Matthew 4:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

NIV: The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

NASB: And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'

CSB: Then the tempter approached him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

NLT: During that time the devil came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.'

KJV: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

NKJV: Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

In the previous verse, Matthew revealed that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:1–2). He was hungry. Jesus' body desperately wanted food. Satan's first temptation was designed to exploit this physical weakness. Matthew calls Satan "the tempter." One of Satan's primary weapons against humanity is temptation, dating all the way back to his first encounter with human beings in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3).

At first glance, the temptation doesn't sound like an invitation to sin. Bread is good, and it's meant to ease our hunger. On the face of it, there seems to be nothing wrong with this idea. That, of course, is part of the Devil's evil brilliance. Satan tells Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread—if He is, in fact, the Son of God. Matthew has just reported to us that God the Father declared in a voice from heaven that Jesus was His Son. There's no question about that fact for the reader, or for Jesus in this moment.

Satan is not really challenging whether Jesus is the Son of God. Instead, he seems to dare Jesus to go outside of the Father's will in order to meet His own desire for food. Satan is tempting Jesus to make Himself independent of the Father. After all, Satan is saying, you are the Son of God. You should be able to do as you please, when you please, especially when it's something good and healthy like food.

Jesus, though, understood it was the will of God the Father for Him to endure temptations. It was also God's will for this to happen when Jesus was gripped by the results of fasting for 40 days. Jesus knew His mission on earth was to do only what the Father directed Him to do.

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.