Verse by Verse

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

pure in heart (v.8) — This beatitude, like all the others, is based upon Old Testament Scripture. Indeed it is one of the great Millennial Psalms, Psalm 24, that our Lord seems to be referring to here. The 3rd and 4th verses of this Psalm read: Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart … — Stam, page 57

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We, the members of the Body of Christ, the Church of the present dispensation, have suffered at last some of the expressions of hostility mentioned in the above passage, and for this we too shall receive generous rewards, but it is never said of us that ours is the kingdom of heaven. Ours is rather a present position in the heavenlies in Christ, and the prospect of living and reigning with Him there.

But were not our Lord’s disciples looking forward to reigning with Him in heaven? No, for the kingdom of heaven is to be set up on earth, as the following Scriptures clearly demonstrate:

… a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth (Jeremiah 23:5).

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14).

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

But does not our Lord promise His hearers, in this last beatitude: “great is your reward in heaven?” This is true, but we must not read into this that He referred to a reward which they were to receive when they reached heaven. In 1 Peter 1:4, Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, declares to his readers that their inheritance is “reserved in heaven” for them. Likewise in Revelation 22:12, a passage having to do directly with the return of Christ to earth to reign, we read His words: “And, behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.”

That the apostles did rejoice in their sufferings for Christ is verified by the record of the Acts. In the closing verses of Acts 5 we read how the religious leaders lowered themselves to the level of common bullies as, finding no just reason to condemn the apostles, they had them beaten and further commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus before letting them go.

But the lashes did not bring only suffering and pain, for were not the apostles bearing them for the blessed Messiah, with whom they hoped soon to be reigning? thus the record continues: “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:41-42). — Stam, pages 61-63

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The Sermon and its beatitudes, showed the hearers how to have good human relations, but they did not deal with the impossibility of man’s achieving this in his present sinful condition. Like the Law, the Sermon on the Mount taught its most important lessons historically, for after more than 1900 years it is surely evident that man, in his present state, cannot, surely does not, live up to the Sermon on the Mount. — Stam, page 69

None of the commentaries that teach that the Beatitudes are directly applicable to us today escape without sinking into a form of legalism — that God will only reward those who are merciful, or are pure of heart. Any theology which makes God respond to our actions is works-based.

While, in our new natures, members of the Body of Christ have all the internal attributes listed in the beatitudes — sorrow for sinfulness, a thirst for righteousness, meekness before God, mercy, purity of heart — these are responses to what God has already done for us, not requirements to achieve blessing. Our only requirement in faith.

My understanding is that Christ was preaching that the prophesied Kingdom was at hand. But before it could be ushered in, His death and resurrection had to occur, along with the Tribulation (the 70th week of Daniel). If the generation Christ was ministering to on earth had accepted Him as Messiah, they would have had to face the persecution of the Tribulation. It is for that time (which, because of Israel’s rejection of Christ, is still to come) that He gave them the Beatitudes as preparation.

¹ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

The purpose of Matthew to present the truth relating Jesus as the King and the message of the kingdom is the guiding principle in placing the Sermon on the Mount here so early in Matthew’s gospel. Many events recorded later in the gospel actually occurred before the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is given priority because it is a comprehensive statement of the moral principles relating to the kingdom which Jesus proclaimed.

Some consider this sermon a collection of various sayings of Jesus delivered on different occasions. This opinion, although common, is mere conjecture. Preferable is the view that Jesus delivered this sermon as Matthew indicated, although probably He repeated many times the truths in the Sermon on the Mount, or delivered the same sermon more than once to different groups (cf. Luke 6:20-49). — Walvoord, page 43

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The first question we must ask in considering the Sermon on the Mount is: To whom was our Lord addressing His remarks? To all men? Most assuredly not, for not only was He sent to none “but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” but He clearly instructed His apostles not to go to the Gentiles, or even to the Samaritans, but only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24, 10:5-6). But He was not even addressing the people of Israel as such at this time, for we read that “seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain” and that there He addressed “His disciples” (v.1). — Stam, pages 42-43.

