Mateus 4
William Hendriksen · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 4
Hendriksen says "It was by the guidance of the Spirit that he was led up, that very Spirit Who not only knew that this temptation experience was necessary but whose plenary and active presence also qualified Jesus to triumph over it." (Ibid) Jesus was led up by the Spirit (See McGee's note on led by the Spirit) - To be led by God’s Spirit has as its result perfect subjection to and performance of God’s will. "The same Spirit who brought Jesus into the world (Mt 1:20+) and demonstrated God’s approval of Him (Mt 3:16+) now led Him into the wilderness for tempting by Satan." (Constable) This is a mind boggling statement and is clear evidence of the great truth of Jesus' "emptying" Himself and yielding to the will of His Father in Heaven (Jn 4:34, Jn 5:30, Jn 6:38, Jn 8:29). In Philippians 2, Paul records that Jesus... Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Php 2:6-8+) 🙏 THOUGHT - Ponder (meditate on) Jesus' willing submission to the Spirit and Paul's command which precedes the kenosis of Jesus. In light of this incredible truth what is the believer's continual attitude now to be? Paul gives us the answer = "Have this attitude (present imperative = continually, but see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to even obey this command) in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus," (Php 2:5+) This begs the question -- Are you (Am I) daily willing to be being filled with/controlled by the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18+)? Are you (Am I) willing to die to self (Lk 9:23+, Mk 8:34+) and be led by the Spirit even as Jesus was willing? Paul says "all who are being (present tense - as our lifestyle, our general "direction") led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." (Ro 8:14+) So willingness to walk like Jesus walked, in submission to the will of His Father and to the control of the Spirit and His leading, is evidence that one is a true son/daughter of God. Paul reminds us of the other advantage of being led by the Spirit writing that "if you are led (present tense) by the Spirit, you are not under the Law (NOT IN BONDAGE TO LEGALISM - TO A LIST OF "DO'S" AND "DON'T'S" cf Gal 3:2-3+)." (Gal 5:18+). One other point that should be made is that our willingness to be led by the Spirit is linked with our willingness to kill (MORTIFY) sin (SEE PAUL'S COMMAND IN Col 3:5KJV+). Why do I say that? Because in the context of speaking of being led by the Spirit (Ro 8:14+), in the preceding passage Paul says "if you are living (present tense = as your lifestyle, your habitual practice) according to the (fallen, sinful, godless, God-hating) flesh, you must (OR "WILL") die; but if by the Spirit (WHO PROVIDES THE "WANT TO" [OUR FLESH DOES NOT "WANT TO!"] AND THE SUPERNATURAL POWER OR THE "DESIRE AND THE POWER" AS DESCRIBED IN Php 2:13NLT+) you are putting to death (present tense = continually, daily, the rest of our lives in these mortal bodies!) the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13+ The venerable British preacher Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said the following regarding the crucial importance of Romans 8:13+ - "These are the crucial verses with regard to this old problem around which there is and has been for a number of years a good deal of controversy." (Listen to his sermon A Call for Action - Romans 8:12-13) (Memorize Romans 8:12-13 so that enable by the Spirit you can meditate on it and pray it to the Father! Your walk of holiness will never be the same! I say that based on the authority of God's Holy Word and the power available to you by His Holy Spirit for the glory of His Holy Son. Amen). Martyn Lloyd-Jones adds this on Romans 8:13+ ,"It is here for the first time, in this chapter, that we come to the realm of practical application. All we have had up to this point has been a general description of the Christian—his character, his position. But now the Apostle has really come explicitly to the doctrine of sanctification. Here we are told exactly how, in practice, the Christian becomes sanctified. Or, to state it differently, here we are told in detail and in practice how the Christian is to wage the battle against sin." (Listen to Lloyd-Jones' sermons on Romans 8) 🙏 THOUGHT - Beloved, it is so important for followers of Christ to fully comprehend the incredible truth that Jesus lived as a perfect man in perfect obedience to the Father because He depended totally upon the Holy Spirit. In so doing Jesus gave us a perfect example to follow "in His Steps." (1 Peter 2:21+, cf 1Cor 11:1+, 1 John 2:6+ - see Walk Like Jesus Walked). One more point - Jesus was physically empty (food), but was full of the Spirit. How sad that we far too often are physically full, but spiritually not full of the Spirit! Lord forgive! Lord fill! Lord glorify Jesus in our lives by His Spirit in us enabling a supernatural life that points others to Your Son. Amen. Luke's version says "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness." (Lk 4:1+) 🙏 THOUGHT - Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, and led by the Spirit when He was tempted (Lk 4:1+). The filling of the Spirit will not insulate you from temptation, but if you walk in the Spirit, you will not carry out the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16+). It does not say that you will not have such desires, but