Matthew 4:1-11

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Calvary Episcopal Church,
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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
  • Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit
    • "He Who Subjugates Satan"
    • "Renunciation of Wealth" 
  • Stephen Carlson's color-coded Greek Synoptic Parallels.
  • Chapter CIII, Chapter CXXV, Dialogue With Trypho, Justin Martyr. (c 160)
  • IV.VI.6, V.XXI.2, V.XXII.1, V.XXIV.1, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • Chapter VIII, On Prayer,  Tertullian (c. 199)
  • II.1, III.7, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Chapter XXVI, Chapter LXI, On the Resurrection of the Flesh,  Tertullian (c. 211)
  • V.6, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 212)
  • Chapter I, Chapter XXVI, Against Praxeas,  Tertullian (c. 213)
  • Chapter XV, Scorpiace,  Tertullian (c. 213)
  • X.1, X.14, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Philocalia [anthology of Origen prepared by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen], Origen. (c.230)
  • VII.LXIV, VIII.LVI, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
  • X.12, XII.22, XIII.9, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
  • II.23, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320).
  • Homily XIII - Matthew 4:1, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Chrysostom (c. 380)
  • Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, John Calvin, 1558: Matthew 4:1-4, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-4, Matthew 4:5-11/Mark 1:13/Luke 4:5-13.
  • From the Catena Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas.
  • Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent, Martin Luther, c. 1525.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "Christ is tempted in all manner of ways, and still overcomes, that we also through his virtue may overcome."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "...great privileges, and special tokens of Divine favour, will not secure any from being tempted."
  • The Temptation of Christ (Matt 4:1-11): sermon by George Whitefield.
    • "For we should do well to remember, that our blessed Lord in this great fight with, and conquest over the dragon, acted as a public person, as a federal head of his mystical body the church, even the common representative of all believers. We may therefore from this blessed passage gather strong consolations; since by our Lord's conquest over Satan, we are thereby assured of our own, and in the mean while can apply to him as a compassionate High Priest, who was in all things tempted as we are, that he might experimentally be enabled to succor us when we are tempted."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Coming to him - In a visible form; probably in a human shape, as one that desired to inquire farther into the evidences of his being the Messiah."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "to be tempted--The Greek word (peirazein) means simply to try or make proof of; and when ascribed to God in His dealings with men, it means, and can mean no more than this."
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
    • "Moses and Elijah each fasted for the same length of time. It was a period of spiritual exaltation, of meditation and prayer, of preparation for his work, and it is hardly probable that he felt the need of food."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Matthew 4:1-11, Audrey West, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
  • "The Temptation," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
    • "Each person has points of vulnerability to the power of evil."
  • "First Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Lent 1," William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Ultimately the focus is what it is in Matthew: doing the will of God alone and saying no to other gods. But doing the will of God needs unpacking: what is God’s will? What is God about? What then am I about?"
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • Lectionary Commentary, Matthew 4:1-11, Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, The African-American Lectionary, 2009.
    • "This text teaches us to celebrate the power of embodying the gift of being children of God, realizing a spiritual life that daily prepares us to recognize temptation and having the tools that will allow us to see and transcend them, before they morph into addictions."
  • "Wilderness Encounter," Kate Huey, Weekly Seeds, i.UCC, 2008.
    • "The devil is all talk, empty talk."
  • "Struggling with Temptation," Blogging toward Sunday, Edwin Searcy, Theolog: The Blog of The Christian Century, 2008.
    • "Not even Jesus, although fully human as the Nicene Creed reminds us, avoids temptation."
  • Dylan's Lectionary Blog, Lent 1, 2005. Biblical Scholar Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary of the Episcopal Church.
    • "Jesus will not accept just any word from scripture as God's word to him at that moment. For Jesus, it's not just about God's truth; it's also about God's time, God's call, and most of all about God's love."
  • "First Sunday in Lent: Matthew 4:1-11," New Sight, New Life: Lenten Gospels, Gracia Grindal, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1996.
  • Exegetical Notes by Brian P. Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.
    • "...'diakoneo' (from where we get "deacon") is a word that original referred to 'waiting on tables,' i.e., to serve food. Boring ("Matthew," NIB) notes the irony in this concluding verse: 'By placing the kingdom of God first, even though it meant rejecting food and the help of angels, Jesus finally receives both, thus becoming an anticipatory example of his own teaching (6:33). [p. 164]'"

  • Theological Themes, Paul Galbreath, Lectionary Homiletics sample.

