Chapter 4

1 Christ fasteth, and is tempted. 11 The angels minister unto him. 13 He dwelleth in Capernaum, 17 beginneth to preach, 18 calleth Peter, and Andrew, 21 James, and John, 23 and healeth all the diseased.

1. Then. [The Temptation, Matt. 4:1–11=Mark 1:12, 13=Luke 4:1–13. Major comment: Matthew. See the Early Ministry and Baptism to First Passover; The Ministry of Our Lord.] Gr. tote, a favorite word with Matthew. It occurs in his Gospel about 90 times compared with 6 times in Mark and 14 times in Luke (see Matt. 2:7; 3:13; 4:1, 5; etc.). It indicates a transition of thought and locates the new section of the narrative at a definite point of time, which may immediately follow the preceding incident.

Led up. The “wilderness” was literally “up” from the Jordan River—up in the hills, either of Judea, or of Peraea across the Jordan. The exact site of the temptation is not known.

Of the spirit. From birth Jesus had been under the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit (see on Matt. 3:16; Luke 2:52), but at the time of His baptism the Spirit descended upon Him in rich measure to endow Him with wisdom and skill for His appointed mission (Acts 10:38; cf. ch. 1:8). Jesus was “guided, step by step, by the Father’s will,” in harmony with “the plan” that “lay out before Him, perfect in all its details,” “before He came to earth” (DA 147; see on Luke 2:49). Mark uses an even stronger expression, saying, “The spirit driveth him into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12).

Into the wilderness. The traditional site of the temptation is in the rugged, barren hills that rise to the west of Jericho, called the Quarantania in allusion to the 40 days of Jesus’ stay in the wilderness. The baptism occurred in the Jordan east of Jericho (see on ch. 3:1), and the fact that Jesus returned thither at the close of the 40 days implies that the wilderness of temptation was at no great distance. This being the case, it is entirely possible that Jesus retired to the wilderness region in the vicinity of Mt. Nebo in the Mountains of Abarim, east of the Dead Sea (see on Num. 21:20; Num. 27:12; Deut. 3:17). It was from the lofty heights of Mt. Nebo that “the Lord shewed him [Moses] all the land” (Deut. 34:1–4; PP 471–477), and it may have been from the same spot, “an exceeding high mountain,” that the devil presented to Christ “all the kingdoms of the world” (Matt. 4:8).

To be tempted. Gr. peirazoµ, “to attempt” (Acts 9:26; 16:7; Acts 24:6; etc.), “to test,” with a commendable motive in view (John 6:6; 2 Cor. 13:5), and “to test” with an evil motive in view (Matt. 19:3; Luke 11:16), particularly in the sense of luring a person to commit sin (1 Cor. 7:5; 1 Thess. 3:5; James 1:13). Here peirazoµ is used in the latter sense.

Jesus did not invite temptation, nor did He consciously place Himself on the devil’s enchanted ground. He retired to the wilderness to be alone with His Father and to meditate upon the task that lay before Him.

Jesus took upon Himself human nature, and with it the possibility of yielding to sin (DA 117). He was permitted to “meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss” (DA 49). Only thus could it be said that He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Otherwise, if, as some assert, Jesus, being divine, could not be tempted—then His temptation was a farce. It was through His human nature that He experienced temptation (cf. DA 686). Had His experience with temptation been in any degree less trying than our experiences with it, “He would not be able to succor us” (DA 117). See Additional Note on John 1; see on Luke 2:40, 52; John 1:14; Heb. 4:15; EGW Supplementary Material on Matt. 4:1–11; Rom. 5:12–19.

We have a representative before the Father who can “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” because He “was in all points tempted like as we are.” Hence we are bidden to “come boldly unto the throne of grace” for “grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15, 16). Jesus knows by experience what humanity can endure, and He has promised to temper the power of the tempter according to our individual strength to endure, and to “provide the way of escape” (1 Cor. 10:13, RSV). Within the domain of every human heart the great conflict through which Christ passed in the wilderness of temptation is repeated. Without testing—without the opportunity to choose to do right or to do wrong—there can be no character development. It is by resisting temptation that we develop power to withstand temptation.

The devil. Gr. diabolos, from dia, “through,” and balloµ, “to thrust,” as an adjective meaning “slanderous” and as a substantive “slanderer,” from which the English word “devil” is derived. In the LXX diabolos translates the Heb. sЊatan, “adversary” (see on Zech. 3:1). When referring to Satan, diabolos generally appears with the article (1 Peter 5:8 is an exception). Without the article it is used of people (John 6:70; 1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3).

There are those who contend that there is no personal devil, but the very words diabolos, “slanderer,” and sЊatan, “adversary,” are based on the concept of the devil as a personal being. Christ “beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Only a personal being could fill the role of the devil of the temptation account (Matt. 4:1, 5, 8, 11), and answer to the other statements made concerning the devil by the various NT writers (John 13:2; Heb. 2:14; James 4:7; 1 John 3:8; Jude 9; Rev. 2:10; 20:2, 7–10).

2. Fasted. The word thus translated is generally used in the NT for abstinence from food as a ritual practice. But this was obviously not a ritual fast. Throughout His life Jesus was censured for the fact that His disciples did not comply with fast days prescribed by the Pharisees (Matt. 9:14; Luke 5:33; cf. Luke 18:12). There is danger today, as there was in Bible times, that fasting be thought of as a means of earning merit before God—of doing something to commend oneself to God. But that is not the kind of fast God enjoins upon men (see Isa. 58:5, 6; cf. Zech. 7:5). If men fast today, it should be with the purpose of achieving clarity of mind, the antithesis of the drowsiness that comes from overeating. Spiritual perception of truth and the will of God is markedly increased by an abstemious diet, and perhaps at times even by complete abstinence from food. Fasting does not always mean complete abstinence from all food. However, Luke remarks that Jesus ate nothing while in the wilderness of temptation (ch. 4:2).