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The sermon on the mount [Matthew 5-7] is the proclamation of the King concerning the Kingdom. That Kingdom is not the church, nor is the state of the earth in righteousness, governed and possessed by the meek, brought about by the agency of the church. It is the millennial earth and the Kingdom to come, in which Jerusalem will be the city of a great King. We read in the Old Testament that when the Kingdom comes, for which these Jewish disciples of our Lord were taught to pray, the law will go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. While we have in the Old Testament the outward manifestations of the Kingdom of the heavens as it will be set up in the earth in a future day, we have here the inner manifestation, the principles of it. Yet this never excludes application to us who are His heavenly people, members of His body, who will share the heavenly throne in the heavenly Jerusalem with Him. Israel’s calling is earthly; theirs is an earthly kingdom, ours is is altogether heavenly. In the sermon on the mount we have, then, the principles of the Kingdom of heaven, with very plain references to the millennial earth. — Gaebelein, page 110.

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Actually, this great sermon and especially its Beatitudes, is one of the strongest evidences that the Body of Christ and this entire dispensation of grace was then still a mystery, or secret, “hid in God” as the apostle Paul so often insists (Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:24-2:2), for our Lord addressed His disciples, the remnant of believers in Israel, as if the prophesied time of tribulation were imminent and the establishment of His kingdom were soon to take place. 

The Beatitudes, then, give us the characteristics of those who will be heirs of the kingdom one day to be established on this earth. They have rightly been called, along with the Sermon as a whole, the charter of the kingdom. — Stam, pages 44-45

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It is quite evident that the Jews, while they wanted deliverance from the Romans and fulfillment of the material blessings promised in the millennium, were quite unprepared to accept the view that the millennial kingdom has spiritual implications. It was to be a rule of righteousness as well as a rule of peace. It demanded much of subjects as well as providing much for them. The political character of the kingdom was not seriously questioned by the Jews, who anticipated that their Messiah would bring deliverance to them. Because of their neglect of the spiritual and moral principles involved, Christ necessarily emphasized these in the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon accordingly must be understood in this eschatological context. — Walvoord, page 45

blessed (vs. 3-6) = happy

poor (v.3) = beggar — used to describe Lazarus (in the account with the rich man) in Luke 16:19-22 — to cower or cringe — with no merit of their own

mourn (v.4)  — often associated with confession of sin (Psalm 51; Daniel 9:3-5)

There are many Old Testament Scriptures (Zechariah 12:10-14; cf. Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7) which indicate that Israel will not be saved until she turns in repentance to her crucified and long-rejected Messiah. This will be the occasion of her “mourning.” Then, and not until then will the prophecies be fulfilled which say: “And in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1).

“Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am He that comforteth you …” (Isaiah 51:11-12).

“Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortingly to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2).

The historical, or dispensational, order of the events discussed above is clearly brought out in one brief passage in Isaiah 61:1-3.

“… the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek … To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord … the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.”

From these and other Old Testament prophecies we learn the significance of our Lord’s promise in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” — Stam, pages 48-49.

Meek (v.5) — submissive (to God) — Psalm 37:11

inherit the earth (v.5) — as distinct from the heavenly blessings promised to the Body of Christ

In all these attributes (cowering, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness) there is a marked contrast with the attitude of the Pharisees.

²³ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

²⁴ Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

²⁵ Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Closely connected with the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom was the healing of every disease not spiritual, but every bodily disease and weakness. The healing of disease is always connected with the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom. The healings were signs that the King is the Jehovah and that the Kingdom had drawn nigh … It is not the gospel of grace which is preached, but that of the Kingdom. The Gospel of Grace needs no sign outwardly by healing of disease to demonstrate that it is God-given. Nowhere in the Epistles have we the promise that Gospel preaching is to be connected with healing of every bodily weakness and disease. — Gaebelein, page 103.

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multitudes (v.25) — [They] came not only from Galilee but from Jerusalem in the south and from the territory of Decapolis and Perea on the east of Jordan. His miracles dealt not simply with trivial diseases but with incurable afflictions, such as epilepsy, palsy, and demon possession. No affliction was beyond His healing touch. The kingdom blessings promised by Isaiah 35:5-6, due for fulfillment in the future kingdom, here became the credentials of the King in His first coming. — Walvoord, page 39

Decapolis (v.25) — a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Judea and Syria. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but they were grouped together because of their language, culture, location, and political status, with each possessing a certain degree of autonomy and self-rule. The Decapolis cities were centers of Greek and Roman culture in a region that was otherwise Jewish. With the exception of Scythopolis, all the cities were east of the Jordan River.

