Matthew 4:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple

NIV: Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

NASB: Then the devil *took Him along into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

CSB: Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

NLT: Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,

KJV: Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

NKJV: Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

Jesus has spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for being tempted to sin by Satan, the devil. He is hungry, His body crying out for food. He has already turned away the first temptation: to sin by turning stones to bread "if you are the Son of God" (Matthew 4:1–4).

Now Satan brings a second temptation that also hinges on whether Jesus is the Son of God, something they both know to be true. This is the equivalent of starting a challenge with, "if you're so smart, tell me…" Through taunts and twisting of Scripture, Satan is challenging Jesus to act independently of God the Father. The Devil wants Jesus to assume His own authority over that of God the Father. This would be willful, sinful defiance.

Now Satan takes Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. We aren't told how they travelled so quickly, or how they arrived at the highest point of the impressive Jewish temple. However it happens, it reflects the devil's considerable powers. One possible location for this moment is the southeast corner of the temple; this once rose 300 feet, or more than 90 meters, above the terrain below.

From that precarious vantage point, the Devil will pervert Scripture, pushing Jesus to take action apart from the Father's will.

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.