Matthew 4:1-4–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

Posted by Seth on Mar 22, 2010 in Bible Study, Daily Devotions |

Matthew 4:1-4–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Matthew 4:1-4 wherein we observe the leading of the Spirit and steadfastness of the Son in a moment of intense temptation.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

After a wonderful and stunning scene at the Jordan river where God affirmed his love for Jesus and the Spirit came to rest upon Him, just when the timing seemed perfect for the Messiah to begin establishing a following, he headed to the wilderness. Jesus always walked in the power and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, so although the fact that He did such here isn’t surprising, the Spirit’s leading seems at first a bit odd. Why would the Spirit lead the Son in this way? A couple of other Scriptures may come to mind as we think on this. Consider first that Jesus was in every respect…tempted as we are (Hebrews 4:15). He in this way identifies with us, showing us what righteous living looks like in the face of intense temptation. Christ had to walk through such trials. And then wonder on Hebrews 5:8 where we learn that He learned obedience through what He suffered. Shrouded in a bit of mystery is the way in which perfect Jesus needed to learn obedience, but again, He does in this way identify with us while of course always coming out on the other side unstained. And finally, regarding this leading of the Spirit, it sounds at first as if He was doing the exact opposite of what we are told elsewhere God never does, namely tempt anyone (James 1:13), and is operating to the adverse of what we are to pray: Lead us not into temptation (Matthew 6:13). But notice the language here. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert for the devil to tempt him. God took His Son into battle, and He does the same with us, seeing us through as we trust in Him.

It cannot be seen as a small thing what Jesus here experiences. He was hungry and, we can assume, intensely hungry after weeks of fasting. His physical body had to feel awful. The devil was likely fully aware of this and tried to hit him where it hurt: “Make some food.” He didn’t ask Him for worship or to blaspheme the Father…just make a bit of bread with a word or thought. Jesus though was resolved to give no adherence to even one of the enemy’s suggestions. He need not prove His divinity to the one he long ago cast to his belly with a curse. But beyond all of this, Jesus showed the world what was the substance of His satisfaction: every word that comes from the mouth of God. Physical sustenance would come soon enough; now was the time of feasting on the kind of food that the devil knew nothing about, the same kind that the disciples would later be ignorant of when Jesus had another task at hand with a troubled woman at Jacob’s well.

Can you feel both the pain and the strength of Jesus in this account? We must learn from each one and how to react to them as they come. We must, through the power of the Spirit, disallow temptations to overcome us, turning our eyes to our identifying Savior when intensity mounts. Live by every word that comes from the mouth of God today.

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