Matthew 4:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

NIV: Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.''

NASB: Then Jesus *said to him, 'Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE Lord YOUR God, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’?'

CSB: Then Jesus told him, "Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him."

NLT: Get out of here, Satan,' Jesus told him. 'For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ '

KJV: Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

NKJV: Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Satan's third temptation to Jesus was enormous. As the "ruler of the world" (John 12:31), Satan had offered to give all the kingdoms of the earth to Jesus in exchange for Jesus falling down before Satan in worship. It's an audacious offer. The Devil's intent was to tear at the natural human desire for power and glory. It also would have meant Jesus attaining kingship without the suffering of the cross. It would mean rebelling against God the Father's will for Christ's life.

In this response, Jesus sounds righteously angry. He tells Satan to "be gone" and quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13. This sin of worshiping false gods—which in practice is often worshiping Satan in disguise—is the exact rebellion that brought God's wrath and judgment down on Israel many times. It's not surprising Jesus sounds angry with the Devil.

Matthew 4:9 is the only time in Scripture where an individual is offered worldly prosperity as payment for their worship. That offer does not come from God; it comes from Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44). Any person claiming worship, faith, or the Christian life are meant to result in health, wealth, or power is a liar (2 Corinthians 11:13–15). The so-called "prosperity gospel," or "prosperity preaching" is wholly and entirely false. God calls us to obedience which may result in hardship (John 16:32–33); promises of wealth and health are literally satanic.

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.