Matthew 4:1-11
4: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him 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, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again 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 I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Reflection
Matthew is helping us see that Jesus is without sin, and that he is able to resist Satan’s temptations. Out in the wilderness, Satan attempts to persuade Jesus to rebel against God. The scene reminds us of Israel’s experience in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. However, unlike the Israelites, who were punished for their rebellion against God (e.g., Exodus 32; Num. 11:1–3; Numbers 16), Jesus successfully obeyed God in the wilderness.
This should make us profoundly grateful for the sacrifice of Christ, which cleanses our sin only because Jesus himself was perfectly sinless (Rom. 3:21– 26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:11–28; 1 Pet. 3:18; see also Isa. 53:9, 12).
Romans 2:25-29
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Reflection
The gospel of grace (the good news about God’s grace) transforms us from the inside out. When we are changed at a heart level, we begin to live differently; the order can never be reversed. It is impossible to act in a certain way in order to become changed at a heart level. If the heart is not right with God, nothing we do can please him.
In Romans 2:25–29, Paul scolds his fellow Jews for thinking that ritual (circumcision) and ethnicity will please God. God’s acceptance or “praise” (v. 29) requires that he change our hearts “by the Spirit” (v. 29). Paul (like John the Baptist; Matt. 3:9) knew from experience that too many of his fellow Jews had lost sight of this truth. It is equally true today— no ritual can save us, only faith in Christ.
Psalm 119:111
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
Don’t be content with good behavior if your heart isn’t in it. Ask God to change your heart so that your actions will flow from a genuine desire for his will and his glory.