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Matthew 4

Jesus resists the devil’s demands and begins proclaiming God’s kingdom through preaching, calling disciples, and healing the sick.

Jesus enters the wilderness under the Spirit’s leading and faces the devil’s temptations after forty days without food. He answers each challenge with Scripture, and the devil leaves. After hearing that John has been taken into custody, Jesus moves to Capernaum in Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah’s words about light dawning in darkness. He begins preaching the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven, calls four fishermen to follow him, and travels through Galilee teaching and healing as crowds gather.

temptationsermon or Bible study notes
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1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’”
5Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
8Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.
12Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.
13Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
16the people who sat in darkness saw a great light; to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.”
17From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
18Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
20They immediately left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.
22They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.
25Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Matthew 4:10Jesus ends the confrontation by declaring that worship and service belong to God alone, rejecting the devil’s offer of kingdoms.
Matthew 4:16Isaiah’s image of dawning light identifies Jesus’ arrival in Galilee as the fulfillment of God’s promise.
Matthew 4:17Jesus’ call to repent announces the Kingdom of Heaven’s nearness and sets the direction of his public preaching.
Where this chapter reaches

Jesus answers the temptations with quotations from Deuteronomy, while the devil cites a promise of angelic protection from Psalm. Isaiah supplies the prophecy of light dawning in Galilee; Mark and Luke also recount Jesus’ temptation and the opening of his public ministry.

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After reading the whole chapter

What do Jesus’ answers to the devil show about the difference between trusting God and testing him?

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What stands out to you about the fishermen’s response to Jesus, and why?

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Questions people ask about Matthew 4

Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted?

Matthew states that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, while identifying the devil as the tempter. The passage does not explain every purpose behind this testing. It shows Jesus facing hunger and pressure without yielding, answering each challenge with God’s written word.

What does “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” mean in Matthew 4?

The phrase announces that God’s reign has drawn near. Jesus joins this announcement to a command to repent, calling for a turn toward God. The surrounding account shows the kingdom’s arrival taking shape through his teaching and healing. The phrase itself gives no timetable for all that follows.

What does “fishers for men” mean in Matthew 4?

Jesus uses the fishermen’s work as an image for their new calling: following him and gathering people to him. He says he will make them fit for this work. Matthew records their response in concrete terms: Peter and Andrew leave their nets, and James and John leave their boat and father.

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What the Bible says about temptation →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).