The Satan and the Devil in Matthew 4
The first encounter with the
satan/devil figure in the Gospel of Matthew is found in Matthew 4:1; the
section is identified as the Trial of Jesus in the Wilderness. Commentators
propose the passage represents a testing to determine if Jesus exhibits the characteristics
o the “Son of God.” This point is supported by the stan comments found in
Matthew 4:3 and 6: “Since you are the Son of God,” in which he may be
attempting to get Jesus to use his “powers” as the Son of God to work things
out on his own without God. Each of the tests that Jesus is offered questions
whether he will be obedient to the Father or take an opportunity to display his
Messianic powers.
In Matthew 4:1, the author states that
Jesus was led up (ανηχθη) by the Holy Spirit into the
wilderness to be tested πειρασθηναι,
aor. pass. inf.) by the devil (του
διαβολου). This portrayal of the devil as the one who
tests individuals follows the primary function of the being in the HB (see esp.
Job 1-2—we can see here that God through the Spirit has established the
opportunity for testing but the actual tests are accomplished by his agent, in
Job’s case the satan figure. Perhaps this might suggest the satan figure made a
similar approach to God concerning Jesus, perhaps testing his willingness to be
the Messiah of God. In Matthew 4:3, he is called the one who tests or tries
individuals (πειραζων, pres. act. part.), further
supporting one of his functions or roles in the NT. This may be a deliberate
shift for Matthew to establish the reason Jesus is led out into the wilderness
(Luke uses ο διαβολος). This literature of the 2TP reveal a shift
in the idea of theodicy, in which actions previously attributed to God are now
ascribed to the satan figure or some other heavenly being. The satan tests
Jesus with Scripture, perhaps in an effort to persuade him from turning from
God and a proper understanding of the Torah and the Scriptures. As we saw in
the Damascus Document CD 16, if one follows Scripture properly and turns to God
for their sanctuary, the Angel of Mastema must leave him. In Matthew 4:3-10,
one might suggest the connection between the satan and Mastema as previously
suggested in Jubilees. In 4:5, the author identifies the tester from 4:3 with ο διαβολος, the one
who takes Jesus to Jerusalem to test his willingness to be the Messiah of God;
again, Jesus answers with Scripture: “Do not put the Lord your God to the
test!” One might ask if here Jesus is making a declaration of his divinity or
simply responding with Scripture. Is he declaring to the devil, “Stop testing
your God; you cannot defeat him!”? perhaps even more intriguing is the fact
that he says his Father is the devil’s God!
Matthew 4:8- 9 offers a clear picture
of the satan’s task to turn people away from God and worship another—in this
case, worship the devil himself. Upon stating his resolute intention to follow
God and not turn away from his Torah, we are told the devil left Jesus, perhaps
again echoing the theme of CD 16 noted above. In the midst of this testing, the
first instance of the term the satan appears in Matthew 4:10. In the
context of Jesus rebuking him, he states, “Be gone, satan!” (voc. m.s.), and he
leaves. The author then notes that the angels come and serve Jesus, thus ending
the pericope. We can see in this story that the task of the devil/satan is to
test Jesus to see whether he is willing and able to pass the test as the
Messiah of God—the satan obviously must have doubts, since he questions if he
is the “Son of God,” a title used for the Messiah in the 2TP. The term satan
in this context could be best understood as “adversary” or, as the text makes
clear, “one who tests,” πειραζων. (Archie T.
Wright, Satan and the Problem of Evil: From the Bible to the Early Church
Fathers [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2022], 149-50)