Forty days. Compare with similar fasts by Moses (Ex. 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8). Attempts to find in the number 40 a mystical significance are pointless. See on Luke 4:2.

3. The tempter. The devil always attacks us at our times of greatest weakness, for it is then we are most likely to fall. For this reason it is of vital importance to preserve the physical, mental, and emotional powers at a high level of strength and efficiency. Anything that weakens these powers weakens our defense against the wiles of the tempter. Such things as overwork, lack of exercise, overeating, a faulty diet, lack of sleep, or anything that lessens intellectual alertness and emotional control tends to open the way for the evil one to enter the soul. To entertain thoughts of discouragement, defeat, or resentment will have the same effect. We must set our thoughts and affections on things above (Col. 3:2) and fill our minds with things that are true, honest, pure, and lovely (Phil. 4:8). We must bring the body into subjection to the laws of our physical being, for it is impossible fully to appreciate things of eternal worth if we live in violation of the natural laws that govern our being.

Came to him. It was a personal devil that “came” to Jesus; it was a personal devil that Jesus defeated and routed. There is not the least hint given by any of the Gospel writers that the temptation was a subjective experience that occurred exclusively within the mind of Jesus, as some have contended.

If thou be. Satan had witnessed the baptism of Jesus and had heard the proclamation from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (ch. 3:17; see DA 116, 119). As far as outward appearances were concerned there seemed to be reason to doubt the truth of that proclamation. Pale, worn, emaciated, and famished beyond measure (see DA 137), Jesus hardly gave the appearance of being the Son of God. Satan’s words, “If thou be,” confronted Jesus with the question, “How do you know that you are the Son of God?” Similarly, in the Garden of Eden it had been the tempter’s purpose to lead Eve to disbelieve the clearly stated words of God in regard to the tree of knowledge. In the same way Satan approaches men and women today, endeavoring to get them to disbelieve the plain truths clearly stated in the revealed Word of God. Only those whose faith, like that of Jesus, rests firmly on what “is written,” on a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. A temptation always poses a challenge to some clearly known truth. It proposes that circumstances justify departure from principle.

The Son of God. A clear echo of the words of the Father at the Jordan 40 days previously (see on ch. 3:17). With haughty contempt Satan addressed the One against whom he had spoken so bitterly in heaven before he was cast out. In fact, Jesus now looked more like a human being ready to die than like the Son of God (DA 118, 137). The words of Satan upon this occasion were later echoed by the scornful Jewish leaders as they addressed Christ on the cross (ch. 27:40). See on Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:35; John 1:1–3, 14.

Command. On occasions during His ministry Jesus was requested to authenticate His Messiahship by the display of miraculous power (Matt. 12:38; 16:1; Mark 8: 11, 12; John 2:18; 6:30). But He refused to perform miracles when challenged to do so. Rather, each miracle met some specific need of the people to whom He sought to minister. True, the forces of nature and the elements of nature might be expected to obey the command of their Creator (Matt. 8:26; John 2:6–11; etc.). But Jesus did not call upon the power of Heaven to provide for Himself anything not available to us. See p. 209.

These stones. Satan probably pointed to stones lying on the ground at Jesus’ feet some of which may have been roughly in the shape of the disklike Oriental loaf of bread. Satan may even have picked up one of the stones (cf. Luke 4:3) and offered it to Jesus, as he had plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree and placed it in the hands of Eve (PP 55).

Bread. Bread here represents the material requirements of man’s physical nature. It stands for the materialistic philosophy of life, which assumes that a man’s life consists in the abundance of things that come into his possession, and that he lives by bread alone. And appeal to the appetite was thus the basis of Satan’s opening attack on the Son of God, even as it was the basis of his approach to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Many of the temptations that come to men fall in this class. In the first place, Satan knows that temptations to the physical nature of man are more likely of immediate success. In the second place, he directs his temptations to the enfeeblement and degradation of the physical powers of man, knowing full well that through the physical nature, through the senses, he can gain access to the whole being. The physical nature must be constantly under the control of the higher powers of the mind, the will and the reason, in order to avoid ruin. The body is the medium through which the mind and soul are developed, through which character is formed (MH 130). It was the fact that, as the Son of God, Jesus did have power to satisfy His hunger by creating food, that made this temptation real.

The temptation consisted in Satan’s suggestion that Christ satisfy His hunger in a wrong way, that is, without regard to what the Father’s will might be. Satan’s proposal covertly insinuated that God must be unkind to leave His Son alone to suffer hunger, particularly when it was entirely unnecessary.

Compare the temptations in the wilderness at the beginning of Christ’s ministry with those in Gethsemane at its close (see on ch. 26:38).

4. Answered and said. See on Job 3:2.

It is written. Christ’s faith in God and His knowledge of God’s will were founded on the Scriptures. From childhood Christ had studied the Scriptures with diligence and was intimately acquainted with them (DA 70). In this lay the secret of His strength to meet temptation. It is faith that brings victory over the world (1 John 5:4), and faith is developed through a study of the Scriptures (Rom. 10:17). Here Christ affirms that adherence to the written Word of God is of greater value and importance than even the performance of a miracle. Christ’s quotations from Scripture upon this occasion were all taken from the book of Deuteronomy.

