Matthew 4:11 Commentary and Bible Study

Matthew tells us that angels then ministered to the Lord Jesus and promise of Psalm 91 was kept, in spite of Satan’s attempt to twist it. The temptation of Christ unmasks the devil, and exposes his cunning, his strategy, and his malice. He was obliged to use his utmost skill in combatting Christ at this early stage in his ministry. Nothing was left in reserve by the devil, for he knew that the coming the Son of God into the world involved him in a fight that would determine his eternal future. He dare not enter this battle in a half-hearted way. He therefore acted early to defeat the Lord. God permitted this to happen because the defeat of Satan was to be made public for all the world to see.Luke tells us that ‘when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season’ (Luke 4:13). This was not the end of Jesus temptation. In Hebrews we read that he ‘was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15), and we have an example of one such temptation when Satan attempted to speak through Peter to get at Christ by subtlety and surprise: ‘Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee’, and Peter received a strong reproof – for he too sinned in allowing this word to go through him: ‘But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men’ (Matthew 16:22-23). In Gethsemane the Lord Jesus came under powerful temptation, and on the cross itself he was assailed by the devil and his host (Psalm 22:12-13). The temptation to avoid going to the cross came repeatedly, the devil knowing that it would result in the downfall of his kingdom.