Here we begin some of THE MOST instructive chapters of the Bible on how to live life fairly and under the protective wing of God. It is easy to read and understand, common sense guidance which we often neglect and overlook. It naturally reestablishes a purposeful and stable foundation for which to live and learn among others - both those who give us happiness and those who give us strife.
Matthew 4:1-25
4:1 As mentioned in Chapter 3, Jesus is not too proud to undergo the same challenges humanity must also face. His entire life is an example in the experience of life on how to respond in accordance with God. After His baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus is led by God to be tempted by Satan.
Before we continue, let us discuss Satan. Satan is not to be feared, in ANY way, if you follow God's instruction on how not to be deceived by him. In Luke 10:19 God lets us know that we have power over Satan if we are with God. He can't harm us. Why fear something you have power over? Satan is not to be feared and despite how the world seems to perceive him, he is not ugly or scary, red or in possession of an angry tail, horns or pitchfork. He's actually quite handsome and smart - and he certainly knows enough scripture to try to trick you with (in fact he knows scripture backward and forward). We will see this during Jesus' time with him in this study. Don't let Satan know MORE scripture than you do...he'll certainly use it against you as he tries to do in this study with Jesus.
4:2 Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. You can take this as literally or figuratively as you like. Fasting generally means that you consume small portions during a short time-frame and then neglect food and water for the entire day. When or if you decide to fast, it is a more tangible way to express to God that you are committed to Him and willing to sacrifice convenience and abundance for Him. God will give instructions in Matthew on how to properly fast but essentially it's only something you want to do if you know how to do it healthily and if you truly believe in what or Who you're doing it for. Otherwise you really just waste your time and God's!
The number 40 is used often as a length of time for testing. Jesus is about to be testing and is prepared for it after fasting (devoting himself entirely to God without distraction).
4:3 Satan has a lot of names. Here he is called the tempter because he is trying to tempt Jesus away from God (not possible!) but again, it is an example of what he will and does try to do to you. Just as much as God is a way of life, Satan can be too. Satan probably isn't standing next to you all day pushing you to do bad things, but living in a way that is satisfying to him is falling into temptation itself. Choosing wrong over right is choosing to be tempted by the things Satan stands for: wickedness and deception.
So Satan is mocking Jesus here. He is basically saying, "If you're so high and mighty, after all of that fasting for 40 days and nights, you should be pretty hungry... why don't you magically change these stones to bread and eat?" But Jesus is smarter, far smarter than this wack-job and responds:
4:4 Jesus quotes scripture. You should be able to discern when someone is being a jerk or using what you believe to be truth against you like Jesus did... maybe you can't recall the exact verse like Jesus, but do not be so vulnerable to Satan as to fall into his deception the first time he opens his mouth.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy and introduces us to a new metaphor: that God is our bread. This is symbolic of God being our sustenance - a far greater sustenance than measly bread is. Jesus implies to Satan that He is not hungry or desperate for food because He receives life from God. With food you can live a long life, maybe, but with God you live forever. Smart metaphor Jesus, but Satan is not yet done with You...
4:5-6 Satan continues to mock Jesus. Satan wants Jesus to fling himself off of a building. He wants Jesus to show Satan that God will save Him... perhaps Satan or maybe even you need such proof from God that He actually exists but Jesus does not. Jesus knows that God is real and therefore will not waste His time proving it (especially not to such a jerk!)
4:7 Jesus quotes scripture (He is firm in the word and uses it to get out of all snares, as we all should do!) Do not tempt God. It kind of disgraces God when you command Him to prove Himself. Think of it on a more personal level, if you are an honest person, does it feel nice to have someone constantly disbelieve in you? I want people to love and trust me but not at the expense of always being dared by them. It's not true trust and love if done in such a way.
4:8 This is Satan's last chance. He 1) tried to discredit God by seeing if Jesus could turn stones into bread (He could if He wanted to but found it unnecessary) then he 2) tried to get Jesus to hop off of a building to make God look like a fool upon His splat! on the ground (Jesus would not have died after jumping) and finally Satan decides to try to win Jesus over with the promise of wealth and power. Examine in your own soul: can you be bought by power and wealth? Really, honestly think about what value power and money have inside of your heart.
4:9 Satan says, if you worship me (instead of God) I will give you all of this power, all of this wealth, everything on earth will be in your control. Satan is power hungry, he craves control... he wants servants to destroy and deceive. Satan is deception and wicked, even if someone did bow to him they would never be able to claim the power and riches they were promised. He is dishonest. He will say and do anything for power.
Jesus has had enough with Satan at this point. Jesus quotes scripture and says that he will only ever worship the true God.
Jesus assuredly did not need testing. He was never tempted by Satan but he went through the experience for us to analyze ourselves in such a situation. If some person rejects you because you cannot perform a miracle as proof of your God, are you going to crumble in your faith? If another person tempts you prove that God loves and will save you by putting yourself in danger are you really going to disgrace God by questioning His word. He is honest and He loves you, will you require Him to prove it just to placate a bully? And are you willing to sell your soul for the wealth, fame and control? It is easy to say, "No, of course not!, but our lives are a long journey of decision-making and if we are not careful to respond to each intricate situation with humility and goodness, we can easily get swept into temptation. We can easily start believing that stability and happiness comes from material gain. It starts small and is not always apparent.
4:12-17 Jesus begins to preach His message all around. Note that John has been put in prison: those pesky haters, much like Herod in Chapter 1, cannot stand to see their authority threatened. God and Jesus preach a path to peace but there are always obstacles along the way wishing to thwart that goodness. John and Jesus are each on their own journeys but both are guided by God. Imprisoned or not, John is free with God and both he and Jesus know this - they continue on their journeys, together but separate, in bringing about God's word.
4:18 Jesus begins to procure disciples. We will get to know these men intimately and they will serve as close-up examples of how it is to learn the word for the first time. Being chosen by Jesus, while awesome requires of them much work and faith! In Luke 12:48 we learn that those of us who receive a lot from God are required to give a lot back to the rest of His children. It is an honor but also it is a responsibility. Learning the word through the teachings of Christ to the disciples makes understanding really simple and accessible: when they need further explanation on a matter (we probably do too!) so Jesus breaks it down even easier.
4:19 Another metaphor. Jesus chooses two fishermen. Peter and Andrew gather fish for a living and Christ uses a profession they are familiar with to bring the word to them. He promises to make them fishers of men if they follow Him. Meaning that if they live by what he Has to teach, they will teach many men and women to live by the same teachings and therefore deliver them to God.
4:20 They immediately follow Jesus. They recognize his goodness and give up their earthly life, everything that they know, are willing to give up the life that is familiar to them in service of this greater purpose. Wow. Is your faith that strong?
4:21-24 Jesus chooses more disciples to follow Him and continues on his path of peace, preaching and teaching by word and example on the best way to live. He dedicates His entire life to this mission of God. It is a selfless and saving act for His brothers and sisters.
When first encountering Jesus' healing abilities in the scripture, I believed His ability to heal was simply an act of His knowing how to heal various illnesses using the materials and plants of the Earth (as we do today) teaching cleanliness and hygiene can mute a lot of illnesses, for example. But whether or not Jesus actually touched and miraculously healed, or healed in a more scientific manner, I do not doubt that either method is lacking from His arsenal. Interpret it as you wish! (Side note: for me God and science have always been intertwined. Many people think each fight for domination but for me, they are each the same).
4:25 Great multitudes of people are following Jesus. It is so much easier to follow an entity that is right before you performing miraculous things but as God tells you, those who believe in Him without the aid and benefit of concrete proof... well, their belief in Him is all the sweeter and truer. (John 20:29)