Man shall not live. A quotation from Deut. 8:3, a truth Christ had revealed to Moses 15 centuries previously. When the temptations were over, Jesus was almost at the point of death (DA 131). Satan may have insinuated that unless Christ departed from what He deemed to be the path of duty, He would die. If so, by His response Jesus affirmed that death within the orbit of God’s will is preferable to life apart from it. This form of temptation Satan presses upon many who seek to be obedient to the revealed will of God. He who sets out to live by and for “bread” alone does not really live at all, and at best is doomed to die, for “bread” without God brings death and not life.

The first words of Jesus declare complete and unquestioning submission to the Father’s will as expressed in the Word of God. Jesus accepts the binding nature of that Word (cf. John 15:10), and denies the prime importance of material things. Spiritual things are of transcendent value and importance. See on Matt. 6:24–34; John 6:27.

Bread alone. Man is more than an animal; his most urgent needs are not physical and material. Jesus affirmed, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). While, on the one hand, Jesus maintained the vital importance of assisting those in need in every way possible (Matt. 25:31–46; etc.), He also made clear that this was not to take the place of loyalty and devotion to Him personally as the Messiah (ch. 26:11). True, men are “to do justly, and to love mercy” (Micah 6:8), and to love their neighbors as themselves (Matt. 22:39); but they are also to walk humbly with their God (Micah 6:8). Christ’s reply to the devil is a condemnation of the materialistic philosophy of life in whatever form it may appear. The possession of things is not the ultimate, nor even a desirable aim of life (see Luke 12:15). See on John 6:27–58.

Every word. Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (John 4:34). Jeremiah spoke of finding and eating the words of God, and of their becoming to him “the joy and rejoicing” of his heart (ch. 15:16). Job declared, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (ch. 23:12). Jesus, the living Word (John 1:1–3), was “the living bread which came down from heaven” (ch. 6:48–51). Paul spoke of tasting “the good word of God” (Heb. 6:5). Peter referred to the “sincere milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2), by which the Christian is to grow.

It is of vital importance, furthermore, to heed every word of God. Man is not at liberty to select from the Word of God those portions that appeal to him, and reject others. God has provided a balanced spiritual diet for His earthborn children, and those who eat only what pleases their fancy cannot expect to enjoy a healthy Christian experience or to reach Christian maturity. Even the “least commandments” of God (Matt. 5:19) are indispensable for the one who would enter the kingdom of heaven.

5. Then. In Luke the order of the second and third temptations as they appear in Matthew is reversed. We do not know what was the actual chronological order, but there is reason to believe that the three temptations occurred in the order given by Matthew. A careful study of the nature and purpose of each temptation leads to the conclusion that the three reach a climax when Satan takes Jesus to an “exceeding high mountain” (v. 8) and shows Him the kingdoms of this world. In the first two, as listed by Matthew, Satan appears in the role of an angel of light, but in the third he overtly demands that Christ worship him (v. 9). It is this blasphemous suggestion that, according to Matthew, elicits the peremptory command, “Get thee hence, Satan” (v. 10). It is also worthy of note that The Desire of Ages comments on the three temptations in the order given by Matthew (see DA 129). See on v. 9.

The sequence of events as given in one of the Synoptic Gospels often differs from that in the others. It should be noted that none of the evangelists claim to have arranged the narrative in strictly chronological sequence (see p. 274), and it is certainly evident that not all of them have done so. See Additional Notes on Chapter 3, Note 2.

The holy city. Some Maccabean coins bear the inscription “Jerusalem the Holy.” The Arabic name for Jerusalem today is elРQuds, “the Holy.” It is obvious that Satan did not select the Temple as a site for his second temptation because of the lack of heights and precipices in the mountains of the wilderness; there must have been another motive. It may be that Satan sought to surround the second temptation with an air of sanctity.

Pinnacle. Gr. pterugion, diminutive form meaning, literally, “little wing,” thought by some here to represent the outer rim of the Temple. A later Greek writer uses the nondiminutive form pterux to represent the point of a building. Hence pterugion may describe a turret, battlement, pointed roof, or peak. The English word “pinnacle” is from the Latin, pinnaculum, a diminutive form of pinna, “wing.”

Temple. Gr. hieron, a term used to refer to the entire Temple area and the buildings it contained. The sanctuary building itself, comprising the holy and most holy places, is called, in Greek, naos. Both hieron and naos are rendered “temple” in the NT.

6. If thou be. See on v. 3. On the surface, a failure to provide an answer to Satan’s challenge would appear to be a tacit admission on the part of Jesus that He was not the Son of God. In meeting the first temptation Jesus had proved loyal as a Son to the Father’s will. Now the tempter proposes that He prove His loyalty and faith by an act that would, allegedly, give conclusive proof of the fact.

Cast thyself down. Surely, urged Satan, such an act of faith in God would be a supreme demonstration that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. The rabbis taught that “when the king Messiah reveals himself, then he comes and stands on the roof of the holy place” (Midrasg Pesiqtha Rabbathi 36 [162^a], cited in Strack and Billerbeck, Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, vol. I, p. 151). Had Jesus cast Himself down, none would have witnessed the act but Satan and the angels of God (1SG 33).

It is written. Satan misinterprets and misapplies the passage he now offers Jesus as a reason for departing from the path of duty. He manipulates the Word of God in such a way as to make it appear that it approves a sinful course of action; he twists its meaning and uses it deceitfully (cf. 2 Cor. 4:2).

