Matthew 4
4
Jesus Tempted by the Devil
1Afterward, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to experience the ordeal of testing # 4:1 Or “tribulation.” God also tested Israel for forty years in the wilderness. See Deut. 8:2. by the accuser. # 4:1 Or “devil.” The Aramaic word for “devil” means “accuser.” The Greek word is “slanderer.” 2And after fasting for forty days, # 4:2 Moses and Elijah both fasted forty days. See Ex. 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8. The number forty usually signifies passing a test or enduring a time of trial. It rained for forty days in the time of Noah, and Jonah warned Nineveh for forty days. God told Ezekiel to lay on his right side for forty days (Ezek. 4:6). Jesus was extremely hungry. 3Then the tempter came to him and said, “How can you possibly be the Son of God and go hungry? Just command these stones to be turned into loaves of bread.”
4He answered, “The Scriptures say:
Bread alone will not satisfy, # 4:4 Or “Man will not live by bread alone.” Nothing can satisfy the Son’s appetite but the words of God.
but true life is found in every word
that constantly goes forth from God’s mouth.” # 4:4 See Deut. 8:3. God had not given Jesus permission to turn stones into bread, and Jesus would not be pushed into prematurely demonstrating his power. He was content with the timing of his Father. He refused to turn stones into bread to feed himself, but he multiplied bread for his hungry followers. Today he is still turning hearts of stone into living bread that will feed the nations with truth.
5Then the accuser transported Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and perched him at the highest point # 4:5 Or “wing.” See Ps. 91:4. of the temple 6and said to him, “If you’re really God’s Son, jump, and the angels will catch you. For it is written in the Scriptures:
He will command his angels to protect you
and they will lift you up
so that you won’t even bruise your foot on a rock.” # 4:6 See Ps. 91:11–12; Matt. 26:53. This was a temptation to capitalize on being the Son of God and to force God to protect him as he jumped. Jesus was being tested over restraining his power as the Anointed One and waiting until the timing of his Father in publicly releasing him to work miracles and display his power. He was not sent to throw himself down from the temple, but to throw down the temple and establish a new order of worship—as a true relationship with God is internal with every believer now becoming the temple of God. See 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19.
7Once again Jesus said to him, “The Scriptures say:
You must never put the Lord your God to a test.” # 4:7 See Deut. 6:16.
8And the third time the accuser lifted Jesus up onto a very high mountain range and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all the splendor that goes with it.
9“All of these kingdoms I will give to you,” the accuser said, “if only you will kneel down before me and worship me.”
10But Jesus said, “Go away, Satan! # 4:10 Or “Satan.” For the Scriptures say:
Kneel before the Lord your God
and worship only him.” # 4:10 See Deut. 6:13–14.
11At once the accuser left him, and angels suddenly gathered around Jesus to minister to his needs.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
12When Jesus heard that John the Baptizer had been thrown into prison, he went back into Galilee. 13Jesus moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum, # 4:13 Capernaum means “the village of Nahum.” It was a fishing village on the northwestern shore of Lake Galilee. Nahum means “comforted.” Jesus did many miracles and based his Galilean ministry in the “village of the comforted.” which is by Lake Galilee in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14He did this to make the prophecy of Isaiah come true:
15Listen, you who live in the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali,
along the road to the sea
and on the other side of the Jordan,
and Galilee—the land of the Gentiles!
16You who spend your days shrouded in darkness
can now say, “We have seen a brilliant Light.” # 4:16 Light is a common name for the Messiah in rabbinical literature. It speaks of both Christ and the revelatory teaching he brings. See Isa. 9:1–2. The Aramaic word for Galilee (Galeela) means “revelation of God.” Jesus was raised and ministered in the land of the “revelation of God.”
And those who live in the dark shadow land of death
can now say, “The Dawning Light arises on us.”
17From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message with these words: “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible.” # 4:17 Or “close enough to touch!”
