Matthew 4:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He appeared with an awe-inspiring façade, as the devil took Him to a high mountain and displayed all the kingdoms of the world with their splendor. Crafting illusions and conjuring false images, he fabricated a superficial vision of the world, hoping the allure of his counterfeit glory would draw the Lord, who seemed accessible in faith. Yet, he failed to realize that he was ultimately undermining himself and hastening toward his own downfall. To avoid this fall, he promised gifts of ease, saying, “all these things I will give Thee, if Thou wilt worship me.” Anyone who doubts Paul’s assertion that a self-centered person is akin to an idolater should heed the words of the father of idols, who supports Paul’s claims: “To him that worshippeth me,” he professes, “I will give the stranger.” Thus, the pursuer of foreign matters is under the devil’s domain. He promises these alien gifts, inflicting harm with such offers, providing only what he has unlawfully taken. His intent concerning the Lord betrays a covetous ambition—to bring Him down subtly through the promise of bounty. “This one,” he mused, “is not swayed by physical desires or ensnared by vain allure. He has broken two of my strategic arrows; I must seek another potent weapon. Everyone is driven by greed; the pursuit of gain is not alien to any. Through self-interest, all, in essence, are pierced. If I extract this arrow from my quiver, I shall release it. But where shall I aim it? What location will aid me? Oh, if only He would accompany me to a high mountain! The height permits a broad view; I would show Him the bountiful lands and bring the treasures of kings within sight, while presenting one reality and conjuring another through deceit. Human nature is quite susceptible to self-interest. If He glimpses the glories of the earth, He will rush to claim them, mistaking shadows for truth, believing what is presented since He consistently sees faith in Himself. I previously suggested, “Demand bread!”—and He disregarded it, believing that God sustains even without physical nourishment. I urged, “Cast thyself down!”—and He refuted that, saying to not tempt God. So, I will approach Him with an imposing guise. He will fall for my deception, accustomed as He is to engaging with God; He will be deceived, thinking I am forthright; once He is entangled in this belief, I will have been mocked and retreat in scorn.” Understanding these nefarious schemes, Christ ascended with him to a high mountain, where the devil unveiled his trickery with a deceitful show. The Lord refrained from rebuking the subterfuge, observing it as if unaware of the trick. The devil mistakenly believed he had ensnared Him with the enchanting visage and, with an air of monstrous authority, proclaimed, “All this I will give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” “Do you not see,” he taunted, “the greatness of the world? Do you not perceive its wealth? Do you not marvel at the multitude of kingdoms? I reign over these realms and have gifts to bestow upon men as I see fit. But you I favor above all; you alone are entitled to rule upon the earth. Accept from me universal authority, and in return, you shall honor me with your reverence: I will give you all this if you kneel and worship me.” The devil unwittingly prophesies half-truths: he can offer the world he has bound to evil not for reverence but for lashing. Do you not realize you are addressing Adam? He seduced Adam into believing he could become like God and, having ensnared him, caused his fall. Now, he tempts Christ with promises of dominion, expecting Him to collapse into despair. Yet, Christ replied resolutely, “Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’” He referred to him plainly as Satan, like a lord addressing a hidden servant by name, revealing him as evident. “Get behind me!”—this command, coupled with gentleness, bears a weight of authority from the Lord. “Thou art weary in your pretense, having unveiled your deceit; you have abandoned hope for victory, seeking to entice me with your empty offers; you aim to barter my allegiance. You have prematurely strategized for betrayal; wait for Judas, your accomplice. Now go; I anticipate the cross; you shall not claim me; set aside your gifts for the traitor; I tell you this: the Lord your God you shall worship, and Him alone shall you serve. You shall not partake in serving the God of man, for to Him alone do they owe their devotion.” Then the devil forsook Him. The victory over this final deception is magnificent. Like a skilled athlete lifting an opponent high only to bring him crashing down, so did the Lord Christ elevate the devil to the mountain, filling him with illusionary hopes, then toppled him from that high place of aspiration. The marvel of this triumph astonished the angels, who gathered to minister to the victor. Let us, like the angels, yield ourselves as servants to the Lord; let us honor Heaven through our earthly service. Let us entrust our souls to His invincible hands, loving the Redeemer of our fallen nature; embracing Him who vanquished our common enemy. Let us exalt in the victory and present ourselves as those who champion His name, bringing shame upon the fallen devil, and, casting off his conceited head, let us proclaim fervently, “The Lord thy God thou shalt worship; Him alone shalt thou serve.” To Him be glory and authority forever. Amen.