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁹ Then He said to them,“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,

²² and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Simon … and Andrew (v.18) — They had met Jesus on an earlier occasion in Judea (John 1:40-42) where they had probably gone to be baptized by John the Baptist.

Luke 5:1-11 seems to be an account of a different occasion.

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

It could be that … between this first call of Matthew and the call in Luke, the early disciples continued to fish for a time and not until the call in Luke 5 did they forsake all. While Matthew’s gospel indicates that they followed Jesus, there is no clear statement that they left their fishing occupation for good. — Walvoord, page 38.

¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

¹³ And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

About a year passed between verses 11 and 12. during this time, Jesus had begun to gather His disciples.

The disciples and Jesus went to Cana of Galilee. Jesus went as a guest. It was a purely social function. He tarried for two or three days down in Capernaum, and then went on to Jerusalem; presented Himself in the Temple; and cleansed it. This was His official presentation to the rulers of His people. Then we have an account of His conversation with Nicodemus, after which He left the metropolis and came into Judea. John was still pursuing his ministry, and “baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there.” Jesus preached in Judea, and baptized (though He did not baptize personally, but His disciples for Him). Thus He did not commence to exercise His definitely official ministry as King until John’s ministry ended, through his arrest. 

In this Gospel of Matthew all these matters are omitted. Matthew, writing the Gospel of the Kingdom, after having presented the person of the King, takes up the story at the point where, the message of the herald having been silenced by his arrest and imprisonment, Jesus began His official work as King, proclaiming His Kingdom prior to enunciating its laws and exhibiting its benefits. — Morgan, page 34.

John had been put in prison (v.12) — details in chapter 14

leaving Nazareth (v.13) — after an attempt on His life (Luke 4:16-31)

Capernaum (v.13) = “village of comfort” — the center of Roman government in the north of Israel, with a large population of Gentiles, near the Sea of Galilee

spoken by Isaiah (v.14) — Isaiah 9:1-2 from the Septuagint

When God visits His people for redemption, He comes where the darkness is greatest; where the people sit in the shadow of death. Geographically, and according to principle, He did that very thing. Capernaum was in the despised region of the country of the chosen people known as “Galilee of the Gentiles.” — Morgan, page 35

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Ruins of Capernaum are visible today, a testimony to the scathing judgment of Christ on this city for not recognizing its day of opportunity. In Matthew 11:23-24, Jesus pronounced a solemn judgment on Capernaum, declaring that it would “be brought down to hell.” — Walvoord, page 37.

Galilee of the Gentiles (v.15) — so called because the Jews in that region had mixed with Gentiles. The region was despised by other Jews.

Read Genesis 49:13, “Zebulon shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and he shall be for an haven of ships and his border shall be upon Zidon.” Jacob’s prophecy outlines the history of the sons of Jacob, that is, the whole nation, and Zebulon signifies the time of their rejection, when they become merchantmen. Here in Matthew we see Zebulon dwelling by the sea. So that we have the fulfillment of two prophecies before us — the prophecy in the 49th chapter in Genesis and the one in Isaiah. The same is true of Nephtali. This means struggler. “Nephtali is a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21). In Jacob’s prophecy Nephtali stands for the coming struggling and victorious Jewish remnant. Here, then, in the land of Zebulon and Nephtali the great light shines first. — Gaebelein, page 99

kingdom of heaven (v.17) — the Lord’s rule on earth

He announces that the Kingdom has drawn nigh in that He, the King, is standing in their midst to establish that Kingdom. He never said nor taught of a Kingdom within them. All spiritualizing on these lines of a Kingdom within, which our Lord is made to teach here in Matthew, is wrong. It is the Kingdom John had announced which He now preaches. He prolongs the message of the forerunner for a short time and soon His lips were closed, too. We preach not the Gospel of the Kingdom, but the Glad Tidings of Grace. A day is coming when heralds will announce once more the Kingdom to be at hand, and when it will come in the person of the Son of Man coming from heaven with angels of His power in flaming fire (2 Thessalonians 1). — Gaebelein, pages 100-101.

