Matthew 4:1-25

Matthew’s Good News

Matthew’s *Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 4

The Devil tests Jesus 4:1-11

v1 The *Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert. The devil tested Jesus while he was there. v2 For 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus had no food. He was very hungry. v3 Then the devil came to him. ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread’, he said to Jesus. v4 Then Jesus replied to him.

‘The *Scriptures say, “A man does not live only on bread.

He needs every word that God speaks” ’, Jesus told him.

v5 Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, which is the holy city. He took Jesus to stand on the highest point of the *Temple. v6 ‘If you are the Son of God, jump off’, the devil said to him.

‘The *Scriptures say, “The *Lord will order his *messengers to look after you.

They will carry you in their hands.

Then your foot will not hit against a stone” ’, the devil reminded him.

v7 Then Jesus answered him again.

‘The *Scriptures also say, “Do not test the *Lord your God.” ’

v8 Next, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He showed Jesus everywhere in the world that kings rule. He showed Jesus that all of it was very splendid. v9 ‘I will give you all this if you will *bow down and *worship me’, the devil said to him. v10 Then Jesus replied to him again. ‘Go away, *Satan!’ he said.

‘The *Scriptures say, “*Worship the *Lord who is your God.

He is the only person that you should serve.” ’,

Jesus told him.

v11 Then the devil left him. God’s *messengers came and took care of Jesus.

Verse 1 Jesus was God’s servant, the *Messiah. He had to decide how he should do his work. The desert was a lonely place where Jesus could pray about his work. The devil wanted Jesus to use his power in the wrong way. So the devil tested Jesus in three different ways.

Verses 2-4 Forty (40) days and nights is a long time to be hungry. Because Jesus was very hungry, he could have used his power for his own benefit. The hot, flat stones there in the desert looked like bread. He could have made those stones fit to eat. Jesus could have given people bread so that they would follow him. But that would have been a mistake. Food satisfies a hungry body. But it does not help people to have a relationship with God. Jesus used words from the Bible (Deuteronomy 8:3) to answer the devil rather than his own words.

Verses 5-7 The highest point of the *Temple in Jerusalem was about 450 feet (137 metres) above the Kidron valley. Jesus could jump into the Kidron valley or into the *Temple court. That would astonish people. Then they would follow him. The devil used the promise in Psalms 91:11-12 that spoke about God’s protection. But Jesus knew that a sign like this had no use. He might attract people at first. But people soon forget about the things that had once astonished them.

Jesus would not take foolish risks. He knew that this was wrong. He would not try to prove that God cared. It would show that he did not trust God. Instead, Jesus used words from Deuteronomy 6:16.

Verses 8-10 The devil took Jesus to a mountain, from where he had a wide view. He could think about all the countries in the world. He could compare them to where God rules. He could use force to become a political ruler. He could free his people from the *Roman rulers. But Jesus came to free people from their *sin. He refused to use the devil’s methods. Jesus would show the world’s people that he is their king. He would do that, as he loved them. He also suffered for them. He answered the devil with words from Deuteronomy 6:13. He emphasised that people must give honour only to God.

Verse 11 Jesus defeated the devil. Then God gave Jesus all that he needed.

Jesus moves to Capernaum 4:12-17

v12 Herod had put John in prison. When Jesus heard about this, he returned to Galilee district. v13 Jesus did not remain in Nazareth. He went to live in the town called Capernaum. This town was by Lake Galilee, in the Zebulun and Naphtali area. v14 So God’s promise came true. God’s servant Isaiah had told the people this promise long ago.

v15 ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, lands along the road to the sea and west of the river Jordan!

Galilee, land where people who are not *Jews live!

v16 The people who live in darkness have seen a great light.

That light has begun to shine upon them.

It is like the sun when it rises at dawn’, Isaiah had said.

v17 From that time, Jesus began to tell his message to the people. ‘Be sorry and turn away from your *sins. Heaven is near now. Heaven is where God rules.’

Verse 12 Matthew does not explain here why Herod put John in prison. Matthew tells the whole story in Matthew 14:3-12. He did so because Herodias wanted it. She had been the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. Then Herod Antipas married her. John had said that Herod should not have married her. The details of what happened are in Matthew 14:3-12. John had finished his work. He had prepared the way for the *Messiah. So Jesus could begin his own work now.

Galilee was a very rich area for crops. An enormous number of people lived there. Josephus lived at that time and wrote history books. He said that there were 204 villages. Each village had thousands of inhabitants. It was an area with many foreigners. There were foreign lands that surrounded Galilee too. So people called it ‘Galilee of the non-*Jews’. (People who are not *Jews are called ‘Gentiles’.) Main roads for trade went through Galilee. The people in Galilee were more willing than the people in Judea to believe new ideas. The people in Judea did not meet many foreigners. So people in Judea were less ready to change their opinions. Therefore, Galilee was an ideal area in which Jesus chose to work.