Matthew chose to omit this detail as unnecessary; Luke included it for clarity in this context. You will discover many such omissions and additions in the Gospels, and let the aforementioned reasons guide your understanding in these instances. From the moment recorded, an interval not too brief was noted according to astronomical observations. Thus, this was adequate only to illustrate the locations of these kingdoms within the cosmos and to briefly mention their glory.

He encountered gluttony when the adversary challenged Him with, ‘Say that these stones may become bread’; vanity was presented in the temptation, ‘If Thou art the Son of God, cast Thyself down’; and pride emerged when the devil, revealing all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, promised, ‘All these things I will give Thee, if, falling down, Thou wilt worship me’ (Matt. 4:3, Matt. 4:6, 8, Matt. 4:9). The Saviour permitted the devil to present temptations to exemplify how we can also resist the tempter, just as He did. Both are referred to as Adam: the first led to the fall and death, while the second brings forth resurrection and life. Through one, all of humanity faces condemnation, and through the other, all are redeemed. The first was created from the unrefined earth, but the second came forth from the Virgin Mary (1 Cor. 15:22, 45, 47). Therefore, Jesus Christ needed to confront these specific temptations, and there was no requirement for any additional trials. It is essential to recognize that the second Adam, Jesus Christ, had to face and overcome the temptations of gluttony, vanity, and pride that caused the first Adam's downfall. He was not required to endure carnal lust, as the original Adam did not experience that temptation in his state of innocence. The one who triumphs over gluttony cannot be drawn into lust, which stems from overindulgence, a passion first embraced by Adam, who was lured by the devil’s flattery. It is important to note that the Son of God came 'in the likeness of sinful flesh' (Rom. 8:3) rather than in the flesh of sin, as He experienced true humanity: He ate, drank, slept, and endured suffering on the cross, yet lacked the sinful inclination that leads to transgression. He did not feel the burning urge of carnal lust, which often distresses us in our desires. Instead, He took on the semblance of our human nature. While fulfilling all aspects of our obligations and sharing in our weaknesses, it appeared that He might experience this passion as well, giving the impression that He bore the seeds of this sin in His flesh. Ultimately, the devil’s temptations were akin to those that had seduced Adam, presuming that, as a man, Jesus might also yield to different appeals if He had been tempted like the first Adam. However, after failing at the initial temptation, the adversary could not impose further struggles such as igniting carnal lust, which is rooted in gluttony. The devil recognized that the Saviour was free from the foundational cause of this ailment, rendering it futile to expect from Him any result linked to sin that He had not embraced. The Evangelist Luke refers to the final temptation with the words: ‘if Thou art the Son of God, cast Thyself ... down’ (Luke 4:9), illustrating the passion of pride. The devil, in a single moment, displayed to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, offering them as a means to incite covetousness—a passion he turned to after failing to tempt Him with lust, knowing it to be the root of all evils. In his continued defeat, he hesitated to provoke any subsequent vices that stem from covetousness, understanding their origins and motivations. Thus, he resorted to the final temptation: pride, which can entice even the most virtuous after triumphing over other vices, as exemplified by Lucifer’s fall along with others who fell from grace without previous incitement. Therefore, the sequence of temptations described by Luke reveals a coherent pattern in the methods employed by the cunning enemy against both the first and second Adam. To the first Adam, he declares, ‘Your eyes shall be opened’; to the second Adam, he displays all the monarchies of the earth and their majesty; in one case, it is proclaimed that they would be like gods, while in the other, the challenge is, ‘If You are the Son of God’.