  • Matthew in the Margins, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
  • "Jesus Tempted," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
    • "The theology of the temptation story finds its source in the Exodus, in the wilderness testing of Israel. Jesus faces a similar test, but unlike Israel, does not fail. We too face the test, and in Christ we overcome."
  • "Clarification," Frederick J. Streets, The Christian Century, 1993.
    • "'There is nothing more exhausting for the person,' says Howard Thurman in The Inward journey, 'than the constant awareness that his life is being lived at cross-purposes. At such moments the individual seems to himself ever to be working against himself. What he longs for is the energy that comes from a concentration of his forces in a single direction, toward a single end.'"
  • "Testing that Never Ceases," commentary by Fred B. Craddock from The Christian Century, 1990. At Religion Online.
    • "He did not use the power of the spirit to claim exemption or to avoid the painful difficulties of the path of service. He did not use God to claim something for himself. And it was this serving, suffering, dying Jesus whom God vindicated by raising him from the dead. A church too fond of power, place and claims would do well to walk in his steps."
  • Lectionary Commentary and Preaching Paths (Lent A1), by Jirair Tashjian, at The Christian Resource Institute.
    • "Will I walk with God whether or not I get that job, whether or not that cancer is healed, whether or not my loved one pulls through a life-threatening situation? Or, am I going to put God to a test and say, If you do this for me, then you're my God, but if not, I will have nothing to do with you. The Spirit-filled life which Jesus lived was a life that was unconditionally surrendered to God regardless of the outcome."
  • "The Temptation," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "What little delights in life tempt you? Are they hard to resist? Why?"
  • "Deuteronomy Rules!" Expository Essay, Dr. William R. Long. Part 2.
    • "The story of Jesus' trials in the wilderness is thus an elaborate presentation of Jesus as the new Israel, the true 'Son of God' through whom the salvation of the world will be effected."
  • "Let Go and Be Rich," Lent 1A, Fr. Gerry Pierse, C.Ss.R., from Sundays Into Silence: Reflections on the Sunday Gospels in the Light of Christian Meditation. Claretian Publications.
    • "There is a great danger in prayer forms that give us power over others: the power to draw crowds, or to elicit tears, or confessions, or to speak in tongues or to heal."
  • "The Journey Begins," Richard Lischer. Commentary from The Christian Century, February, 1999. At Religion Online.
    • "Israel passed through the waters and wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, which turned out to be a place of apostasy. It was in the wilderness that Israel learned to ask, "Is the Lord among us or not?""
  • "If You Are the Son of God," Jerry Goebel, One Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study and activities.
    • "When a person knows that they have God’s unconditional blessing centered deeply in their heart, the temptations of this world pale in comparison. Satan offers Jesus 'things,' we can only presume that some of the 'things' include people; you, I and our children. It gives us insight into the darkness of Satan’s heart, where things are more important than beings. Where beings are used to get things. Where beings are a means to an end."
  • "Dealing With Temptation," by Greg Herrick at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "Notice that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to fast for forty days and forty nights (probably recalling by way of parallelism Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness, where she grumbled at God because of the lack of food; see Deut 8:2) and that it was when Jesus was at his weakest that the Devil came to him to tempt him. It is a safe thing to assume that the Devil will attack us when we’re at our weakest and in the area that we’re most vulnerable. In this case, it was a temptation regarding hunger and food."
• Articles & Background:
  • "Temptation of Christ," wikipedia.
  • "The Problem of a Personal Devil and Demons," Presbyterian Church USA.
    • "The essential qualification for participation in the Christian community is not what one believes about the devil and demons, but what one believes about God and His sovereignty over the powers of evil, however they are conceived."
  • "Transformed on the Mountain: Ritual Analysis and the Gospel of Matthew," by K.C. Hanson, St Olaf College. From Semeia 67 (1994).
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  • Allen, William Loyd, "Matthew 4:1-11 - The Devil at the Crossroads," Review & Expositor, 1992.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Craddock, Fred B., "Testing that Never Ceases," The Christian Century, 1990.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Farris, Patricia, "Bedrock Truths," The Christian Century, 2002.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Garlington, Don B., "Jesus, the Unique Son of God: Tested and Faithful," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1994.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Grindal, Gracia, "New Sight, New Life: Lenten Gospels," Word & World, 1996.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Hanson, K.C., "Transformed on the Mountain: Ritual Analysis and the Gospel of Matthew," Semeia, 1994.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Johnson, E. Elizabeth, "Temptation," Journal for Preachers, 2004.
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  • Jones, J. Estill, "The Temptation Narrative," Review & Expositor, 1956.
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  • Kelly, Balmer H., "An Exposition of Matthew 4:1-11," Interpretation, 1975.
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  • Kesich, Veselin, "Christ's Temptation in the Apocryphal Gospels and Acts," St Vladimir's Seminary Quarterly, 1961.
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  • Kesich, Veselin, "Hypostatic and Prosopic Union in the Exegesis of Christ's Temptation," St Vladimir's Seminary Quarterly, 1965.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Kelly, Balmer H., "An Exposition of Matthew 4:1-11," Interpretation, 1975.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Koyama, Kosuke, "'Not by Bread Alone...' How Does Jesus Free and Unite Us?" Ecumenical Review, 1975.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Lischer, Richard, "The Journey Begins," The Christian Century, 1999.
      ATLAS via ATLA Image Browse - ATLAS via ATLA PDF
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Sahl, Joseph G., "The Impeccability of Jesus Christ," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1983.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Saunders, Daniel J., S.J., "The Devil and the Divinity of Christ," Theological Studies, 1948.
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  • Schiavo, Luigi, "The Temptation of Jesus: The Eschatological Battle and the New Ethic of the First Followers of Jesus in Q," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2002.
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  • Sheeley, Steven, "The Exercise of Jesus' Royal Power: Lent through Trinity Sunday," Review & Expositor, 2007.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Streets, Frederick J., "Clarification," The Christian Century, 1993.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Sundberg, Walter, "Satan the Enemy," Word & World, 2008.
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  • Taylor, Arch. B., Jr., "Decision in the Desert: The Temptation of Jesus in the Light of Deuteronomy," Interpretation, 1960.
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      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
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  • Taylor, Barbara Brown, "Remaining Human," The Christian Century, 1996.
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  • Taylor, N.H., "The Temptation of Jesus on the Mountain: A Palestinian Christian Polemic against Agrippa I," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2001.
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  • Thompson, Philip E., "Between Text & Sermon, Matthew 4:1-11," Interpretation, 2006.
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  • Wainwright, Elaine, "Reading Matthew 3-4: Jesus--Sage, Seer, Sophia, Son of God," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2000.
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  • Williamson, Lamar, "Matthew 4:1-11, Expository Article," Interpretation, 1984.
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  • Wink, Walter, "Matthew 4:1-11, Expository Article," Interpretation, 1983.
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  • Wolf, Carl Umhau, "The Continuing Temptation of Christ in the Church: Searching and Preaching on Matthew 4:1-11," Interpretation, 1966.
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• Reviews:
• Sermons:
  • "A Friend of the Devil," The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Day 1, 2008.
  • "Moving from Entertainment to Servanthood," Dr. Calvin Miller, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1994.
  • "I Need. I Can. I Get." Richard Carlson, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, 2005.
  • "The Testing Grounds of Faith," - Lent 1 - 13 February 2005, Hubert Beck, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington - Sermons from Seattle:
    • "Isadore Isaac Isin"
    • "Satan Sunday"
  • Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily.

