Just prior to the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, Satan engaged Christ in a fierce battle. This battle took place shortly after the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. It is the great battle we call the temptation of Christ. This battle proved the holy character of Christ and demonstrated that Satan was not going to stop Christ’s ministry, though he tried again and again to stop His ministry.
1. The Country for the Battle (Matthew 4:1)
“The wilderness” (Matthew 4:1). The place where Christ was tempted is described here. Actually, of the three great temptations Christ experienced from Satan, only one occurred in this place. However, the Gospel of Luke says Christ was “forty days tempted of the devil” (Luke 4:2) which means that most of the temptation experiences occurred in this location described in Matthew 4:1. The three great temptations described in our text for this chapter occurred at the end of the great temptation battle and were the climactic temptations—two of these great climactic temptations took place elsewhere than “the wilderness.”
The directing to the country. “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Christ did not encounter temptation because He was disobedient and flirted with evil. Much temptation does indeed come to mankind because of this problem. However, this temptation occurred for Christ because the Holy Spirit led Him to it. That does not mean God was trying to defile Christ. Rather, the temptation was to prove the holy character of Christ. It was not to pollute His holy character.
The desolation of the country. “Wilderness” (Matthew 4:1). A wilderness is utterly desolate of good things. It is unproductive and sterile. To live in the wilderness is extremely hard. The desolation of the area makes it a great contrast to the circumstances in the Garden of Eden where Satan assaulted Adam and Eve. The Garden of Eden was the finest of circumstances, yet Adam and Eve were defeated by Satan. Christ was assaulted in the worst of circumstances, which gave Satan every advantage, yet He defeated Satan. The fact of Christ’s victory in the wilderness and the defeat of Adam and Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden will “forever brand as false the teaching that all man needs for the development of the goodness within him is a suitable environment” (Scroggie). It is a new birth not a new berth that men need the most. Urban renewal and other government programs to put people in new dwellings and dress are not the solution to crime. An unholy spirit will turn the best of places into a ghetto. But a godly spirit will turn a ghetto into a good neighborhood. It is character, not better clothes and housing and jobs, that improves society.
The desertion of the country. “Wilderness” (Matthew 4:1). A wilderness is often called a desert because it is generally a deserted place. A deserted place here emphasizes that Christ was all alone in regard to humans in His dwelling in the wilderness. Thus the wilderness was a place of solitude for Christ. Solitude is the place where victories are won or lost. We are in public what we have been in private. Those who in our country said the private life of a politician does not matter and only the public life matters are ludicrous in their thinking.
2. The Condition for the Battle (Matthew 4:2)
The condition of Christ for the battle was one in which Satan had all the advantages. We have already noted that the location gave Satan an advantage over Christ. Both the country and the condition illustrate how God seems to delight to show that Satan at his strongest is no match for God at His weakest.
The fasting by Christ. “Fasted forty days and forty nights” (Matthew 4:2). It would not be hard to fast in the wilderness, for good food was certainly not readily available in the wilderness. But the fasting of Christ was done on purpose in holy devotion. This fasting to enable spiritual devotion helped prepare Christ for victory over temptation.
The famishing of Christ. “Afterward an hungred” (Matthew 4:2). The word translated “hungred” means “to be hungry, famished, starved” (Zodhiates). It is a strong word and indicates what one would expect after forty days without eating food—the fasting person would be famished. This condition would appear to give Satan a big advantage in the temptation. But the famished condition of Christ and His victory over the temptation showed, as we have already noted—that God in His weakness is stronger than Satan at his strongest.
3. The Climactic Attack #1 in the Battle (Matthew 4:3, 4)
After the continuous attacks by Satan in the wilderness, he finishes up his attacks on Christ with three great climactic attacks or temptations. The first one of these three was a temptation about food. Food would be an especially vulnerable area for temptation inasmuch as Christ had been fasting for forty days and was famished. Satan tempted Christ to solve His need of food by making bread out of stones.
The presence of the tempter. “When the tempter came to him” (Matthew 4:3). You can count on the presence of Satan in your life to tempt you. That is part of his work. Sooner or later you will meet up with him and face strong temptation. And his coming will be when you are vulnerable (such as, Christ had not eaten in forty days). Hence, prepare yourself for this battle before you face it by becoming strong in the Word of God.
The proving in the temptation. “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3). This statement by Satan was a challenge for Christ to prove His identity as God’s Son by working some great miracle. But Christ does not have to prove to Satan anything. Especially does He not have to prove to Satan anything on Satan’s terms. We believe God on His terms not on our terms. Satan will challenge Him whether He has proven His claims or not. The challenge for proving Christ’s identity is only a crafty cover-up to corrupt the Lord.
The perverting in the temptation. “Command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3). Satan perverted the command by mixing right with wrong. Hunger and eating to satisfy hunger is not necessarily wrong. It is not some vulgar sin that is in this temptation. It is a legitimate want. But the evil is that Christ is to satisfy this need by wrong methods. Christ had no permission from God to work that kind of miracle here. So the perverting is the temptation to do a right thing in the wrong way (satisfying His hunger by turning stones into bread was the wrong way), to do the right thing at the wrong time (it was not time for Christ to work such miracles), and to do the right thing with the wrong motive (the motive of proving His identity to Satan was a wrong motive).
The pampering in the temptation. “Command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3). This temptation, as do most temptations, pampered fleshly appetites. The emphasis today on fleshly appetites is nothing more than a manifestation of the Satanic philosophy that would give fleshly appetites precedence over spiritual requirements. Those churches that emphasize feeding and housing people instead of giving them the Gospel are also pampering the flesh over the spirit.
The power over the temptation. “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” (Matthew 4:4). Christ soundly defeated this temptation. Christ gained His power over temptation through the Word of God.
- First, He gained power over temptation by His cognizance of the Word. Christ knew the Word of God or He could not have quoted it as He did. This text comes from Deuteronomy 8:3. If you do not know the Word, you will not be able to use it to gain victory over evil.
- Second, He gained power over temptation by the counsel of the Word. The Word tells us how to live. And we are to live by the bread of the Scriptures, not just the bread for the stomach.
- Third, He gained power over temptation by His compliance to the Word. Christ obeyed the Word. That will always defeat temptation.
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