rather that you will not fulfill them. Each day we should yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and walk in conscious dependence on Him. Again, if Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit, how much more must we! Into the wilderness - Refers to the wastelands on either side of the Jordan. Only Mark 1:13+ adds that Jesus was with the wild beasts. Jesus was not forced against His will to go out into the wilderness, but He was willing to be led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness. Clearly the wilderness was not a mistake but was an integral part of the sovereign plan of the Father. Jesus Himself clearly stated "I do not seek My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me." (Jn 5:30, cf Jn 5:19, Jn 8:28) The will of the Father was that the Son be tempted by the devil in the wilderness. "The devil tempts that he may ruin us, but God tests that He may crown us!" -- based on original by Ambrose 🙏 THOUGHT - What is the point of application to believers today? The Holy Spirit does lead us into trials (or allows us to enter trials) so that we can learn to stand up to temptation and so that we will mature in our faith (cf James 1:2-4+). When (NOT IF) trials come into the believer's life, they call for a decision. It is like that line in Robert Frost's famous poem The Road Not Taken, specifically the line "I took the one less traveled by." Will I trust God and rely on His Spirit to navigate this trial and take the road less traveled, the road of submission to God's will and the leading of God's Spirit. Or will I take the road traveled by most, a road marked by grumbling (cf Php 2:14+), complaining (cf Nu 11:1, 14:27), even blaming God (contrast Job's attitude - Job 1:22) for the trial, to the point that the trial becomes a temptation to do evil? Of course we need to emphasize that although the Spirit of God may direct us into trials, He does not lead us into temptation to do evil, for James 1:13+ says "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." God's goal when putting us into trials is that as we go through the fire of the trial, the dross of sin might be gradually removed (THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION, GROWTH IN CHRIST-LIKENESS AND HOLINESS) and that we might be strengthened more and more in our faith along our spiritual journey. Beloved, enabled by the Spirit, may we be willing to take the road less traveled, in Jesus' mighty Name. Amen THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Wilderness (secluded, desolate, desert) (2048)(eremos) when used as an adjective, normally describes places which are abandoned, desolate, or unpopulated.. Matthew's uses of eremos - Matt. 3:1; Matt. 3:3; Matt. 4:1; Matt. 11:7; Matt. 14:13; Matt. 14:15; Matt. 23:38; Matt. 24:26. See What does it mean to have a wilderness experience? It is interesting that the wilderness was a place of testing, but also a place of communing for Luke 5:16 records that " Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray." Perhaps if we imitated Jesus in this way more often, we might be less likely to have a so-called "wilderness experience," or at least more spiritually prepared to pass through it! “Luther’s remark stands true, that prayer, meditation, and temptation, are the three best instructors of the gospel minister.” C H Spurgeon To be tempted by the devil - Tempted is aorist tense in this passage which speaks of a point in time. In this case it speaks of the entire 40 days. How do we know? One writer says after 40 days "the tests began" but is that completely accurate? When we compare both Luke and Mark's Gospel accounts (Lk 4:2) we see that tempted is in the present tense ("continually tested" "continually tempted") which indicates Jesus' test was ongoing (all 40 days). So clearly Jesus was tempter continually but the last 3 assaults by the devil may have been the worst. To be tempted is in the passive voice indicating that the test was from an outside source, of course the Tempter himself (Mt 4:3+), the devil. Here is where Jesus' temptation is different than ours. Our temptation comes primarily from an internal source, our godless, unredeemed and unredeemable flesh (old man, flesh, sinful flesh, old Adam, Adamic nature). Obviously Satan can send flaming missiles (Eph 6:16+) to spur on our fallen flesh to produce temptations, but that is not mandatory. Flesh is fully capable of tempting us on its own power, and make no mistake, it does have power and continually seeks for an opportunity to reign as a "master" or "king" in our mortal bodies (read Ro 6:12-13+). And so we cannot always (in fact usually cannot) say "The devil made me do it!" (Made famous by Flip Wilson, to get a laugh but this is not a laughing matter but deadly serious!) 