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It is interesting that Christ did not come primarily as a miracle-worker. He came to reveal the Father. And He did so by opening up the Scriptures so that people might understand what had been written. The miracles substantiated the truth of His word. Matthew and Mark recorded the fact that Jesus Christ not only served as a teacher, but as a preacher (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14). As a preacher, He was a proclaimer. The preacher was a prophet, publicly proclaiming God’s message. But Christ not only served as a teacher, or a rabbi, in the synagogue but also as a prophet who proclaimed God’s message. The message that Jesus proclaimed was identical in content to the message of John, His forerunner. Both said, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17; cf. 3:2).

Mark referred to Jesus’ message as “good news” (Mark 1:15). Israel long had waited for the fulfillment of the covenant of promise. Now the good news being given to them was that the kingdom for which they had waited was near. Christ, like John, called on the people to repent. Repentance involved an acknowledgment of sin and resulted in a restoration to fellowship with God from their state of alienation. It involved offering God the acceptable sacrifice that He demanded. The announcement that the kingdom “is near” added an imperative to the message. Mark noted that the hearers were asked to “believe the good news.” The truth of the message that was being preached had to be accepted by faith. We note that Mark referred to “the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:15) and Matthew to “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 4:17). The difference in terms does not imply that Jesus was referring to two different kingdoms. This was keeping with the Jewish fear of taking the name of the Lord their God in vain; Matthew substituted God’s dwelling place for the name of God. — Pentecost, page 137.

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

showed Him (v.8) — It’s not clear if this showing was a vision or a literal, supernatural showing.

Here was the temptation to become King of kings without a cross and without a struggle. That Satan could offer them temporarily seems to be supported by his role as the god of this world, but Satan had no right to offer them as a kingdom forever. To accept would have made Jesus his slave, not his victor. Again, Jesus quoted Scripture, this time Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20. Significantly, all three scriptural quotations come from Deuteronomy, the object of great attack by the higher critics. This time, Jesus not only quoted Scripture but commanded Satan to go. This supports the conclusion that in the historical order of events this was the last of the three temptations. — Walvoord, page 36

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Notice here particularly the claim the devil set up, and let it not be forgotten that the claim was made in the presence of Jesus. He claimed some right to the kingdoms of the world, and the claim was based upon certain unquestionable facts. These kingdoms had become what they were, largely under his control. They were at the moment submissive to his sway, obedient to his laws, being led captive by him at his will. For the larger part, the whole of them were blindly asleep in the arms of the wicked one. By the very temptation, Satan seems to lay claim to a title, which Jesus Himself gave him incidentally at a later period, “the prince of this world.” The fact of his sway is undisputed. He was then as he is today, exercising authority over all those who are in darkness, and he is perpetually paying his price to those who serve him. 

This was a subtle imitation of what God the Father promised to the Son as declared in Psalm 2. God’s will was to bring the Son to a throne but by way of the cross. The devil implied that Jesus might have what the Father promised without going to the cross. Only one condition was attached: “If you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). To receive worship has been Satan’s chief ambition ever since, being motivated by pride, he attempted to dethrone God, usurp God’s authority, and receive the worship, the honor, and the glory that belongs to God Himself (Isaiah 14:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

In the first two temptations, Jesus Christ recognized God’s absolute authority and had submitted to Him. This seems to have led Satan to a final attempt to realize his age-long ambition — to usurp the prerogatives of God and to claim worship that belongs to God. He invited Christ to worship him. Satan’s desire to receive this worship was so great that he was willing to surrender the entire realm over which he ruled as a usurper in order to gain that end. — Pentecost, pages 104-105.

⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

holy city (v.5) — Jerusalem

it is written (v.6) — Psalm 91:11-12 — leaving out “to keep you in all your ways”

it is written (v.7) — Deuteronomy 6:16

Now, what was the evil in this suggested act? It was twofold, evil alike on the Godward and on the manward side. In the first aspect it meant that God should be forced to do for Him what He had before refused to do for Himself — make Him an object of supernatural care, exempted from obedience to natural law, a child of miracle, exceptional in His very physical relations to God and nature. In the second aspect it meant that He was to be a Son of Wonder, clothed in marvels, living a life that struck the senses and dazzled the fancies of the poor vulgar crowd. — Pentecost, page 103

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It is as though the enemy had said to the perfect Man, You have declared your allegiance in response to my first temptation; you have declared your trust in God; very well; if you do trust Him, venture something on your trust; do something heroic; do something splendid; show how much you trust in God by flinging yourself from the pinnacle of the temple. — Morgan, page 32

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Christ responded to this temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not test the Lord your God.” Once again the tempted One submitted Himself to the authority of the Word of God, accepting it as the will of God rather than submitting to the solicitation of the evil one. Christ’s refusal to put God to the test did not come because He was afraid God could not prove Himself. To the contrary, Christ’s trust was so implicit that He saw no need to put God to a test. Christ believed God because of His Word, not because of evidence that had been presented that He is faithful. In this test Jesus Christ showed absolute confidence in God and remained in perfect obedience to God’s will. — Pentecost, page 104.

