.6.1-6.
15 Thev land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light: and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.
17 Fromx that time5 Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven6 is at hand.
18 Andy Jesus, walking by the zsea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother; casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
20 And they cstraightway left their nets, and followed him.
c Ps.119.60. Ga.1.16. ch.10.37; 19.27. Mar.10.28-31. 1 Ki.19.19,20.
21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, dJames the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called them.
A.M. cir. 4034. A.D. cir. 30.
d Mar.1.19,20. ch.10.2; 17.1; 20.20,21; 26.37. Lu.9.54. Ac.12.1,18. Re.1.1.
22 Ande they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
e Mar.1.20. Lu.14.33; 5.11. 1 Ki.19.19,20.
23 And gJesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner hof disease among the people.
g Ge.3.15; 49.10. De.18.15,18. Is.61.1; 42.4,7; 35.3-6. ch.9.35; 12.9; 13.54. Mar.1.14,25. Lu.4.15,43,44.
h ch.8.16,17. Ps.103.3.
24 And ihis fame went throughout all 7Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
i Lu.4.37,40. Is.52.13; 53.12; 45.22. Ex.15.26. Da.2.44. Ac.10.38. Ge.3.15; 49.10. Is.11.10; 49.6; 60.1,2. Zec.8.20-23. De.32.43. He.7.25. Jn.6.37. Re.7.4,9,10. Mar.3.7.
7 Syria appears to have included the whole country lying north of Palestine, embracing Phoenicia, Lebanon, Coelesyria, Antilebanon, and the territory of Damascus.—P.
25 And there followed him jgreat multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis,8 and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.
j Lu.6.17,19.
8 Decapolis. A district containing ten cities, of which Damascus was chief.—C.
Notes
Ver. 3. If thou be the Son of God. Does not the 'if' imply a doubt calculated to stimulate pride; while the formation of 'bread' is calculated to remind our Lord of his hunger?—Note, The first act of Christ's ministry was a conflict with Satan, in which body and spirit both triumph, for the example and encouragement of all his tempted people. C.
Ver. 5. It is not necessary to suppose, with some, that Satan carried our Lord through the air, but merely that he conducted him to the roof of the temple, and placed him on a pinnacle, or rather battlement, of the temple. Satan now quotes Scripture, though falsely, because imperfectly (comp. Ps. 91. 11, 12), and thus attempts to foil our Lord with his own chosen weapon. C.
Ver. 8. By comparing this verse with Lu. 4. 5, it will be evident that Satan exhibited, as it were, a visible panorama of all the glories of earthly kingdoms; while he may also have pointed out their relative positions and boundaries. C.
Ver. 13. Capernaum—not being mentioned in the Old Testament, is supposed to have been built after the return from Babylon. Our Lord's denunciation (Mat. 11. 23) has been so signally realized, that the place where it stood cannot now be distinguished. C.
Ver. 15. In this verse the chief scenes of our Lord's public ministry are mentioned. Each clause is in the original a proper name, and ought to be so translated. The true meaning may be thus brought out:—The land of Zebulon; the land of Nephtalim; the sea-coast [i.e. the circuit of the Sea of Galilee]; Peraea (the country beyond Jordan); Galilee of the Gentiles (a district of Upper Galilee, so called because it was chiefly inhabited by Gentiles). Capernaum stood nearly in the centre of these provinces. P.
Ver. 18. Sea of Galilee. This sea is a considerable fresh-water lake, sometimes called the Sea of Tiberias, from a town of that name on its western shore; sometimes also the sea or lake of Gennesareth, Chinnereth, or Cinnereth, from a tract of land lying on its western border. C.
Ver. 23. Synagogues were now very numerous in Judea, Jerusalem alone containing nearly 200. Some think none were erected till after the Babylonish captivity, but they are mentioned in the Psalms; and even if they were not, the necessity of such places for public worship and instruction would go far to render their previous existence probable, if not certain. C.
Ver. 24. Devils should rather be translated demons; for the word devil seems properly to apply to one evil spirit, exercising some authority over his numerous agents of evil. The idea that this demoniacal possession was merely a figurative expression for certain severe diseases, is utterly inadmissible, inasmuch as there is a clear distinction drawn between such possession and ordinary disease; moreover, the demons are represented as speaking—a statement which no violence of figure could apply to any bodily disease. C.
Reflections.—Astonishing is the love of our Redeemer, who so wrestled in prayer, so struggled with the temptations of Satan, so laboured in teaching and healing sinners of mankind—all for the sake of his enemies, and that he might succour them that are tempted! It is necessary that preachers be fitted for their work by remarkable endowments of the Holy Ghost, solemn prayers and fasting, and even by experience of manifold temptations. And never is Satan more ready to harass souls than immediately after solemn fellowship with God, or while employed in extraordinary devotion. He leaves no circumstance unimproved for his purpose; and nothing is too horrid, atheistical, unbelieving, murderous, or idolatrous for him to insist on, nor any worldly advantages too great for him to promise. If therefore we hope to defeat him, we must undertake it not by carnal reasoning, but by a believing use of the oracles of God answerable to his temptations. And God and his angels take pleasure to honour those who faithfully resist Satan. In vain do sinners attempt to stop the gospel of Christ. If one preacher be laid aside by death or imprisonment, God can raise up another more excellent; and if some thrust the gospel from them, he will make others gladly receive it.—Infinite is the excellency and usefulness of our Redeemer in publishing the gospel; in enlightening the world by his truth; in healing diseases unnumbered of soul and body; in dispossessing devils, and raising up ministers to win sinners to himself. No natural unfitness can hinder his qualifications, and no obstinacy can ignore his call. May the grace of his kingdom induce multitudes to repentance, and his instructions make many light in the Lord! May his grace afford us pastors according to his own heart, by whose ministrations many may be converted to himself!