Give his angels charge. Satan quotes from Ps. 91:11, 12, but omits the words “to keep thee in all thy ways.” Perhaps this was designed to obscure the fact that the protecting care of God is available to us only when we remain in ways of God’s own choosing. Satan well knew that when a man departs from the straight and narrow way he leaves God’s chosen ground and steps over onto the enchanted ground of the enemy. But Jesus refused to depart from the pathway of strict obedience to the will of the Father.

7. It is written. Satan had removed the words of Ps. 91:11, 12 from their context (see on Matt. 4:6). In order to set forth the true meaning of the words quoted from Ps. 91 and to prove that the devil had misapplied them, Jesus quoted another passage (Deut. 6:16), whose context sets forth the circumstances under which one may claim the blessing of God (see vs. 17–25). Texts isolated from their context often prove to be misleading. Also, a given passage must be understood in harmony with all others. The claim that the Scriptures may be made to teach anything and everything is true only when this principle is violated. When the Word of God is taken as a whole its truths are clear and harmonious.

Not tempt. The words used by Christ to foil the tempter were originally spoken by Moses with reference to the first occasion in the wilderness when the children of Israel murmured for water (see Ex. 17:1–7). God had provided abundant evidence of the fact that He was leading His people and would provide for their every need, as, for example, the wonders of divine power displayed in Egypt, the dramatic deliverance at the Red Sea, and more recently, the sending of the manna. Upon being supplied with food, the people had humbly promised that in the future they would trust the Lord (PP 297); yet a short time later, when given an opportunity to exercise faith, they accused Moses of intending to dispose of them in order that he might enrich himself by their possessions (Ex. 17:1–4; PP 297, 298). In spite of the evidence of divine solicitude for their needs, they “tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Ex. 17:7). They put God to the test; that is, they challenged Him to prove His divine power. Their sin consisted in the fact that they came to God in the wrong spirit—one of demand and petulant anger rather than of humble, patient faith. Unless their demand was met they refused to believe in God.

It was in this same spirit that Satan now proposed that Christ should put His Father to the test. Instead of accepting by faith the Father’s proclamation at the Jordan, affirming Him to be the Son of God, Jesus was to experiment in order to prove to His satisfaction that this was so. But such an experiment would reflect doubt rather than faith.

We are never to place ourselves unnecessarily or carelessly in a position where God will have to work a miracle in order to save us from the untoward results of a foolish course of action. We are not to presume upon God to rescue us when we rush unbidden into danger. Mature faith will lead us to order our lives in harmony with what God has already revealed to us, and then to trust Him for the rest.

8. An exceeding high mountain. Inspiration has not revealed the site of the third temptation. Some have suggested Mt. Nebo, from whose advantageous heights (2,644 ft.) Moses viewed the entire Promised Land (Deut. 34:1–4), and then, in vision, the course of the plan of salvation down through the ages (PP 472–477).

Sheweth him. Matthew remarks that the devil showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (ch. 4:8), and Luke notes that this occurred “in a moment of time” (ch. 4:5). It is futile to speculate as to how Satan may have been able to present before Jesus the colorful panorama that now passed before His eyes.

Casting aside his guise as an angel from the realms of glory, Satan now stood before Christ in his assumed role of prince of this world (DA 129). He did not hold title to this earth by right, but rather, by wresting from Adam and Eve their God-given domain. Satan claimed to have replaced Adam as the lawful ruler of the world (see Gen. 1:28; Job 1:6, 7), but he ruled as a usurper. Nevertheless, Christ did not directly contest Satan’s claim, and denied only that Satan had any right to accept worship. Jesus even spoke of Satan as the “prince” of this world, in recognition of his de facto rulership (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

The world. Gr. kosmos, “world,” or “universe,” from the viewpoint of its orderly arrangement in space. Luke says oikoumeneµ, the “inhabited world” (ch. 4:5), the word appearing in Matt. 24:14; Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28; 17:6; etc. A third word translated “world” in the NT is aioµn, “age,” or “world,” particularly the world from the viewpoint of sequences of happenings in time (Matt. 12:32; 13:39; 24:3; 28:20; Luke 18:30; etc.).

The glory of them. Satan effectively hid the seamy side of his kingdom, and presented only the dazzling glories of human prowess. He offered Jesus the role of political Messiah, a role in which the Jewish nation would have accepted Him (see John 6:15; see on Luke 4:19).

9. All these things. See on v. 8. Religiously and politically Satan effectively exercised his control over the affairs of the world (see Luke 4:6). “These things” were, of course, stolen property, but so long as they were in his hands Satan proposed to trade with them to his own advantage. Christ was the true owner, and His ownership was based on the fact that He had made “all things” (John 1:3). He had never abdicated His rights. Satan knew that Jesus had come to contest his claim, and now offered to surrender it without a conflict—but on conditions. Satan’s control of the human race was not complete; there were still some who had not yielded allegiance to him. He realized the challenge implied in the sinlessness of Christ.

Will I give thee. Satan made it appear that Jesus was getting something for practically nothing—“all these things” for the paltry price of prostrating Himself once before the one who posed as their rightful owner. It was as if Satan said, “You came to earn title to this world, did You not? Accept it as a gift from me. Power and honor may be Yours for the taking.” In return, all Satan asked was a transfer of personal allegiance from the Father to himself.

In refusing to comply with Satan’s proposal, Christ also disavowed any unholy alliance between church and state. Christ refused to interfere with the nations of His time—consistently and completely. His only advice on matters of church-state relations was to “render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (ch. 22:21).

