Matthew does not explicitly blame the devil for all
temptations that people face. He traces temptations to the flesh at least as
much as to the devil, but we saw in the wilderness narrative, the two are
intertwined. It was when he was famished after fasting for forty days that
Jesus was tempted by the devil. Similarly, as we shall see, it is Peter’s
worldly thinking that makes him an instrument of Satan in Matthew (16:23) as in
Mark (8:33). When he is tempted by the devil, Jesus responds by quoting a
passage from Deuteronomy (8:3) saying, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt 4:4 NIV). Jesus
demonstrates that one can counteract the temptations of the flesh or the devil
by seeking God’s help and following his will. For Matthew, God’s will is
expressed especially clearly in the Torah and the words of the prophets
(5:17-20). More specifically, considering that the devil himself also quotes
Scripture (4:6), God’s will is expressed in the Torah and the prophets as they
are interpreted by Jesus. (Torsten Löfstedt, The Devil, Demons, Judas, and
“the Jews”: Opponents of Christ in the Gospels [Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick
Publications, 2021], 214)
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