The Temptation of Jesus

Chapter 4 of Matthew is filled with more imagery to fix our character in his historic context. Jesus is led "by the Spirit" into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Forty days and forty nights, like the amount of time Moses spent with God while getting the ten commandments, or the time it rained during the great flood, or number of years Israel was in the wilderness, or the length of time that Elijah was able to keep moving based on one holy meal administered by an angel.

The study Bible says the "Spirit" that led Jesus on his vision quest is the same Spirit that descended like a dove when Jesus was baptized by John and the same "wind from God that swept over the face of the waters in Genesis". Also known as the "Spirit of God" or "a mighty wind". This wind from God is a divine substance and seems to indicate the incipient ordering of the preceding chaos; the Spirit of God, in the creation story, initiates the reversal of the watery chaos that held before.

The tempter says to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

But [Jesus] answered, "It is written, one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Then the devil brought Jesus to the pinnacle atop the temple, saying, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down..."

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Then the devil takes Jesus up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, saying, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'"

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

***

That was quick. Only three interactions over those forty days of fasting (4.2 says "...afterwards [Jesus] was famished."). Just like the prophet Elijah, Jesus is fed by angels.


Three devilish tricks, three rebuffing quotations by Jesus, each hearkening back to early passages in the Bible, specifically sections from the "second-law giving" fifth book, wherein Moses himself fills out the rules and regulations required for a Godly life.

According to the study Bible, the first of Jesus' replies is quoting Deuteronomy 8.3, the second is Deuteronomy 6.16, the third is Deuteronomy 6.13.

I guess I don't really understand this passage, except as another way to tie Jesus more firmly to the historical past, and specifically to Jewish tradition. Why bother with the temptation part, or the fasting part? Not sure. It didn't seem like Jesus was even remotely close to giving in, so it seems like a waste of space in the story. One could argue that after this "rigorous ordeal" Jesus is now ready to formally start his ministry (coming up next).