Fall down and worship me. In Oriental lands even today prostration is the sign of absolute submission and fealty. This diabolical proposal—that God incarnate should worship the devil—constitutes the climax of blasphemy. The great issues at stake and the unholy boldness of the proposal seem to represent the maximum limit of diabolical ingenuity, and suggest that Matthew’s order of the three temptations, rather than that of Luke, represents the chronological order. Having made his boldest move, Satan had nothing more to offer.

10. Get thee hence. The climax had been reached. Satan had unmasked himself and had appeared in his true role. The prince of this world had come to Christ offering to satisfy the cravings of human desire (1) for the material creature comforts and necessities, (2) for the privilege of doing as one pleases and of enjoying the privilege of disobedience without accepting its responsibilities, (3) for pride and popularity, and (4) for power and authority over other men.

The prince of this world came to Christ and found nothing in Him that responded, even in the very least degree, to temptation (see John 14:30). The Son of God, “in the likeness of sinful flesh, … condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3), and if we but come to Him in faith—if we choose to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4)—He will, by His grace, enable us thus to walk. If we will but submit ourselves to God, we too may resist the devil, and he will flee from us (see James 4:7, 8). God will be to us a sure defense (Prov. 18:10).

Satan. See on v. 1.

Worship the Lord. A quotation from the LXX of Deut. 6:13. The belief that man can serve two masters is a deception of the devil (see Matt. 6:24). Any philosophy of life that offers us “all these things” and heaven too is part and parcel of the devil’s own doctrine.

Shalt thou serve. Jesus had now affirmed His loyalty to principle in the realm of the body, the mind, and the soul. Throughout His life it was the will of the Father, and not His own, that guided His choice in all things (see ch. 26:39).

11. Then. See on v. 1.

Devil leaveth him. Not permanently, but “for a season” (Luke 4:13). Even from infancy His life had been “one long struggle against the powers of darkness” (DA 71, 116; see on Luke 4:2). The devil had tempted Christ, but was powerless to compel Him to sin; and so it is with us. His fiercest temptations are powerless unless and until we consent to sin (see 5T 177). When we “resist the devil … he will flee” from us (James 4:7). Christ came forth from the battle triumphant—the devil departed a defeated foe.

Ministered. When the temptations were ended Jesus fell exhausted to the earth with the pallor of death upon His face. He lay there like one dying (DA 131).

Satan had promised the ministry of angels outside the circle of obedience to the will of God, but Jesus refused. Now, heavenly angels came and ministered to Him upon the pathway of obedience. Their assurances of the Father’s love and of the appreciation and joy of all heaven in His victory must have greatly comforted and strengthened the Saviour.

12. Now. [Opening of the Galilean Ministry, Matt. 4:12=Mark 1:14, 15=Luke 4:14, 15. Major comment: Matthew. See Early Galilean Ministry; The Duration of Christ’s Ministry, the Opening of the Galilean Ministry, and The Ministry of Our Lord.] None of the three Synoptic Gospels report what is commonly known as the early Judean ministry of Christ. This period extended from the temptation to the beginning of the Galilean ministry, that is, from the Passover of a.d. 28 to that of a.d. 29, with a temporary withdrawal to Galilee during the winter of 28–29 (see Additional Note on Luke 4; the Opening of the Galilean Ministry). Inspiration has provided no direct explanation of the silence of the synoptic writers on the early Judean ministry. Luke speaks of the ministry of Jesus as if it began in Galilee (see Acts 10:37, 38).

Something of the success of Jesus’ early Judean ministry is apparent from the complaint of John’s disciples that “all men come to him” (John 3:26), and from John’s reply, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (ch. 3:30). In spite of Christ’s apparent popularity and success (see DA 181), His Judean ministry bore little fruit (DA 194, 245). Though the brief remarks of John constitute our sum of information of what took place during this period, it is clear that a considerable period of time was thus occupied (cf. DA 214, 231). Evidently (John 3:22–24) John the Baptist and Jesus were both preaching in Judea during this time, and that the tide of popularity was gradually ebbing from John and flowing toward Jesus (ch. 3:26; DA 178).

It was not long before His power over the multitudes exceeded even that of John, which had for a time been greater than that of the rulers themselves (DA 178, 181). See on John 3:22, 26; 4:3.

The rejection of Jesus by the Sanhedrin after the healing at Bethesda (John 5:16, 18) brought His work in Judea to a close and led to His departure for Galilee and to the formal commencement of His ministry there. Another contributing factor was the recent imprisonment of John the Baptist (Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14; see on John 4:1).

When Jesus had heard. It is interesting to note that the imprisonment of John the Baptist coincide approximately with Jesus’ rejection by the Jewish leaders and the close of His early Judean ministry (see the Opening of the Galilean Ministry ), and that John’s death came about a year later, shortly before the crisis that brought Christ’s work in Galilee to a close (see ch. 14:10–21; The Ministry of Our Lord). It was John’s imprisonment, together with His own rejection by the Jewish leaders, that led Jesus to withdraw to Galilee and carry on His work there (see Additional Note on Luke 4).

Cast into prison. See on Luke 3:19, 20. The word translated “cast” means, literally, “delivered up.” It may be that the Jewish leaders, jealous of John’s popularity with the people, agreed, in advance, to John’s imprisonment. They could thus be rid of the prophet without themselves being held responsible by the people. The fact that the Sanhedrin publicly denounced Jesus at about the same time (see Additional Note Luke 4) implies a close connection between the two events. Thus the threat of the Sanhedrin after the healing at Bethesda (DA 213) was no doubt intended to frighten Jesus into discontinuing His public labors.

