Matthew 4:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

NIV: Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

NASB: Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to serve Him.

CSB: Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

NLT: Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

KJV: Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

NKJV: Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Jesus has passed the test. He was sent, by the Holy Spirit, into the wilderness to endure testing (Matthew 4:1). After 40 days and nights of fasting, Jesus refused each of the Devil's three enormous temptations (Matthew 4:2–10). In doing so, Jesus gave evidence that, though He was fully human and subject to temptation (Hebrews 4:15), He remained sinless.

The final temptation was for Jesus to bow and submit before Satan, in exchange for rule over all the kingdoms of the earth. This is the Bible's only instance of worldly prosperity being promised in exchange for worship—and such claims are literally satanic. Jesus refused, sounding justifiably angry (Matthew 4:10). He ordered Satan to "be gone."

Now the Devil leaves at Christ's command; this in part reminds us that Jesus had the authority to send Satan away all along. He endured the Devil's presence, and the temptations, because it was the will of the Father He should do so. Once the test was completed and the devil gone, however, the Father sent angels to His beloved Son to care for Him. This likely involved bringing Jesus food to meet His hunger and to begin restoring His physical health.

The Devil's temptations were all about timing. Satan challenged Jesus to prematurely take what would eventually be His, anyway. He goaded Christ to act in His own timing instead of waiting for God the Father's plan to be fulfilled. Now Jesus begins to receive what He refused to take for Himself. He refused to manipulate God into sending angels to save Him as He jumped from the temple, and now God sends those angels to save Him, anyway. He refused to exercise His own will by turning stones into bread, and now God sends angels, likely, to feed Jesus. He refused to worship Satan in order to become king of the world immediately, but soon Jesus will set out to preach about His kingdom to come.

Matthew 4:1–11 describes Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. After 40 days and nights of fasting, Jesus faces three temptations from Satan. Each one attempts to lure Christ into abusing His power; to take immediately what God the Father has promised to provide later. Jesus resists each temptation with a quote from Deuteronomy, refusing to rebel against the plans of God the Father. Finally, Jesus refuses to worship the devil in exchange for the kingdoms of the earth. He tells the devil to leave, and angels come minister to Him.

Matthew 3 ended with the Holy Spirit coming to rest on Jesus following His baptism. Now the Spirit leads Him into the wilderness to endure tempting by the devil after 40 days of fasting. Jesus demonstrates His sinlessness by resisting all temptations. He begins His ministry in the region of Galilee, settling in Capernaum and calling some disciples to follow Him. Jesus' work in Galilee includes traveling from place to place, proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of heaven is near and healing every kind of affliction. He soon becomes famous, drawing huge crowds from great distances.

Matthew 3 ends with a great affirmation from the voice of God the Father: Jesus is His Son. Immediately after that, God's Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for a time of temptation by the devil. Jesus passes that test and then begins His ministry in the region of Galilee. Jesus begins to call His disciples and travel around the region. He teaches in the synagogues and heals people with every kind of affliction. Jesus' fame grows quickly. This provides Him a large audience for the Sermon on the Mount, which Matthew begins to record in chapter 5.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.