Verse 13 Matthew does not give details of Jesus’ visit to his own town of Nazareth. Luke tells us about that (Luke 4:14-30). Jesus went there after he had already worked for a while in Capernaum.

Verses 14-16 In Isaiah’s time, soldiers from Assyria attacked the region called Galilee. They caused the people in Galilee to suffer. Galilee was the area of the two *tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali. Isaiah’s message promised good things to the people in the future. It was like the sun as it rises after the dark night (Isaiah 9:1-2). Jesus came to Galilee. That proved that Isaiah’s message was true. In the darkness, people cannot see the right way to go. To do wrong is like being in the dark. Jesus came to Galilee like a light. He was like the sun that rises at dawn. He would show people the right way to live. Jesus later described himself as the ‘light of the world’ (John 9:5).

Verse 17 Jesus brought the same message that John had brought to the people. Jesus spoke with authority. He ordered people to turn from their *sins. God’s rule was about to begin. Jesus the king would invite people to choose God’s rule.

Jesus chooses the first *disciples 4:18-22

v18 Jesus was walking next to lake Galilee, one day. He saw two brothers there. There was Simon, who was also called Peter. And there was his brother, called Andrew. They were throwing a net into the water because they were working. Their work was to catch fish. v19 Jesus spoke to them. ‘Come and follow me. I will show you how to fish for people’, he said. v20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. v21 Jesus went on from there. Then he saw two other brothers. They were the sons of Zebedee. They were called James and John. They were in their boat with their father, Zebedee. They were getting their nets ready for use. Then Jesus called to them. v22 At once they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

Verses 18 and 21 Simon and Andrew, James and John had not met Jesus before. John tells us in his *gospel that they had been *disciples of John the *Baptist. (See John 1:35-42.) They had already talked to Jesus and they had probably listened to him several times. Now Jesus was telling them to leave their work and their families. They would not catch fish any more. He wanted ordinary people to follow him and to learn from him. He wanted them to help him in his work.

Verse 19 People who catch fish have special qualities. Their work prepared them to bring men and women to God. They needed patience. When people fish, it is sometimes difficult to get quick results. It is like that when people talk to other people about God, too. The person who fishes is like the person who talks to people about God. They both need to continue their efforts, even if there are difficulties. Men who fish every day need courage. They often sail their boats on dangerous seas. Some people will want to teach the truth. But they may meet other people who oppose them. And men and women do not always want to hear the truth. The teachers will tell people that they need to change. And this may make people angry.

Verses 20 and 22 The words ‘immediately’ and ‘at once’ tell us that there should be no delay. We should follow Jesus when he calls. The four men had to leave their businesses and their families. Jesus became the most important person in their lives.

Jesus heals sick people 4:23-25

v23 Jesus went all over Galilee district. He taught the *Jewish people in the houses where they met. And he explained the Good News to them. He urged them to choose God’s rule. He also healed people who were suffering from every kind of illness and disease. v24 News about him spread over the entire country called Syria. So people brought everyone who was ill or in pain to him. They were suffering from every kind of illness and disease. Some suffered from evil *spirits which possessed them. Other people suffered from ‘*epilepsy’, and other people could not move at all. Jesus healed them all. v25 So great crowds of people followed him. They came from all over Galilee district and from the Ten Towns district. They also came from Jerusalem city and the rest of Judea district. And they came from the land across the Jordan river.

Verses 23-25 The news that Jesus could heal people spread quickly. And people with all kinds of illness came long distances to get his help, even from foreign countries. Many other people came just to listen to him. They wanted to see him heal people. And they wanted to hear what he was teaching. *Epilepsy is a terrible illness. It suddenly causes people to shake a lot and fall down without control over themselves.

gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
scriptures ~ the books in the Old Testament or in the Bible.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
bow ~ lean your body forward, as a mark of respect to someone.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
spirit ~ the part of us that lives when our body dies; a being that is alive, even without a body; the part of a person that will always be alive, even after their body is dead. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
being ~ a person or animal that is alive.
angels ~ God's special messengers.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
tribe ~ the whole family of one of Jacob’s 12 sons; a family from the same father.
disciples ~ those who follow another person to learn from him.
gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
Baptist ~ someone who baptises people.
baptise ~ to put a person under water or put water on a person to show that they want to follow Christ.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
spirit ~ the part of us that lives when our body dies; a being that is alive, even without a body; the part of a person that will always be alive, even after their body is dead. There are good spirits, like God’s Spirit and his angels. And there are bad spirits, like Satan and his angels.
being ~ a person or animal that is alive.
angels ~ God's special messengers.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit.
messenger ~ a person who gives a message.
epilepsy ~ a disease that makes the person fall to the ground, sometimes with strange movements of the muscles.
epilepsy ~ a disease that makes the person fall to the ground, sometimes with strange movements of the muscles.