    • Lent 1, 2008

    • Lent 1, 2005
    • Lent 1, 2002
    • Lent 1, 1999
    • Lent 1, 1996 (Dr. Mary G. Durkin)
• With Children:
  • "The Temptation of Jesus," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
  • "Who Says?" Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
  • "It Is Written!" The Children's Chapel.
  • "Jesus Says No to the Devil," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
  • "Jesus Is Tempted," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
  • Gospel Puzzles for the Lectionary, Lent 1A, Mark Ryman, edoxy.com.
  • "The Temptation of Christ," Pat Slater, sermons4kids.com.
• Drama:
  • "Beneath the Desert Sun," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
  • "Wicked Ruler," John Cosper, Jr., dramatix.
  • "The Easy Way Out," Michael English, Milton Parish Church Drama Resources.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, Matthew 4:3, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
  • Matthew 4:1-11, Lectionary Clipart, Hermanoleon Clipart.
  • Clip Art Images: Matthew 4:1-11, Temptation of Jesus, Temptation of Jesus #2, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
  • Matthew 4:1-11, at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
  • Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 4:1-11, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
  • Matthew 4:4, Heartlight - Free Christian PowerPoint Backgrounds.
  • Clip Art: Satan Tempts Jesus, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Matthew 4:1. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • The Billabong, by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in Australia: scroll down for hymn suggestions.
  • Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  • "Our Lord, You Were Sent," Carolyn Winfrey Gilletteis a new hymn about Jesus' temptations written to the tune of FOUNDATION 11.11.11.11 ("How Firm a Foundation").
  • "The Sun Beat Down Upon His Head," TEXT: Mark Ryman (2005) based on Matthew 4:1-11. TUNE: "Truro." New Hymns for the Lectionary.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Temptation
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Temptation
• Study Links for the Temptation Narratives in the Other Synoptic Gospels:
  • Mark 1:12-13
  • Luke 4:1-13
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew