Matthew 4 - Introduction

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

What the temptation did for Jesus.—The benefit derived by Jesus from thus fighting out the battle against those temptations which assailed Him, immediately after baptism, was that the consciousness of His Messianic vocation, which had so suddenly come to Him, He now obtained as an abiding personal possession. Henceforth He was no longer subject to a ferment of inner perplexity and doubt; whilst, in the prosecution of His Messianic calling, He was at every step beset by external conflict and hindrances connected with Jewish worldly ideas of the Messiahship, on the part of His disciples, and His enemies. Having dealt in no short perfunctory way with this early temptation, but having, after weeks of inner conflict, reached calm and thorough victory, He could now undertake His public teaching and ministry with unshaken conviction of His Messiahship, and with a marvellous clearness and consistency of view in regard to the kingdom of God (Wendt).