Matthew 4:1-2

Matthew 4:1-2

[1] Then  was Jesus  led up  of  the Spirit  into  the wilderness  to be tempted  of  the devil.  [2] And  when he had fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights,  he was afterward  an hungred. 

What is the context of Matthew 4:1-2?

What does Matthew 4:1-2 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The same Spirit who brought Jesus into the world ( Matthew 1:20) and demonstrated God"s approval of Him ( Matthew 3:16) now led Him into the wilderness for tempting by Satan.
"Just as God led Israel out of Egypt and through the waters and into the desert ( Numbers 20:5; Numbers 1 Bas 126; Psalm 80:1 LXX etc, all using anagein [1]), so does the Spirit of God lead Jesus into the desert after he is baptized." [2]
"According to Hosea 2:14-23, the wilderness was the place of Israel"s original sonship, where God had loved His people. Yet because they had forsaken Yahweh their Father, a "renewal" of the exodus into the desert was necessary for the restoration of Israel"s status as the "son" of God. In this new Exodus , God"s power and help would be experienced again in a renewed trek into the wilderness." [3]
The wilderness of Judea ( Matthew 3:1) is the traditional site. Israel had, of course, experienced temptation in another wilderness for40 years. The number40 frequently has connections with sin and testing in the Old Testament (cf. Genesis 7:4; Genesis 7:12; Numbers 14:33; Numbers 32:13; Deuteronomy 9:25; Deuteronomy 25:3; Psalm 95:10; Jonah 3:4). Jesus experienced temptation in the wilderness at the end of40 days and nights.
The Greek word translated "tempted" (peirazo) means "to test" in either a good or bad sense. Here God"s objective was to demonstrate the character of His Son by exposing Him to Satan"s tests (cf. 2 Samuel 24:1; Job 1:6 to Job 2:7). Scripture consistently teaches that God does not test (Gr. peirazo) anyone ( James 1:13). Nevertheless He does allow people to experience testing that comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil ( 1 John 2:15-17; Romans 7:18-24; 1 Peter 5:8). [4] God evidently led Jesus into the wilderness to demonstrate the obedience of this Son compared with the disobedience of His son Israel ( Matthew 2:15; cf. Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 8:3; Deuteronomy 8:5). God tested both His sons "to prove their obedience and loyalty in preparation for their appointed work." [4]
Fasting in Scripture was for a spiritual reason, namely, to forego a physical need to give attention to a more important spiritual need. [6] During this fast Jesus ate nothing but presumably drank water (cf. Luke 4:2). Moses and Elijah, two of God"s most significant servants in the Old Testament, likewise fasted for40 days and nights ( Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8). Jesus" fast would have connected Him with these servants of the Lord in the minds of Matthew"s Jewish readers, as it does in ours.