Matthew Chapter 4 begins in the wilderness.

Jesus has just been baptized. The Father has declared Him to be His beloved Son. The Spirit has descended upon Him. As discussed in Matthew Chapter 3: Repentance, the Coming Kingdom, and the Baptism of Christ, Jesus does not enter baptism because He needs repentance. He enters as the obedient Son, identifying with the people He came to save.

Then Matthew says Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

That is important.

Jesus does not wander into temptation by accident. He is led there by the Spirit. This is part of His mission.

The beloved Son will now be tested.

Jesus Is Tempted in the Wilderness

Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights, and afterward He is hungry.

The devil comes to Him and says:

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

The temptation is not only about food. Jesus is truly hungry, but Satan is tempting Him to use His Sonship apart from obedience to the Father.

Jesus answers from Scripture:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Jesus does not deny His hunger. He does not pretend the body does not matter. But He refuses to obey Satan’s voice.

He will live by the Word of God.

Temptation often comes through real needs, real desires, and real weakness. But even real needs must be submitted to God.

Satan Misuses Scripture

Next, the devil takes Jesus to the holy city and sets Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

He says:

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”

Then Satan quotes Scripture about the angels guarding Him.

That is sobering.

Satan can quote Scripture.

But he twists it.

He uses Scripture to tempt Jesus toward presumption, not trust. He wants Jesus to force a dramatic display and test the Father’s care.

Jesus again answers with Scripture:

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Faith is not demanding that God prove Himself on our terms.

Jesus trusts the Father.

He does not test Him.

Worship God Alone

Then the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

He says he will give them to Jesus if Jesus will fall down and worship him.

This is the clearest temptation.

Satan offers kingdom without cross. Glory without suffering. Rule without obedience.

Jesus answers:

“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Jesus refuses false worship.

He will receive the kingdom from the Father, not from Satan.

He will take the path of obedience, suffering, death, and resurrection.

From a Christian Reformed lens, Jesus is not only giving us an example. He is obeying as the faithful Son. Where Adam fell, Christ stands. Where Israel failed in the wilderness, Christ obeys in the wilderness.

He is the obedient Savior His people need.

Angels Minister to Him

After the devil leaves, angels come and minister to Jesus.

Matthew does not give many details.

But the order matters.

Jesus does not seize comfort through disobedience.

He obeys the Father.

Then the Father provides.

The wilderness shows Christ’s real weakness as man, but also His perfect obedience as the Son of God.

He is truly tempted.

And He truly overcomes.

A Great Light in Galilee

After John is arrested, Jesus withdraws into Galilee. He leaves Nazareth and lives in Capernaum, by the sea.

Matthew says this fulfills what was spoken by Isaiah:

“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light.”

This connects with the theme of light we saw in John Chapter 1: The Eternal Word and the Light of the World. John says the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Matthew shows that light beginning to shine in Galilee.

Jesus begins His public ministry in a region associated with darkness and distance.

That is not accidental.

The light comes where it is needed.

Jesus does not begin by choosing the place that looks most religiously impressive. He begins in Galilee, and Matthew says this is fulfillment.

The kingdom is coming.

The light is shining.

Repent, for the Kingdom Is at Hand

From that time Jesus begins to preach:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This is the same message John the Baptist preached, but now it comes from Jesus Himself.

Repentance is always the right response to sin. But now there is special urgency because the King has come.

The kingdom of heaven is not a vague spiritual feeling. It is God’s saving reign drawing near in Christ.

This also connects with Mark Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, where Jesus comes proclaiming the gospel of God and saying that the kingdom is at hand.

Jesus calls people to turn from sin and receive the King.

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Jesus sees Peter and Andrew casting a net into the sea, because they are fishermen.

He says:

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Immediately, they leave their nets and follow Him.

Then Jesus sees James and John with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He calls them too, and immediately they leave the boat and their father and follow Him.

Matthew keeps the scene simple.

Jesus calls.

They follow.

This does not mean they understood everything yet. But the authority of Jesus’ call is clear.

From a Reformed lens, the call of Christ is powerful. He does not merely offer religious advice. He summons people to Himself and makes them into what they could not make themselves.

“I will make you fishers of men.”

Discipleship begins with Christ’s call and Christ’s work.

Teaching, Preaching, and Healing

Matthew ends the chapter by summarizing Jesus’ ministry.

He goes throughout Galilee, teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and affliction among the people.

His fame spreads.

Crowds come to Him.

Jesus heals the sick, the afflicted, those oppressed by demons, those with seizures, and paralytics.

The kingdom is not only announced in words. It is shown in power.

Jesus teaches.

Jesus preaches.

Jesus heals.

He is undoing the works of darkness and showing the mercy of God.

These healings are signs of the kingdom. They show that Christ has authority over sickness, demons, weakness, and suffering.

They also point forward to the fuller restoration He will bring.

The Message of Matthew Chapter 4

Matthew Chapter 4 shows Jesus as the faithful Son and the dawning light.

In the wilderness, He resists Satan.

In Galilee, He shines on those in darkness.

By the sea, He calls disciples.

Among the crowds, He teaches, preaches, and heals.

This chapter also continues themes from earlier in Matthew. In Matthew Chapter 2: The Magi and the True King Revealed, Jesus is revealed as the true King whom Herod cannot destroy. In Matthew 4, the devil offers Him the kingdoms of the world, but Jesus refuses a kingdom apart from obedience to the Father.

Jesus is not merely another teacher.

He is the obedient Son.
He is the true King.
He is the light in darkness.
He is the One who calls sinners to follow Him.
He is the Savior who overcomes where we fail.

Satan tempts.

Jesus obeys.

Darkness covers the land.

Jesus shines.

Ordinary fishermen hear His voice.

They follow.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And the King has come.