The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 138

I. THE INOIDENOE OF THIS TEMPTATION. It may be set forth generally as above. More particularly, (1) its subtleness; (2) its special fascination for some temperaments• (3) its plausibleuess, as able to clothe itself with a ehauow of greatness, and to redeen:: itself from the associations of low kinds of desire; (4) its rapid and imperious habit of growth, may be enlarged upon. The wonderful lessons and examples the life and con- duct of Jesus afford as to the safeguards that real power and necessary wieldin~ of it require, may be pointed out. Hence his own (1) extremely con8picuous economy of miracle; (2) his meekness most genuine; (3) his perpetual resignation of, abnegation of, and even refusal in so many words of the offer of, the forrrui of power (that tinsel which is in many instances large part of the whole question), that come not merely as the fruit of influence over fellow-men, but of mastery over unconscious matter. Of the vanity of miracle, accordingly, and even of the vanity of might, there was not a trace in Jesus. Satan then aimed this temptation within spiritual domain; within spiritual domain with which it is incontestable Jesus bad of necessity [!;!"eat famiiiarity; and in one of the most seducing forms of it-for it was proposed that Jesus should instance himself as at one and the same time subject and object of an unwonted energy; and finally as one authorized to pose as the charmed of angels and the favourite of Heaven. On the other hand, as the combatants in this temptation were only the two, without spectators, we do not think any part of the temptation consisted in the suggestion of a short and royal road to fame, and to the conviction of priests or people in the matter of the Messiahsuip of Jesus. II. THE AGGRAVATION OF THE ATTAOK AS DELIVERED IN' QUOTATION OF BACBED, SCRIPTURE PROMISE, AND PROMISE MOST DIFFERENTLY DESIGNED. Dwell on the odious- ness of the presumption that wrests sacredest promises to the humble into the sugges- tion, the justification, the very plea for daring danger on the part of the proud and self-opinionate. Point this same thought by speaking of the deeper meaniug of the promise. 'l'he angels' charge is to be understood, not merely as sovereign against great and surprising dangers anti violent accident, but against the mere hurt of a mere foot against a mere stone. Possibly note should be made also of the supposition that Satan borrowed the idea of couching his language of temptation in Scripture quotation from Christ's own use of quotation in repelling the first temptation. III. THE REPLY OF JESUS TO THE TEMPTATION. 1. It is a genuine instance of retort. 2. It is pre-eminently short, conclusive, and unchallengeably absolute. 3. It puts for the first time, into words of the most forcible deliverance, the enormity of the act and the sin involved in an illegitimate, whether a careless or a reckless, challenging of the promises of God. These may be challenged, often enough are challenged, by deed rather than word ; in the way they are thought of or calculated upon, far more than iu the language used with respect to them. And to do these things is to offer "to tempt God." God is not the proper Object of temptation at any time, under any circnm- sto.nces. Man is the right object of God's temptations, which o.re right temptations and useful, and adapted by infinite capability of knowledge and wisdom; but the con- verse never.-B. Vere. 8-10.-The third ordeal-temptation of Jesus. 'l'he first temptation was aimed at Jesus in the matter of the appetite of the body. The second in that of the audacious ambition of a daring mind, whose pride of self and of thought would court every presumption whatsoever. The third is an immediate assault on the properly spiritual nature of man, which involves first of all conception of duty, of religion, and llf its grandest presentation in commandment the first, for ever and ever the first I It "goes without saying" that no description more brief, comprehensive, true, addresses itself to the fixing of what it is that is amiss with mau than this-that he forgets that he is estranged from his being's first glory, the worship of its Crentor, Father, sovereign Owner, God. And when this is well remembered, that one type of temptation should be recorded in this direction is what we should entirely expect. It may bo held probable that the eighth ver110 goes a long way to give a satisfactory clue as to how far the details of the scenery of these temptations are to be read literally. It, is plain that here they cannot be read so absolutely. None the less, in our opinion, is the groundwork in this case itself most real; in other words, we believe tho scene was the 1ummit of a high mountain, although even tho narrowest exegesis of the oxprcssiu!l 1  128 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S1', MATTHEW. [011. 1v, 1-25.