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Then (v.1) — immediately after His baptism (Mark 1:12)

tempted (v.1) = put to the test

Scripture tells us definitely that He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21); He “did no sin” (1 Peter 2:22); “in Him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). He could say, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me” (John 14:30). There was no lurking traitor within to answer to the voice of the enemy without. He was tempted as we are, sin apart (Hebrews 4:15, literal rendering), that is, there was no sin within to tempt Him. From the moment of His birth He was holy, not merely innocent (Luke 1:35). — Ironside, page 33.

Pentecost’s take on the temptation (below) is interesting. I’m not sure whether or not I agree. That Christ, under the control of the Spirit, didn’t shy away from it, is undeniable. Whether forty days was as long as Satan could afford to put it off, I’m not sure.

Since Christ was under the full control of the Spirit, and since the purpose of the temptation was to demonstrate His sinlessness and thus prove His moral right to be Savior-Sovereign, we must recognize that Jesus was the Aggressor in the temptation. He forced Satan to put Him to the test so that His true character might be revealed. (That explains why He spent forty days in the desert before the temptations began. Satan sought to escape the confrontation.) Had there been a longer delay, it would have been a concession that Jesus was the sinless One. — Pentecost, page 97

It is written (v.4) — Deuteronomy 8:3 — when Israel complained when hungry in the wilderness

In this temptation of Christ, Satan followed the well-established pattern of temptation revealed in the Garden of Eden and illustrated throughout Scripture. It is defined in 1 John 2:16 as being temptation along three lines: (1) the lust of the flesh; (2) the lust of the eyes; (3) the pride of life. The order of the temptation in 1 John 2:16 is the same as the serpent’s temptation of Eve in Genesis 3:6, where the fruit was (1) good for food, the lust of the flesh; (2) pleasant to the eyes, the lust of the eyes; (3) to be desired to make one wise, the pride of life. Luke 4:1-13 presents it in the same order as in Genesis and 1 John. Matthew chooses to present it in what was probably the actual historical order, with the offer of the kingdoms of the world last. — Walvoord, page 35.

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Satan’s invitation was based on the sonship which the Father had acknowledged at Jesus’ baptism. The sonship of Christ carried with it the implication that the Son had certain rights and there was no reason why He could not exercise those rights to gratify His appetite and satisfy Himself. This suggests that man’s highest good comes from gratifying his desires and happiness comes from satisfying his fleshly appetites. The implication is that man is a physical being with physical appetites which are to be gratified; thus, man lives by bread alone. 

This temptation was an attempt to pervert Jesus Christ from perfect obedience to the will of God. He was in the desert in the will of God, and therefore all that He endured while in the desert was part of God’s will for Him. To gratify His own desires would have been to abandon the will of God and substitute His own will, deeming that gratification of His appetite was more important than obedience to the will of God.

Now, what constituted this a temptation? Where lay its evil? Suppose Christ had commanded the stones to become bread, what then? To Christ, considering the work He had to do, two things were necessary. He had to live His personal life (1) within the limits necessary to man, and (2) in perfect dependence on God. Had He transgressed either of these conditions He had ceased to be man’s ideal Brother or God’s ideal Son. Man cannot create; he lives by obeying Nature. He has to plow, to sow, to reap, to garner and winnow, to bruise and bake his grain, that he may eat and live. Now, had Christ by a direct miracle fed Himself, He had lifted Himself out of the circle and system of humanity, had annulled the very terms of  the nature which made Him one with man. While His supernatural power was His own, it existed not for Himself, but for us. The moment He had stooped to save self He had become disqualified to save men. The ideal human life must be perfect in its dependence on God, absolute in its obedience. The ideal Son could not act as if He had no Father. And so His choice was not to be His own Providence, but to leave Himself to the Divine. He conquered by faith, and His first victory was like His last. — Pentecost, pages 101-102.