If the desire for honor did not fall within the scope of covetousness, the Apostle Paul would not have noted concerning the only begotten Son of God that He "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Phil. 2:6). The devil stirred up pride in our progenitor by prompting him to crave greatness. The methods that led to the fall of the first man were the same tactics employed against the second Man during His temptation. He tried to lure Him into indulgence by saying, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matt. 4:3). He tempted Him with pride by stating, "If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down" (Matt. 4:6). Lastly, he tempted Him with the desire for power by showing Him all the kingdoms of the world, asserting, "All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me." However, through the same means by which he had once exulted over the first Man, he was vanquished by the second Man, allowing the adversary to depart from our hearts through the entrance by which he originally gained entry and held us captive.

Moreover, dear brothers and sisters, there is another aspect of the Lord's temptation that merits our attention. The Lord, when confronted by the devil, responds by invoking the commandments of sacred Scripture. He, who is the Word capable of casting His tempter into the abyss, refrains from displaying His immense power but instead provides a singular instruction derived from Scripture. This action serves as an exemplar of His patience, encouraging us to learn in the face of suffering rather than seeking vengeance against those who wrong us. Consider the stark contrast between God’s patience and our own. When we face offense or insult, we are often driven by anger, seeking revenge when possible or at least threatening it when we cannot achieve it. Yet, the Lord endured the enemy’s malice, responding only with gentle words. He bore with one whom He could have punished, ensuring that His glory was magnified, as He triumphed over His foe not through destruction, but through patience.

He has never solely governed the world, nor has he ever truly been, and cannot ever be, the sole authority to whom anyone would be subordinated. First and foremost, we give thanks to God, for He does not allow the adversary such an advantage. Secondly, we consider the adversary himself; what comprises his joy, his honor, his might, but pride, envy, wrath, vanity, and similar vices? In environments where these traits are allowed to flourish, a unified kingdom cannot endure, but is bound to fracture into many factions. Conversely, where such qualities are absent, the adversary is not revered and cannot rule.

This audacity displayed by Satan is remarkable; he arrogates to himself dominion over the entire visible realm, authority that only belongs to God, and demands that the Lord Jesus Christ render worship to him as though he were a deity. He desires that Christ, the Redeemer, forsakes His monumental task of redeeming humanity and, in exchange for glory and worldly riches, becomes a subservient slave to Satan. In this final temptation, the devil unleashed the full force of his malignant seduction. The honors and wealth he promised were a gateway to indulgence, gratification of the flesh, arrogance, pride, and vanity. He proposed to establish the kingdom the Jews yearned for, devoid of any struggle against sin and without suffering, immediately. This would not have been the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather a mere earthly realm, where the ultimate authority would not reside in Christ the Savior, but in him—the tempter and deceiver.

For our Lord, whose heart is filled with love, the temptation lay in the devil’s offer of dominion over the world at such a meager price: worship me, and all shall be yours. Why endure suffering and tribulation? Who among us fallen humanity would resist such a temptation? The enemy does not approach us with entire kingdoms; sometimes, a mere coin is sufficient to sway our allegiance. Yet the destroyer was entirely oblivious to whom he was confronting; he did not recognize that, in the presence of the Son of God, he was blaspheming against God the Father.

By declaring, "When thou art fallen, thou shalt worship me," he wrongfully asserts dominion and demands worship that is due to God alone, indicating a desire for Jesus to yield completely to him. The crux of the temptation lies in the offer of worldly power as a substitute for the profound mission of redeeming humanity through His sacrificial death on the cross and establishing an eternal spiritual kingdom. In essence, this temptation seeks to divert Christ from His divine purpose of serving humankind as the Messiah-Redeemer.