Matthew 3:13–4:11

Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, School of Christian Studies, University of Mobile

God’s Sinless Son
Matthew 3:13–4:11
Every Christian faces temptation to entertain thoughts, speak words and behave in ways that are inconsistent with Christ, who is our Life. The apostle Paul wrote that these temptations are common to all individuals and that God has provided a way of escape from them (1 Cor. 10:13). We are tempted to focus on our own temporal desires. John the evangelist characterized the love of this world with tendencies toward the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). This week’s lesson shows how Jesus demonstrated His dominion over each type of temptation and the principles believers must apply in order to follow His pattern.

Submit to God (3:13–17)
Jesus had no need of John’s baptism. John was calling sinners to repentance, and Jesus had nothing of which to repent. As Jesus explained, His purpose for submitting to baptism was to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus’ baptism was an act of submission to the Father, a means by which the Father received glory. As the baptism was completed, all three Persons of the Godhead were manifested: God the Son came out of the water, God the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and the voice of God the Father was heard. From that time forward, the Holy Spirit guided Jesus through His ministry, even leading Him to prepare for temptation in the wilderness.

Respond With Scripture (4:1–4)
The Father had already declared that Jesus is His Son. When Jesus was confronted, the tempter began with “If you are the Son of God.” That issue was already settled.

Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and He was hungry. While hunger is a natural desire, the tempter sought to capitalize on this and tempt Jesus with the lust of the flesh. By lust, I mean a God-given desire outside the boundaries of God’s authority. Such temptations had been successful with Eve (Gen. 3:6) and David (2 Sam. 11) but Jesus would not succumb. Instead Jesus responded with the Word of God. Jesus pointed to this authority when He first quoted from Deuteronomy (8:3). Unlike the Israelites who complained about everything including their diet, Jesus quoted Moses about where real satisfaction lies. Manna is temporary; God’s Word is eternal.

Respond With Appropriate Scripture (4:5–7)
Why are we unprepared to face temptation? In large part, it is due to the alarming ignorance of the Bible that is plaguing our nation. For fear of legal reprisals, public academic curricula avoid the study or mention of the Bible, which is the most quoted book in all of human history. Even the tempter knew the Scripture. He quoted from the Psalms in his scheme to tempt Jesus (Ps. 91:11–12).

Once again, Jesus employed Deuteronomy (6:16). He did not commit the sin of pride, the very evil for which Satan was cast down from heaven. In this instance, Jesus demonstrated that the simple ability to quote the Bible is insufficient. The psalmist was not suggesting that the Messiah could do anything he wished and that the angels were obligated to protect him from foolhardy behavior. Such actions would presume upon God, and Scripture prohibits putting God to the test. Believers have the responsibility to divide the word of truth rightly and to apply it appropriately.

Respond With God-centered Scripture (4:8–11)
The last temptation came without pretense. This one was not about Jesus proving Himself to be the Son of God; it was about the tempter. He wanted to be worshiped. Jesus was introduced to the lust of the eyes, being tempted to covet all the kingdoms in all their glory. Once again, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy (6:13), answering this temptation with authority from God’s Word.

When one is tempted to turn away from God and focus on self, the best response is a specific kind of Scripture, a God-centered Scripture. Jesus demonstrated this in answer to each of the temptations, with a reference focused upon God. This is our means of escaping temptation.