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

¹⁴ And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

¹⁶ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

¹⁷ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

fulfill all righteousness (v.15) — Jesus observed all the rightful Jewish religious observances. (Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:4-5)

Spirit … alighting upon Him (v.16) — in fulfillment of John 1:33 and Isaiah 11:2.

In Isaiah 42 is recorded the beginning of the new movement, “Behold My Servant,” and from there onwards, the Servant of the Lord is presented. In chapter 53, we see the Servant of the Lord rejected, bruised, cast out; the suffering Messiah, the King that men will not have. Towards its close we have the story of His Person, and of His ultimate victory, and in verse 11 we find these words, “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied. By the knowledge of Himself shall my righteous Servant justify many; and He shall bear their iniquities.”

These words, “My righteous Servant shall justify many,” are the explanation of the meaning 0f Jesus when He said to John, “thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” By identification with them in sin and suffering “He bare the sin of many.” He identified Himself with them in their sins, and “was numbered with the transgressors;” and therefore “by the knowledge of Himself shall My righteous Servant justify many.” His knowledge of Himself is His first-hand knowledge (see John 2:24-25), and so is knowledge of the need knowledge of the remedy, and consent to all such knowledge is involved. “He shall bear their iniquities.” The King was facing the problem of obtaining His Kingdom, and He faced first the sin of man. He submitted to the baptism of John, indicating by this symbolic action His identification of Himself with His people in their sin, in order that He may put that sin away, and build and establish the Kingdom of God, and so fulfill all righteousness. — Morgan, page 26.

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One reason for Christ’s baptism is given in John 1:33-34: “I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The Man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'” John recognized Jesus as the Messiah when He presented Himself for baptism, but John was not permitted to reveal to Israel what he by the Spirit understood. It was only after the Spirit descended that John could make a public announcement that the One whom he had promised had now arrived and had begun His ministry. The baptism, then, was to release John to make a public announcement concerning the coming of Christ.

The baptism of Jesus was that He might identify Himself with the believing remnant in Israel. John’s ministry had brought men to faith in his word and in the promise of God. This believing remnant was bound together by the sign of John’s baptism. When Jesus Christ came, He came not to identify Himself with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, and the Zealots, but rather to identify Himself with that believing remnant who were expecting the fulfillment of God’s promises. 

Further, Jesus was baptized to identify Himself with sinners. Sinners were coming to John to confess their sin, to confess their need of a Savior, and to give an outward sign of their faith that the Savior would come who would redeem them from sin. Jesus Christ came to identify Himself with sinners so that through that identification He might become their substitute. Paul stated this in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Just as it was necessary for Israel to be identified with the scapegoat and the scapegoat to be identified with Israel through the laying on of hands, so Jesus Christ identified Himself with sinners to that they might be identified with Him when He gave Himself as a substitute for their sins. — Pentecost, page 94

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At this time God confirmed to John and others present who witnessed this baptism that Jesus was what John had introduced Him to be — the Messiah, the Savior, the King. “The Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:22). All present could see this visible sign. In addition, there was an audible sign, for a voice from heaven said, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.”

God vocally confirmed John’s introduction of Jesus. At the baptism Jesus the Son was officially recognized by God the Father as Israel’s King. Jesus was anointed by the Spirit for the work that He had come to perform. The Father bore witness of the relationship between the Son and Himself, saying, “You are My Son, whom I love.” There was a witness of the Father as to the life of the Son: “With You I am well pleased,” In the prayer we see a relationship of Christ to the Father. Christ was dedicating Himself to the Father’s will and work. We see a relationship of Christ to the Holy Spirit; the Spirit descended on Him to empower Him in the work He was to do. — Pentecost, page 95.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

¹² His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Pharisees and Sadducces were coming to where John was baptizing (v. 7). These religious leaders in their self-righteousness considered themselves acceptable to God. They denied having sin that needed to be confessed or unrighteousness that needed to be forgiven. By virtue of their physical birth, they saw themselves as Abraham’s children, as acceptable to God, and as already members of His kingdom. — Pentecost, page 88

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The Pharisees and the Sadducees … came out to John. The Pharisees (the name means a Separatist) were the strictly religious, orthodox-ritualistic class. They were well versed in the traditions of the elders, and occupied themselves with creating new commandments and strange interpretations of the law. They are the fathers of the talmudical Jews of the present day and typical of ritualistic Christendom, having the form of godliness and not the power. The Sadducees were the rationalist, the unbelieving class. They were much given to reform. Their offspring today are the reformed Jews, who reject the greater part of the Word of God, and in Christendom they are remarkably reproduced in the unevangelical “Isms,” though they call themselves “Christian,” who reject portions of the Word, who do not believe in the inspiration of the Bible. 

