The Gospels · Chapter 4 of 28
Matthew 4
Led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus fasts forty days and is tempted three times by the devil, answering each with Scripture and refusing to abandon trust in God. Angels then minister to him. Hearing of John's arrest, Jesus settles in Capernaum, begins preaching repentance and the nearness of the kingdom, calls his first fishermen disciples, and travels Galilee teaching and healing every sickness.
What happens in Matthew 4
The Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. After forty days of fasting he is hungry, and the tempter urges him to turn stones into bread. Jesus answers that man lives by every word from God's mouth. Taken to the temple's pinnacle and dared to jump on the strength of a promise, he refuses to tempt the Lord his God. Shown all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship, he commands Satan away, declaring that God alone is to be worshipped and served.
The devil leaves, and angels minister to him. When John is imprisoned, Jesus withdraws to Capernaum, fulfilling Isaiah's word about light dawning in Galilee of the Gentiles. He preaches repentance because the kingdom is near, calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John from their nets to become fishers of men, and goes about Galilee teaching, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease as crowds gather from every direction.
Matthew 4 in context
Immediately after his baptism, Jesus faces in the wilderness the same tests Israel failed during its forty years of wandering. Each of his three answers is drawn from Deuteronomy, and where the old people stumbled over hunger, doubt, and idolatry, Jesus stands firm.
His subsequent move to Capernaum and calling of the first disciples formally launch the Galilean ministry that Matthew will unfold through the following chapters.
Main themes of Matthew 4
Matthew 4 (KJV)
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 12Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
Verses to carry from Matthew 4
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”Matthew 4:4
“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”Matthew 4:10
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”Matthew 4:19
Direct words of Jesus
How Matthew 4 points to Jesus
In the wilderness Jesus proves himself the faithful Son the Father just declared him to be, refusing every shortcut around the path of obedient suffering. He will not use his power for himself, will not test God to force a rescue, and will not bow for the kingdoms that are already rightfully his. This is the same self denial he will call his followers to, and the same trust he will hold to the end.
Then the light he embodies begins to shine in dark Galilee. His first word is repent, and his first act is to call people to himself: follow me. Everything he offers flows from who he is, the tested and trustworthy Son whose word can be built upon.
Questions about Matthew 4
How did Jesus resist the devil's temptations?
He met each temptation with Scripture, trusting God's word over hunger, over the craving for spectacle, and over the lure of worldly power. He refused to act independently of the Father, even when the devil quoted Scripture to twist God's promises. His example shows that faithfulness means obeying God's word humbly rather than exploiting it for self, and that the written word is a real and sufficient defense.
What does follow me mean for the first disciples?
Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John while they work at their nets, promising to make them fishers of men. Following meant leaving nets, boat, and father at once to learn from him and share his mission. It was less a career change than a whole reorientation of life around his person and kingdom, a decision they made immediately without knowing all that lay ahead.
Reflection
The tempter still offers shortcuts around trust and obedience. Jesus faced the same pressures and stood firm, so we do not resist alone. When appetite, applause, or ambition pull, his answered word steadies us, and his simple call, follow me, remains open to anyone ready to leave the nets.
A prayer from Matthew 4
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