Departed. That is, transferred His field of ministry to that region. This was in the spring of a.d. 29, after the Passover, and was at least the third time since His baptism that Jesus “departed” from Judea for Galilee. The first of these departures for Galilee came in the winter of a.d. 27–28 (see John 1:43), and the second, a year later, in the winter of a.d. 28–29 (see on John 4:1–4). After leaving Judea following the Passover of a.d. 29, Jesus did not return again till the Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn of a.d. 30 (DA 393, 395, 450–452). The departure from Jerusalem in the spring of a.d. 29 marks the formal beginning of what is commonly called the Galilean ministry (DA 231, 232; MB 2). At a distance from the Jewish authorities, now bent on His death, Jesus could carry on His work with less interference.

By conducting His work first in Judea, Jesus purposed to give the Jewish leaders the opportunity to accept Him as the Messiah. Had they done so, the Jewish nation would doubtless have rallied to Him and would have been privileged to represent Him before the nations of the world—as had been the original plan envisioned by the holy prophets of old (see Vol. IV, pp. 25-28).

Galilee. See on ch. 2:22. Being at some distance from Jerusalem, and thus less subject to the influence of the religious leaders there, the Jews of Galilee were more simple-hearted and open-minded. They were less under the control of religious prejudice than were their fellow countrymen in Judea. They were more earnest and sincere, and more ready to listen to the message of Christ without bias. In fact, their eagerness to hear what He had to say made it necessary at times for Him to go from place to place, lest enthusiasm rise to such a pitch as to be construed by the authorities as endangering the peace and security of the nation.

13. Leaving Nazareth. [Removal to Capernaum, Matt. 4:13–17=Luke 4:31^a. Major comment: Matthew. See Early Galilean Ministry; The Ministry of Our Lord.] Matthew says nothing of the rejection of Jesus by His own townsfolk, the people of Nazareth (see on Luke 4:28, 29). His silence with regard to many of the incidents noted in more detail by the other Gospel writers is thought to be because of the fact that he is more concerned with the teachings of Jesus than with the things Jesus did (see p. 191). For the circumstances that prompted this removal see on Luke 4:16–30.

Capernaum. The name may be derived from the Hebrew words kaphar, “village,” and nachum, “Nahum,” and thus mean “the village of Nahum.” Some have suggested that Capernaum may have been the home of the prophet Nahum, but of this there is no confirmation whatever. It is thought that the town was situated on the site of the modern Tell HuЖm (some suggest KhaЖn Minyeh), on the northwestern shore of the Lake of Galilee. Since the lake was 685 ft. (209 m.) below the level of the Mediterranean, Capernaum enjoyed a mild, genial climate.

Capernaum was the chief Jewish center of the region (cf. ch. 11:23). Being situated on one of the main highways from Damascus, with Tyre and Sidon on the north, Jerusalem on the south, and the Mediterranean on the west, Capernaum became an important toll station. There was, as well, maritime trade with Decapolis, to the south of the territory of Philip. Perhaps Capernaum was not so large as Sepphoris, which, at least before the building of Tiberias, was the chief city in Galilee. It is thought that Capernaum did not exist before the Babylonian exile; if it did, it must have been an insignificant village, for it is not mentioned in the OT.

Capernaum formed an ideal center from which news of the teachings and miracles of Jesus would spread rapidly to all parts of Galilee, and beyond. The healing of the nobleman’s son (see John 4:46–54) the preceding winter (a.d. 28–29, see The Ministry of Our Lord) had already kindled a light in Capernaum (see on Luke 4:23). The nobleman and his entire family were converted (DA 200), and no doubt spread the news of Jesus and of the healing of the son throughout the city, thus preparing the way for Christ’s personal ministry.

Jesus made Capernaum His home and headquarters for approximately the next year and a half. Peter had already been following Jesus for more than a year (cf. John 1:40–42), and it seems that he opened his own home to Jesus whenever He was in Capernaum (see Mark 1:29–31; 2:1; DA 259, 267). Capernaum came to be known as “his own city” (Matt. 9:1). It was from this center that Jesus set out on each of His evangelistic tours through the towns of Galilee.

The sea coast. That is, of the Lake of Galilee.

Zabulon and Nephthalim. The tribal allotment of Naphtali bordered the Lake of Galilee on the west, whereas that of Zebulun lay still farther to the west (see Joshua 19:10–16, 32–40). These tribal boundaries had long since ceased to have significance. Matthew makes note of the fact that the ministry of Jesus in Galilee centered in the area formerly occupied by these two tribes. He does so in anticipation of his citation from Isa. 9:1, 2 (see Matt. 4:15, 16). Nazareth was within the ancient tribal boundaries of Zebulun, as Capernaum was of Naphtali.

14. Might be fulfilled. See on ch. 1:22. A quotation from Isa. 9:1, 2, with slight variations from the Hebrew and the LXX. Isaiah wrote (about 734 b.c.) when the Assyrian armies were ravaging the northern section of the kingdom of Israel. These tribes were among the first to bear the brunt of the ruthless Assyrian invasions (see 2 Kings 15:29; cf. 1 Chron. 5:26).

15. Way of the sea. See on Matt. 4:13; Mark 2:14.

Beyond Jordan. Or, “across the Jordan,” that is, within the boundaries of the Promised Land.

Gentiles. After the deportation of the ten tribes to Assyria in 722 b.c. the region known as Galilee (see Isa. 9:1) was inhabited almost exclusively by non-Jews. By the time of Christ many Jews had settled there, with the result that the population was particularly cosmopolitan—an admixture of Jew and Gentile.

