4:1-11 The Testing of the Son of God

Having been designated “Son of God” by the heavenly voice, Jesus is lead out to that specially evocative place, "the wilderness", to be tested, as was that other “Son of God” Israel (Hosea 11:1). That is where the focus of Matthew at this point, not on a set of moral hoops through which Jesus is made to jump by the tempter. All of this is under the control of the Spirit, which as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, Israel was lead in the wilderness.

The “wilderness” is not so much a geographical location as it is an evocation of a scriptural experience: the wilderness is: (i) the place where God formed his chosen people, (ii) the place where God was alone with his “beloved son” Israel, (iii) the place where God’s Son Israel was tested (Deut 8:2), and failed the test.

Jesus is tested by the devil, the minor functionary, the Satan, who tested Job to see if he would buckle. The testing comes at the end of forty days of fasting, such as Moses endured after smashing the tablets of stone (Deut. 9). The life of Moses continues to serve as a template, or counterpoint, for Matthew’s Jesus. We will soon see Jesus ascend a mountain and teach the people (5:1)

In preparation for his ministry, Matthew’s Jesus is tested to see whether as God’s Son he has an unwavering trust in God’s support and provision for his ministry to Israel. If not, he might as well call the whole deal off now. Mark’s two-verse testing of the new Adam, becomes an eleven verse testing of the Son of God, principally by the addition of the three tests for the newly designated Son of God. The three tests are addressed to issues of hunger, protection and homage. The tests are answered by reference to the wilderness story from the book Deuteronomy.

In the wilderness, Israel grumbles “Why has God brought us out of Egypt to this place to starve. We were better off where we were” (Exod. 16:3, 17:3, 14:11f). God protects his Son Israel from poisonous snakes and provides water from the rock and mana from the sky. “I fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good”. However, the Son of God Israel forgets God’s care and providence and makes other gods and worships them.

We know, because we are second readers of the Gospel of Matthew that this will not be the end of testing in the story of Jesus. People will plot and conspire against Jesus, put him to the test and try to entrap him. We will recently have heard bandits and chief priests say to Jesus: “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross”. This is the major, fundamental test to Jesus’ integrity and sense of mission. “Surely there is another way?” We know that he passes this test too.