41 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil . 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights , He then became hungry . 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God , command that these stones become bread ." 4 But He answered and said , "It is written , ' MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE , BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD .' " 5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple , 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God , throw Yourself down ; for it is written , ' HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE .' " 7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand , it is written , ' YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE Lord YOUR GOD TO THE TEST .' " 8 Again , the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory ; 9 and he said to Him, " All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Go , Satan ! For it is written , ' YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE Lord YOUR GOD , AND SERVE HIM ONLY .' " 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold , angels came and began to minister to Him.
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody , He withdrew into Galilee ; 13 and leaving Nazareth , He came and settled in Capernaum , which is by the sea , in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali . 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet : 15 " THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI , BY THE WAY OF THE SEA , BEYOND THE JORDAN , GALILEE OF THE GENTILES - 16 " THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT , AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH , UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED ." 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say , " Repent , for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ."
18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee , He saw two brothers , Simon who was called Peter , and Andrew his brother , casting a net into the sea ; for they were fishermen . 19 And He said to them, "Follow e Me, and I will make you fishers of men ." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers , James the son of Zebedee , and John his brother , in the boat with Zebedee their father , mending their nets ; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father , and followed Him.
23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee , teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom , and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 4:1-23
Commentary on Matthew 4:1-11
(Read Matthew 4:1-11)
Concerning Christ's temptation, observe, that directly after he was declared to be the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world, he was tempted; great privileges, and special tokens of Divine favour, will not secure any from being tempted. But if the Holy Spirit witness to our being adopted as children of God, that will answer all the suggestions of the evil spirit. Christ was directed to the combat. If we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are tempted, when drawn aside of their own lust, and enticed, Deuteronomy 8:3, made against the tempter, therefore he left out part. This promise is firm and stands good. But shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? No. 3. Satan tempted Christ to idolatry with the offer of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. The glory of the world is the most charming temptation to the unthinking and unwary; by that men are most easily imposed upon. Christ was tempted to worship Satan. He rejected the proposal with abhorrence. "Get thee hence, Satan!" Some temptations are openly wicked; and they are not merely to be opposed, but rejected at once. It is good to be quick and firm in resisting temptation. If we resist the devil he will flee from us. But the soul that deliberates is almost overcome. We find but few who can decidedly reject such baits as Satan offers; yet what is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Christ was succoured after the temptation, for his encouragement to go on in his undertaking, and for our encouragement to trust in him; for as he knew, by experience, what it was to suffer, being tempted, so he knew what it was to be succoured, being tempted; therefore we may expect, not only that he will feel for his tempted people, but that he will come to them with seasonable relief.
Commentary on Matthew 4:12-17
(Read Matthew 4:12-17)
It is just with God to take the gospel and the means of grace, from those that slight them and thrust them away. Christ will not stay long where he is not welcome. Those who are without Christ, are in the dark. They were sitting in this condition, a contented posture; they chose it rather than light; they were willingly ignorant. When the gospel comes, light comes; when it comes to any place, when it comes to any soul, it makes day there. Light discovers and directs; so does the gospel. The doctrine of repentance is right gospel doctrine. Not only the austere John Baptist, but the gracious Jesus, preached repentance. There is still the same reason to do so. The kingdom of heaven was not reckoned to be fully come, till the pouring out of the Holy Spirit after Christ's ascension.
Commentary on Matthew 4:18-22
(Read Matthew 4:18-22)
When Christ began to preach, he began to gather disciples, who should be hearers, and afterwards preachers of his doctrine, who should be witnesses of his miracles, and afterwards testify concerning them. He went not to Herod's court, not to Jerusalem, among the chief priests and the elders, but to the sea of Galilee, among the fishermen. The same power which called Peter and Andrew, could have wrought upon Annas and Caiaphas, for with God nothing is impossible. But Christ chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Diligence in an honest calling is pleasing to Christ, and it is no hinderance to a holy life. Idle people are more open to the temptations of Satan than to the calls of God. It is a happy and hopeful thing to see children careful of their parents, and dutiful. When Christ comes, it is good to be found doing. Am I in Christ? is a very needful question to ask ourselves; and, next to that, Am I in my calling? They had followed Christ before, as common disciples, John 1:37; now they must leave their calling. Those who would follow Christ aright, must, at his command, leave all things to follow him, must be ready to part with them. This instance of the power of the Lord Jesus encourages us to depend upon his grace. He speaks, and it is done.
Commentary on Matthew 4:23-25
(Read Matthew 4:23-25)
Wherever Christ went, he confirmed his Divine mission by miracles, which were emblems of the healing power of his doctrine, and the influences of the Spirit which accompanied it. We do not now find the Saviour's miraculous healing power in our bodies; but if we are cured by medicine, the praise is equally his. Three general words are here used. He healed every sickness or disease; none was too bad; none too hard, for Christ to heal with a word. Three diseases are named; the palsy, which is the greatest weakness of the body; lunacy, which is the greatest malady of the mind; and possession of the devil, which is the greatest misery and calamity of both; yet Christ healed all, and by thus curing bodily diseases, showed that his great errand into the world was to cure spiritual maladies. Sin is the sickness, disease, and torment of the soul: Christ came to take away sin, and so to heal the soul.