16. Sat in darkness. The “darkness” was the gloom of captivity; the “light” was deliverance from captivity. Now, Christ comes as the great deliverer, dispelling the dismal gloom of bondage to sin and proclaiming the glorious light of truth that makes men free indeed. See on John 1:5.

Great light. That is, Jesus, “the true Light” (see on John 1:4, 7, 9).

Shadow of death. Ever since the entrance of sin men have lived in the “shadow of death.” Jesus came to deliver those “who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:15).

Light is sprung up. Light has ever been the symbol of the divine presence (see on Gen. 1:3). Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5), whose bright beams dispel the darkness of sin and death. See on ch. 1:14.

17. From that time. See on Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:15.

Began to preach. That is, in Galilee. The phrase does not necessarily imply that this was the first occasion upon which Jesus preached. About a year and a half of His public ministry was already in the past (see on v. 12).

Repent. Gr. metanoeoµ. For the meaning see on ch. 3:2. The Jews regarded repentance a most important doctrine. They emphasized repentance as a necessary prerequisite to salvation by a Messiah. The rabbis had a saying that “if the Israelites would repent for one day, the Messiah son of David would come immediately.” According to their teachings, repentance included sorrow for sin, restitution wherever possible, and the resolution not to repeat the sin. See on chs. 3:2; 5:2, 3.

The kingdom of heaven. An expression used exclusively by Matthew (31 times) in the NT, in preference to the more common term “kingdom of God,” which Matthew himself uses five times, and the other NT writers use exclusively. The substitution of “heaven” for “God” is in harmony with the custom of the Jews of Christ’s day to avoid uttering the sacred name for God, in the same way as they used the expressions “name of heaven” for “name of God”; “fear of heaven” for “fear of God”; “honor of heaven” for “honor of God,” etc. (see Vol. I, p. 172). The expression “kingdom of heaven” is not found in the OT, though the idea is implicit throughout the prophetic writings (Isa. 11:1–12; 35; 65:17–25; Dan. 2:44; 7:18, 22, 27; Micah 4:8; etc.).

The “kingdom of heaven,” or “kingdom of God,” constituted the theme of Jesus’ teaching (Luke 4:43; 8:1). He introduced many of His parables with the words, “The kingdom of heaven is like [or likened]” (see Matt. 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47). He taught His disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom (ch. 6:10). His gospel was the good news of the kingdom (ch. 4:23; etc.). His disciples were the “children of the kingdom” (ch. 13:38). The Father was pleased to give them the kingdom (Luke 12:32), which they were to inherit (Matt. 25:34). In this life Christians must make the kingdom supreme in their affections and the great aim of life (ch. 6:33). When He sent forth the Twelve He instructed them to “preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2, 60).

John proclaimed the imminence of the establishment of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 3:2). Jesus also declared the kingdom to be “at hand” (ch. 4:17) and instructed His disciples, when He sent them forth to preach, to bear the same message (ch. 10:7).

The “kingdom of heaven” was established at the first advent of Christ. Jesus Himself was King, and those who believed in Him became its subjects. The territory of the kingdom was the hearts and lives of the subjects. Obviously, the message Jesus bore referred to the kingdom of divine grace. But, as Jesus Himself made clear, this kingdom of grace was preparatory to the kingdom of glory (see DA 234; GC 346, 347). Concerning the latter, the disciples inquired on the day of the ascension, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (see Acts 1:6, 7). The kingdom of grace was near in Christ’s day (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7), but the kingdom of glory was future (ch. 24:33). Only when the Son of man should “come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him” would “he sit upon the throne of his glory” (ch. 25:31).

At hand. See on Mark 1:15.

18. Jesus. [The Call by the Sea, Matt. 4:18–22=Mark 1:16–20=Luke 5:1–11. Major comment: Luke.] Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 146) the reading “he.”

Simon. The Greek form of the Heb. ShimФon, Simeon. In the days of Christ many Jews took Greek names or adopted Greek forms for their Hebrew names. This was particularly true of Jews living outside Palestine. But even in Palestine it was convenient to have a Greek name in view of the fact that Greek was the common commercial and intellectual language of the world of that day. See pp. 25, 29.

Peter. Gr.Petros, “a stone,” or “a rock” (see on ch. 16:18), a translation of the Aramaic KephaХ, a word rendered in English as Cephas, and also meaning “rock,” or “stone” (John 1:42). For a biographical sketch of Peter see on Mark 3:16.

Andrew. See on Mark 3:18.

A net. Gr.amphibleµstron, a casting net, in contrast with diktuon, a general term for a fishing or hunting net, or sageµneµ, a “dragnet” (see on ch. 13:47).

19. Follow me. In the sense of becoming a full-time disciple. Henceforth Peter and Andrew were to make it their full-time business to be learners in the school of Jesus (see on Luke 5:11).

Fishers of men. See on Luke 5:10.

21. James. Gr. Iakoµbos, equivalent to the name Jacob (see on Gen. 25:26; Mark 3:17). When James and his brother John are named together, as here, James is mentioned first with only one exception (Luke 9:28). James was the older of the two (see DA 292).

Zebedee. Gr. Zebedaios, the equivalent of the Heb. Zabday, meaning, probably, “Jehovah has given.” His wife was probably Salome (Matt. 27:56; cf. Mark 15:40; 16:1).

John. See on Mark 3:17. For the meaning of the name see on Luke 1:13. John was the youngest of the Twelve (DA 292).