“Offspring of vipers!” thus the Holy Spirit declared through the forerunner their true character. What a strong and cutting word it is, which applies not alone to the Pharisees and Sadducees, but to all ritualistic-religiousness and unbelieving criticism. They are the offspring not of God but of vipers. But still they were the proud boasters of being the seed of Abraham and as such entitled to the promised blessing. They believed that they were to be saved from the wrath of God connected with the establishment of the kingdom, and the wrath would fall entirely upon the Gentile nations. — Gaebelein, pages 68-69

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We see a note of urgency in John’s message, for when he called for repentance, he told them that judgment was at hand. He said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (v.10). This was in keeping with the Old Testament revelation that the Messiah would come as a Judge and remove the sinful from His kingdom. David in Psalm 24:3 asks rhetorically, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?” David meant, Who will be accepted in the Messiah’s kingdom when He comes? The answer is then given: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (v.4). Ezekiel 20:34-38 describes this judgment in detail. — Pentecost, page 89.

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Let us understand in the first place that the words spoken (v.11) refer to the first and second coming of our Lord. Let this be clearly fixed in our minds, and all will be plain. The promise connected with the first coming is, He shall baptize you with the Holy spirit. The second coming of the Lord will bring the baptism with fire, as it is seen at once in the words which follow, which speak clearly of judgment and fire unquenchable. It may appear strange at the first glance that John says in one breath: “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” — that the Holy Spirit should refer to His first coming and the fire to His second appearing, but let us take into consideration that John still belongs to the Old Testament, and he expresses himself in a way as many of the prophets did, who frequently spoke in one clause of the Lord’s first and second coming. However, the fifth verse in the first chapter of Acts puts into our hands the key. The Lord said then to His disciples, “John, indeed, baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.” That our Lord speaks of what John said in our passage here is evident, yet he does not mention baptism with fire. If He had added, and with fire, it would clearly prove that the baptism connected with His first coming is a baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. But He leaves out the fire because it stands in connection with His second coming. Thus it is seen in the entire prophetic Word, which speaks of the day of wrath and vengeance as being a day of burning and fire. — Gaebelein, pages 70-71

fan (v.12) — a shovel used to toss grain in the wind, which would blow away the chaff

Israel in the course of her history had had peculiar identifying signs previously. Circumcision was the external sign that one was rightly related to Abraham and to his covenant. Sabbath observance was the sign that one was rightly related to Moses and his law. Now the sign that one was rightly related to John and his message was submission to the external rite of water baptism. All these external signs were given to the nation Israel.

When Messiah comes, He will have a new sign by which to identify God’s people. It had been promised in Joel 2:28 and Ezekiel 36:25-27 that God would give His Holy Spirit as a gift to all those in Messiah’s kingdom. John promised that when Messiah came, He would “baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 3:16). The One who would give the Spirit as an identifying sign of relationship would be the true Messiah — not the one who gave the external preparatory sign. Messiah’s baptism would not be external but internal. Whereas any external sign could be duplicated by men, the work which Messiah would do in giving the Holy Spirit to believers could not be duplicated by men. Such a baptism would identify the true Messiah and also be a true identification of those who belong to Him.

John gave a second part of the baptizing work of the Messiah when he said, “He will baptize you … with fire” (Luke 3:16). Fire was associated with judgment just as the winnowing fork of Matthew 3:12 was a sign of judgment. When Messiah comes to rule, He will remove all that is worthless, useless, and lifeless; He will accept into His kingdom only what has life — the life which men have received from Him. — Pentecost, page 91.

I have only to add that it is evident that John’s message and baptism were only for Israel and have no direct reference to the Body of Christ. The entire age of grace is taking place between the two baptisms mentioned in verse 11 — That of the Jews with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in preparation for the kingdom (which was rejected) and that baptism of fire which will occur when the Lord returns in judgment after the Body of Christ has been taken up to heaven with the Lord.