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Matthew
4:1-11
With thanks to page sponsor:
Calvary Episcopal Church,
Fletcher, NC
 | Reading the Text:
|
| Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | The
Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto. |
| Comparative World Scriptures from United
Communities of Spirit
|
| 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. |
| 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:
|
"The Temptation of Jesus,"
Kenneth E. Bailey, The Presbyterian Outlook, 2008.
| "Others
see the three temptations as universal expressions of the desire
to have (stones to bread), to do (throw
yourself down from the tower), and to be (become the
ruler of all.) These reflect are perhaps part of what our Lord faced
in the wilderness." |
|
|
"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. |
|
"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:
|
| Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
| Allen, William Loyd, "Matthew 4:1-11
- The Devil at the Crossroads," Review & Expositor, 1992.
Image Browse -
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| Craddock, Fred B.,
"Testing that Never Ceases," The Christian Century, 1990.
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PDF |
| Farris, Patricia, "Bedrock Truths,"
The Christian Century, 2002.
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PDF |
| Garlington, Don B.,
"Jesus, the Unique Son of God: Tested and Faithful," Bibliotheca
Sacra, 1994.
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PDF |
| Grindal, Gracia, "New Sight, New
Life: Lenten Gospels," Word & World, 1996.
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PDF |
| Hanson, K.C., "Transformed on the
Mountain: Ritual Analysis and the Gospel of Matthew," Semeia,
1994.
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PDF |
| 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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| Kelly, Balmer H.,
"An Exposition of Matthew 4:1-11," Interpretation, 1975.
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PDF |
| Koyama, Kosuke,
"'Not by Bread Alone...' How Does Jesus Free and Unite Us?"
Ecumenical Review, 1975.
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| Lischer, Richard, "The Journey
Begins," The Christian Century, 1999.
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PDF |
| Sahl, Joseph G.,
"The Impeccability of Jesus Christ," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1983.
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PDF |
| 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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PDF |
| Sheeley, Steven, "The Exercise of
Jesus' Royal Power: Lent through Trinity Sunday," Review & Expositor,
2007.
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| Streets, Frederick J.,
"Clarification," The Christian Century, 1993.
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PDF |
| Taylor, Arch. B., Jr.,
"Decision in the Desert: The Temptation of Jesus in the Light of
Deuteronomy," Interpretation, 1960.
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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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PDF |
| Williamson, Lamar,
"Matthew 4:1-11, Expository Article," Interpretation, 1984.
Image Browse -
PDF |
| Wink, Walter, "Matthew 4:1-11,
Expository Article," Interpretation, 1983.
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PDF |
| 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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PDF |
|
| 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:
|
|
"Journey of the
Heart - Fatal Distractions," Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church, 2002. |
|
Father
Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily.
|
|
| 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. |
|
"Passing the Test," Lois Parker Edstrom, Lectionary.org. |
|
"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:
|
| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index: | |
