Gospel of Matthew
Compiled by WD Kemner January 2024
CHAPTER 4 – Jesus begins public ministry
The Temptations in the wilderness
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 1-11 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13 |
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Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
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. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
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The temptations in the wilderness occur IMMEDIATELY after the Baptism. Spirit of God descends on Him; then off to battle Satan indued with power for the fight.
From the battle in the Garden of Eden to a battle in the wilderness. In the Garden Satan was told that the seed of the woman would bruise his heel. Satan is now facing the seed of the woman in the wilderness and has nothing to successfully challenge Jesus with.
Jesus fasted 40 days and nights! At which point he was hungry and that is when Satan makes his first attempt. He makes use of the need for food. Attacking the physical body’s need. Jesus quoted scripture directly back at Satan “…man shall not live by bread alone ...” This is from Deuteronomy 8:3.
Satan then takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, where he attempts to do a turn-a-round and use scripture against Jesus. Satan knows scripture and uses it. Satan quotes Psalms 91:11-12 and Jesus’ reply is also scripture from Deuteronomy 6:16.
Every time Jesus responds, he starts with “It is written...” The third temptation was taking Jesus “high enough” to see “all the kingdoms of the world”. It must have been high into the spirit realm to see it all. “All these things will I give thee”.
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:14; Luke 3:19-20; John 3:24 |
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Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison,
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 12b-13 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:14; Luke 4:14-15; John 4:43-45 |
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…he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
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He now leaves Nazareth and moves to Capernaum
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 14-16 |
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That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
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Quoting the prophet from his book in Isaiah 9:1-2.
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 17 |
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From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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He now starts his public teaching AFTER John is in prison. Everything has a heavenly ordained timing.
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 18-19 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11 |
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And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
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Calling of the Disciples. Note that everything that has happened prior to these verses appears to be BEFORE any of the disciples were “called” to follow Jesus including Matthew.
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 20 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11 |
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And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
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They DID NOT HESITATE. Implies they left everything the way it was and left, no cleaning the nets and storing them away for later usage, “in case” this “experiment” was a failure. No, they LEFT immediately!
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 21 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11 |
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And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
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It is interesting that the first four were two sets of brothers.
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 22 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11 |
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And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
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Again they “immediately left”. Twice in three verses; everything was immediate. There was no one saying “let me take care of this first”. This will occur and be discussed in later chapter.
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 23 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44 |
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And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
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Jesus started by: 1) Teaching in the synagogues. 2) Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. 3) Healing all manner of sickness and disease.
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Matthew Chapter 4 verses 24-25 |
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Parallel Passages: Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44 |
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And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
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His fame had spread throughout all Syria. He healed: Mind, Body, Spirit. Lunatick is the MIND; Palsy is the BODY; Possessed with Devils is the SPIRITUAL.