🙏 THOUGHT - I don’t know what temptations you may be dealing with, but I do know that if you are breathing, you are battling! Our greatest resource in the face of temptation is a close relationship with Jesus Christ (see "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." Ro 13:14+) and imitating His perfect pattern of being filled with the Spirit and filled with the Word (see 1 Pe 2:21+, 1 Jn 2:6+, 1 Cor 11:1+; Walking Like Jesus Walked!). Remember that the strongest weapon in Satan's arsenal is no match for the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. (Eph 6:17+) Here is a thought that will help in the moment of temptation. Hebrews 12:2+ tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” Take a long look at the Son of God who struggled 40 days being tempted in the wilderness and won the victory over the devil. If He won the battle depending on the Spirit and the Word (which He did), then so can we, because both of these supernatural resources are available to us today (see Filled with His Spirit/Richly Indwelt with His Word). This truth in turn makes it imperative that we venture forth each more filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18+) and filled with the Word (Col 3:16+). Not to do so will leave us vulnerable to spiritual attacks (temptations) from the world, the flesh and the devil. We can hardly be expected to fulfill Paul's command to walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16+), so that we will not carry out the desires of the flesh, UNLESS we are filled or controlled by the same Spirit. How are we filled? Let me give you a simple analogy. Let's say you want a drink of water. You reach for a glass and notice it is filthy inside and out. Are you going to pour water into that glass? Of course not. Now consider your own body which Paul says is to be a vessel of honor. And the Spirit is pictured by Jesus as "living water" (Jn 7:38-39+). Is God going to "pour water" into a dirty vessel (cf 1 Th 5:19+, Eph 4:30+)? That's a rhetorical question, because of course He won't. The analogy breaks down a bit because we still have the Spirit even when our vessel is "dirty" but we can hardly expect Him to "fill" us and control us. What is the solution? Cleanse the vessel. (2 Ti 2:21+) Confess all known sins (1 Jn 1:9+). Seek repentance (cf "forsakes" in Pr 28:13+). Then walk in the light of His Word (1 Jn 1::6-7+). He breaks the power of cancelled sin And sets the captive free. His blood can make the foulest clean His blood availed for me. -- C
Mateus 4
Hendriksen - The passage quoted is from Ps. 91:11, 12. As rendered here in Matt. 4:6, it follows the Septuagint (Ps. 90:11, 12). As quoted by the devil, there is, however, an omission, which some regard as being important, others not. According to the Hebrew, Ps. 91:11 ends with the words "to guard you in all your ways." Matt. 4:6 contains nothing that corresponds to this. Luke 4:10 merely has "to guard you." Hence, in both of these Gospels the words "in all your ways" are left out. When these words are included, God promises to protect the righteous man in all his righteous ways; for these are the ways of the man who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty and has found his refuge in Jehovah, upon whom he has set his love. They are, accordingly, the ways of the saint (Prov. 2:8), the good man (Prov. 2:20). It is to such a one that the words apply, "He will give his angels instructions concerning you, to guard you in all your ways." When these words "in all your ways" are omitted, does it not become easier to interpret the passage as if it were a promise of Jehovah to protect the righteous no matter what he does? So read, the passage would seem to correspond more closely with what the devil wants Jesus to do. (BORROW Baker Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew) C H
Mateus 4
Hendriksen summarizes the lessons from Matthew 4:1-11 Resist the devil by appealing to Scripture, as Jesus did three times in succession. Rest assured that Jesus, as his people’s Representative, has vicariously rendered the obedience which Adam, as mankind’s representative, failed to render. 3Derive comfort from the fact that we have a Highpriest who, having himself been tempted, is able to help us in our temptations (Heb. 4:14–16). Note that by not giving heed to the devil, Jesus receives the very blessings which Satan had held out to him. However, it is in a far more glorious sense and with the Father’s favor resting upon him that he receives the strength to endure physically, the ministry of the angels, and authority over the kingdoms of the world. (Baker NTC-Matthew) Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; when: Mk 1:14 6:17 Lu 3:20 Lk 4:14,31 Joh 4:43,54 Matthew 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Click to enlarge - from the Holman Bible Atlas (digital book; Hardcover) copyright © 1998 B&H Publishing Group, Used by permission, all rights reserved. This is one of the best resources for Bible maps. Please do not reproduce this map on any other webpage. THE GREAT GALILEAN MINISTRY Now when - Now when is an important expression of time. Why so? Because by comparing the events in the beginning of the Gospel of John it is apparent that all three Synoptic writers bypass the events that transpire during the first year of Jesus' ministry. In other words between Matthew 4:11 and Matthew 4:12 there is TIME GAP of from 12-14 months of Jesus' EARLY MINISTRY, a period which is omitted from THE Gospel of Matthew (see note below). You may read in some commentaries that this period was referred to as THE YEAR OF OBSCURITY (See study by S Lewis
Mateus 4
Hendriksen observes that "A new section of Matthew’s Gospel begins here (Matthew 4:12). Therefore, a chapter division at this point would have been very proper. Matthew does not indicate any chronological connection between this verse and the preceding material (the account of the baptism and the temptation). There may well have been a time interval of about a year, during which the events related in John 1:19–4:42 occurred. (Baker NTC - Matthew) John