Matthew 4:5-7

Matthew 4:5-7

[5] Then  the devil  him  up  into  the holy  city,  and  setteth  him  on  a pinnacle  of the temple,  [6] And  saith  unto him,  If  the Son  of God,  cast  thyself  down:  for  it is written,  his  angels  charge  concerning  and  in  their hands  up,  thou dash  foot  against  a stone.  [7] Jesus  said  unto him,  It is written  again,  not  tempt  the Lord  God. 

What is the context of Matthew 4:5-7?

What does Matthew 4:5-7 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The setting for the second temptation was Jerusalem, perhaps in a vision that Satan gave Jesus. Matthew referred to Jerusalem with a favorite Jewish term, "the holy city" (cf. Nehemiah 11:1; Isaiah 48:2; Daniel 9:24; Matthew 4:5; Matthew 27:53). This suggests that the temptation would have national rather than solely individual implications. Satan took Him to a high point of the temple complex (Gr. hieron), not necessarily the topmost peak of the sanctuary. The Greek word is pterygion, which can be translated "little wing" or "high corner." The temple complex towered over the Kidron Valley far below. [1] Some of the Jewish rabbis taught that when Messiah came to deliver Israel He would appear on the temple roof (cf. Malachi 3:1; John 6:30). [2]
"Jerusalem was considered the "center of the nations, with lands around her," the "center of the world," whose inhabitants "dwell at the center of the earth" ( Ezekiel 5:5; Ezekiel 38:12; ...). Thus when Jesus stood on the pinnacle of the temple, He was, theologically speaking, at the center of the world. From that vantage point the Messiah most naturally could claim the nations as His own and rule them with a rod of iron ..." [2]
Again the devil granted that Jesus was the Son of God. Satan"s words replicate the Septuagint version of Psalm 91:11-12, appealing to the authority that Jesus used, namely, God"s Word ( Matthew 4:4). He omitted the words "to guard you in all your ways." Many expositors have assumed that Satan wanted to trick Jesus with this omission, but his free method of quoting was very common. Many New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament in the same loose way.
Probably Satan wanted Jesus to demonstrate His trust in God in a spectacular way to challenge God"s faithfulness. He misapplied the Scripture he quoted. The Psalm passage refers to anyone who trusts in God. That certainly applied to Jesus. The verses promise that the angels will uphold such a person as a nurse does a baby (cf. Numbers 11:12; Deuteronomy 1:31; Isaiah 49:22; Hebrews 1:14). God had revealed Himself most particularly at the temple throughout Israel"s history. Therefore what better place could there have been to demonstrate the Son of God"s confidence in His Father"s promise?
Jesus refused Satan"s suggestion ( Matthew 4:7) because the Scriptures forbade putting God to a test, not because He questioned God"s faithfulness to His promise. Satan tempted Jesus to test God. Satan was tempting Jesus to act as if God was there to serve Him, rather than the other way around. Israel had faced the same test and had failed ( Exodus 17:2-7; cf. Numbers 20:1-13). It is wrong to demand that God prove Himself faithful to His promises by giving us what He has promised on our terms. The proper procedure is simply to trust and obey God ( Deuteronomy 6:16-17).
"Testing is not trusting." [4]
Jesus refused to allow Satan to apply a valid promise so it contradicted another teaching in God"s Word. "On the other hand" or "also" (Gr. palin) has the sense of "not contradicting but qualifying." [5] Jesus as a Prayer of Manasseh , voluntarily under the authority of God"s Word, proved to be faithful to its spirit as well as to its letter.