Matthew 4:5 Commentary and Bible Study

The devil then took Christ to Jerusalem and stood him on the pinnacle of the temple. Did this literally take place or was it a vision? This has been debated for centuries. The majority prefer a vision, but it could have been literal. Certainly it was very real for Christ. Some say this is the north east corner of the temple, over the Kidron valley where there is a drop of 400 to 450 feet. Others believe that it was the public corner of the temple where people always congregated, and where Christ would fall into the main outer court of the temple in full view. ‘If thou be’ – again, ‘As you are ‘, or ‘Since you are ‘. This time the devil quotes Scripture but he twists it. Scripture can be used to justify what is wrong. Of course he had to misquote it. Satan’s use of Psalm 91 is interesting to say the least. He seems to think Psalm 91 is Messianic, and that is correct. The words also apply to us, but only in more general terms. The sense is: ‘If you are really for the Lord and serving him, then he will give his angels charge concerning you.’ But Satan has left out something; he has not quoted the condition. He quotes Psalm 91:11-12, but he misses out other verses, and ignores the whole context of the psalm. The promise is for the one who has made the Lord his habitation (verse 9). It is for the one who has set his love upon God (verse 14). Would he be dwelling in the secret council chamber where great decisions of the Godhead are made (verse 1)? Would Christ be there if he cast himself down? Of course not. Christ was honoured and blessed because he stuck to the plan and proved verse 11. God did keep him in all his ways, even in this subtle temptation.Before their eyes he would be amazingly delivered. They would see him vindicated at the start of his ministry, and he could take his throne without having to go through with Calvary. The devil’s twisted reasoning is: ‘Let the people see God send his angels and arrest your fall. Do a miracle for yourself, and you will be seen to be one who is exalted. Don’t go on in this life of humiliation: dusty roads, simple garments, opposed by the religious establishment and by rulers. Go straight to rule and grandness; take your power immediately. Exhibit your power and glory and trust in the deliverance promised in Scripture which cannot fail you.’ Yes, according to the Father’s plan Christ was to exhibit glory, but clothed in the garment of a poor man. His deeds were powerful, but he did them in lowly form. ‘No’, urges the devil, ‘do ostentatious things. Challenge the Father: he cannot let you perish. Do not go through with the humiliation of three years of ministry, taking the vilification and hostility of your enemies (which the arch-deceiver, Satan, would urge them to throw at him), and the suffering of Gethsemane and Calvary. Start your ministry in different style altogether; go to the temple publicly. There is flattery in this. The devil does not mind how sweet he makes the temptation, if only the hidden hook will embed itself in us.Once again, Satan suggests a radical departure from the plan of God. But also this is a temptation aimed at bringing the Son into conflict with the Father. There are so many implications to it. It is a similar temptation to the previous, but it comes in a different way. To do that would be to abandon the work of redemption, determined in advance, that he would know vilification, hostility, and suffering, and be acquainted with grief by going to Calvary. The plan is to be abandoned. You can do it without such pains. Satan understood something of the purpose of Christ’s life, the hardships it would involve, and the work of redemption that lay at the end of it, and he was desperate to stop it. He would have gone to any lengths to derail the plan of salvation. Here is one who lies constantly. This certainly means that we can have absolutely no dealings with him. Our safety lies in holding on to the word of God against all he says to us.