Three Angles of Temptation: Matthew 4:1-11

Focus Passage: Matthew 4:1-11 (GNT)

Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”

But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

‘God will give orders to his angels about you;
    they will hold you up with their hands,
    so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”

Jesus answered, “But the scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. “All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”

11 Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.

Read Matthew 4:1-11 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

While reading what the gospels share about Jesus’ temptations at the start of His ministry, I am amazed to see three distinct types of temptations present. These three temptations mirror three broad areas of life, and when looking at Jesus’ temptations with this framework, we are able to see how Satan tries to knock us off course and out of God’s will.

In the first temptation, Satan challenges Jesus by saying, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.” (v. 3b)

This first temptation challenges Jesus regarding His immediate, physical need. After fasting for 40 days and nights, Jesus was hungry, and this temptation was simply to use some of His creative power to provide food for Himself.

Satan’s temptations often come to us in ways that focus on helping ourselves in the moment or challenge we are in. Satan’s temptations try to get us to shortcut and give up what is best for us in the long term.

The second temptation Satan challenges Jesus with in Matthew’s gospel is, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

 ‘God will give orders to his angels about you;
    they will hold you up with their hands,
    so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’
” (v. 6)

This second temptation challenges Jesus’ acceptance (or lack thereof) with the spiritual leaders, and it is a challenge for Jesus to take advantage of God’s protection. This temptation comes when Satan and Jesus are standing at the highest point of the temple, and if Jesus had jumped off and God had kept the promise to protect Him, Jesus would have been using this knowledge to draw attention onto Himself.

We could then categorize this temptation as a social, intellectual, or mental temptation. Jesus did not come to draw a crowd or to draw attention onto Himself. He came to glorify God and to give His life for our sins. Satan’s temptations towards us often come in ways that make us want others to focus and pay attention to us instead of getting others to look through us to Jesus/God.

The third temptation Matthew shares Satan challenging Jesus with is, “All this I will give you, if you kneel down and worship me.” (v. 9)

The third temptation is a spiritual one. In a potentially supernatural way, Satan has taken Jesus to a high mountain and shown Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the offer is one to shortcut His spiritual mission. Satan wanted Jesus to deviate from the path of the cross – which was the path God had placed before Him.

In a similar way, Satan challenges us to shortcut, deviate, or give up the mission God has placed before us. If Satan can get us to give up on God’s plan and His will, then he will throw spiritual temptations at us to do so!

In these three temptations are three types of attempts to get Jesus to deviate from God’s will and to draw attention to Himself. Satan uses these three types of temptations against us as well, but with God’s help, we can avoid falling for his tricks, and we can continue pressing forward on the mission He has given each of us to live.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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