Jesus Calls His Disciples
18As he was walking by the shore of Lake Galilee, Jesus noticed two fishermen who were brothers. One was nicknamed Keefa # 4:18 Or “Simon.” The Aramaic is Keefa, which means “the rock” or “pebble.” Peter (Petros) is his Greek name. (later called Peter), and the other was Andrew, his brother. Watching as they were casting their nets into the water, 19Jesus called out to them and said, “Come and follow me, and I will transform you into men who catch people for God.” # 4:19 Or “fishers of men.” The Aramaic word can mean either “fishers” or “hunters.” See Ezek. 47:1–10. 20Immediately they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus.
21Leaving there, Jesus found three other men sitting in a boat, mending their nets. Two were brothers, Jacob # 4:21 Or “James.” Most translations of the Bible have substituted Jacob with James. Both Greek and Aramaic leave the Hebrew name as it is, Jacob. This translation will use the correct name, Jacob, throughout. and John, and they were with their father, Zebedee. # 4:21 Zebedee’s name means “my gift.” The gift he gave to Jesus was his two sons. All parents have the privilege of giving their children back to God. Jesus called Jacob and John to his side and said to them, “Come and follow me.” 22And at once they left their boat and their father, and began to follow Jesus.
Jesus’ Ministry of Healing
23Jesus ministered from place to place throughout all of the province of Galilee. He taught # 4:23 The Greek word didasko is a word often used for providing skilled training. in the synagogues, preaching the wonderful news of the kingdom and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people. 24His fame spread throughout all Syria! Many people who were in pain and suffering with every kind of illness were brought to Jesus for their healing—epileptics, # 4:24 Or “the mentally ill.” paralytics, and those tormented by demonic powers were all set free. Everyone who was brought to Jesus was healed!
25This resulted in massive crowds of people following him, including people from Galilee, Jerusalem, the land of Judah, the region of the Ten Cities known as the Decapolis, and beyond the Jordan River. # 4:25 This was the first encounter the non-Jewish peoples of the Middle East had with Jesus. He was proclaiming his universal kingdom and inviting all to enter into it.
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Matthew 4: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationMatthew 4
4
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, 2and after he#*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had fasted”) which is understood as temporal had fasted forty days and forty nights, then he was hungry. 3And the tempter approached and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“approached”) has been translated as a finite verb said to him, “If you are the Son of God, order that these stones become bread.” 4But he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said, “It is written, ‘Man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”#A quotation from Deut 8:3
5Then the devil took him to the holy city#That is, Jerusalem and placed him on the highest point 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,’#A quotation from Ps 91:11
and
‘On their hands they will lift you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”#A quotation from Ps 91:12
7Jesus said to him, “On the other hand it is written, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”#A quotation from Deut 6:16
8Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9and he said to him, “I will give to you all these things, if you will fall down and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“will fall down”) has been translated as a finite verb worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”#A quotation from Deut 6:13 11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and began ministering to him.
Public Ministry in Galilee
12Now when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal heard that John had been arrested,#Literally “had been handed over” he withdrew into Galilee. 13And leaving Nazareth, he went and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14in order that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said,
15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
toward the sea,#Literally “the way of the sea” on the other side of the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles#Or “nations”; the same Greek word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context—
16the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
and the ones who sit in the land and shadow of death,
a light has dawned on them.”#A quotation from Isa 9:1
17From that time on, Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
18Now as he#*Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was walking”) which is understood as temporal was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, throwing a casting net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 19And he said to them, “Follow me#Literally “come behind me” and I will make you fishers of people.” 20And immediately they left their nets and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb followed him. 21And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22And immediately they left the boat and their father and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“left”) has been translated as a finite verb followed him.
Teaching, Preaching, and Healing throughout Galilee
23And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24And a report about him went out throughout#Literally “in the whole of” Syria, and they brought to him all those who were sick#Literally “having badly” with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed#Some manuscripts have “and demon-possessed” and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. 25And large crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan.
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