
Matthew 4:1-25
4:1 | The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Many great men of God were proven in the wilderness: Abraham (Gen. 22:1-14), Jacob (Gen. 32:24-25), Moses (Ex. 34:28), David (1 Sam. 23), Elijah (1 Kgs. 19:8), and Paul (2 Cor. 11:26).
4:2 | Just as Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years, so Jesus was in the desert for forty days and nights. Jesus ate nothing during this time (Luke 4:2). Forty days of fasting made Him physically hungry – exactly the sort of weakness the devil looks for when he tempts God’s children.
4:3-11 | Each time Satan tempted Jesus to give in to a desire, Jesus countered with God’s Word – specific passage from the Book of Deuteronomy (Deut. 8:3; 6:13-16) – and remained obedient to His heavenly Father. Jesus’ practice provides a perfect illustration of James’ counsel: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
4:11 | The angels, who are living, supernatural servants of God, play important roles in the Gospel of Matthew, from before Christ’s conception until His death and resurrection. Here, the angels reached out to Jesus, but not until He had defeated Satan. The Greek word translated ministered implies that they fed Him.
4:13-16 | Capernaum was a seaside village of Galilee, only a few miles from Jesus’ childhood home in Nazareth. Matthew speaks of Capernaum because Isaiah prophesied that this region would quite literally be graced with the presence of the Messiah (Isa. 9:1-2), who would dispel spiritual darkness wherever He went. God would shower His grace upon both the Gentiles and the Jews.
4:17 | After His baptism, Jesus began to preach John’s message: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This was the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and a further call for moral renewal in anticipation of the kingdom, which had come now that the King had arrived.
4:18-22 | evidently Jesus had encountered Andrew, Peter, James and John previously, so when He called them to become His followers, they knew Him and immediately accepted His call. These professional fishermen quite literally followed Jesus at great cost, leaving settled, comfortable lives.
4:23-25 | Even though Jesus’ official ministry began in Galilee, His work soon attracted attention among the Gentiles. Significantly, Matthew notes that Jesus’ audience comes from several Gentile areas, including Decapolis and beyond the Jordan. Although Jesus clearly is the Jewish Messiah, His kingdom already reaches beyond the Jews.