Mending. That is, to make them ready for the next fishing expedition.

He called them. See on Mark 1:17.

22. Left the ship. See on Luke 5:11.

Their father. See on Matt. 4:21; Mark 1:20.

Followed him.See on Luke 5:11. Prior to this at least three of the four disciples now called to full-time discipleship had intermittently followed Jesus and returned to their regular business as fishermen.

23. Went about all Galilee. [First Galilean Tour, Matt. 4:23–25=Mark 1:35–39=Luke 4:42–44. Major comment: Mark.] In his gospel account Matthew does not always follow a strictly chronological sequence of events (see p. 274). He tends to group incidents according to kind rather than time. Matthew’s narrative of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and of the sick and afflicted who gathered at the door of Peter’s home at the close of the Sabbath in ch. 8:14–17 should be inserted between vs. ch. 22 and 23 of 4 in order to provide a chronological sequence. This is clear from the account as given by Mark, who follows this sequence of events—the call by the sea, the healing of the demoniac in the Capernaum synagogue, the events at Peter’s home, and the beginning of the first missionary tour through Galilee (see Mark 1:16–39).

Matthew here gives a brief summary of the first missionary tour conducted by Jesus in the cities, towns, and villages of Galilee during the summer of a.d. 29 (see on Mark 1:39). The form of the verb translated “went about,” indicates a more extended tour than the brief record of the various synoptic writers might seem to imply. According to Josephus, Galilee was a densely populated area, dotted by upward of 200 towns and villages. The only specific incident recorded of events on the first missionary tour is that of the healing of a leper, which Matthew relates in ch. 8:2–4.

The gospel. This is the first occurrence of the word “gospel” in the book of Matthew (see on Mark 1:1).

Sickness. Gr. nosos, frequently used of diseases of a serious nature, hence, perhaps, better translated “disease.”

Disease. Gr. malakia, a general term for weaknesses such as result from some disease. Here the word describes physical and mental illnesses, perhaps of a less severe type than nosos. The two words nosos and malakia appear together in the LXX of Deut. 7:15.

24. Fame. Gr. akoeµ, better, “report” (see on Mark 1:28).

Syria. The sense in which Matthew here uses the term “Syria” is not entirely clear. It is possible that he refers to regions beyond Galilee, for later on in His ministry people in the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon knew of Jesus (ch. 15:21, 22) and came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases (Luke 6:17). The context, however, suggests that Matthew here uses the term “Syria” in a more general sense, to include Galilee as part of Syria (geographically if not politically), or perhaps to refer to the northernmost regions of Galilee bordering on Syria proper (see vs. 23, 25). Either of the latter suggestions seems the more probable, particularly in view of the fact that those who came to Him in response to the report they heard of Him came from Galilee, Decapolis, Judea, and Peraea (v. 25). At this time Palestine belonged to the Roman province of Syria.

Divers diseases. That is, “various diseases.”

Torments. Or, “pains.”

Possessed with devils. See on Mark 1:23.

Lunatick. From the Gr. seleРniazomai, literally, “to be moonstruck,” a word occurring in the NT only here and in ch. 17:15. From the symptoms given in ch. 17:15 many have concluded that seleµniazomai means “to be epileptic,” but may have had wider connotations.

Palsy. From the Gr. paralutikos, whence our English word “paralytic.”

25. Decapolis. See p. 46.

Ellen G. White comments

1    DA 114

1–3PK 174

1–4EW 155; Te 20, 275, 285; 3T 380, 490; 4T 29, 36

1–11CS 209; DA 114–131; Te 282; 3T 372; 4T 44, 576

2     CD 167, 186; MM 264; MH 333; 3T 486, 488; 4T 32, 293

2–4CD 169; DA 117; 3T 161; 4T 257; 5T 510; Te 109, 161

3     DA 24, 49, 118, 119, 664, 746; MH 422; 2T 508

3, 4 MYP 58; 1T 293

4     AA 51; CH 423; COL 39; CS 155, 210; CSW 27, 32, 43; DA 85, 86, 88, 120, 121, 123, 390, 391, 677; Ed 126, 171; GC 51, 559; GW 264, 309; LS 93; MB 52; MH 21, 181; MM 89, 97, 125; PP 208; Te 276, 286; TM 441; 4T 45; 5T 330, 434; 6T 19, 81, 132, 153, 160, 347; 7T 223; 9T 16, 68

5, 6 DA 124; Te 285

5–7EW 156

5–8MYP 52; 1T 299, 341

5–9GC 501

6     DA 746

6, 7 DA 125

7     MM 15; 3T 482

7–104T 45

8, 9 CS 144; DA 129; MYP 54; 3T 477; 4T 495; 6T 14

8–11DA 24; GC 50; Te 286; 1T 293

9     CS 210, 214; 3T 479; 4T 37; 9T 24

10   DA 130; PK 625; Te 278; 6T 10

10, 11  3T 457

11   DA 131; EW 158; SR 202; Te 20; 3T 526

13   CH 500; 9T 121

13–16CH 316

15, 16  CH 387; DA 245; MH 20

16   DA 32; GC 299; PK 688; PP 476

17   MB 2

18   4T 488

18–22DA 244–251; GW 24, 113

18–24CH 317

19   AA 18; CT 548; DA 249; FE 339, 359; GC 171; MH 25; MYP 303; PK 60, 65; 3T 383; 4T 615; 7T 298; 8T 56

20   AA 365; Ev 632; MH 480

23   CH 535; DA 821; Ev 54; 9T 170

24, 25  MB 3

25        MB 5