Study of Matthew 4:5. Can you help with any relevant scriptures or comments ?

Question

Matthew 4:5.....Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

See Nehemiah 1:11....Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns.

Also Isa 52:1.... Awake, awake, O Zion,

clothe yourself with strength.

Put on your garments of splendor,

O Jerusalem, the holy city.

The uncircumcised and defiled

will not enter you again.

And Matt 27:53....They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Other cross ref scriptures ...Lu 4:9, Joh 19:11, Isa 48:2, 52:1, Da 9:16 & Re 11:2

Notes

1.The holy city - So Jerusalem was commonly called, being the place God had peculiarly chosen for himself. On the battlement of the temple - Probably over the king's gallery, which was of such a prodigious height, that no one could look down from the top of it without making himself giddy

2.In the N.T. one Greek word, hagios, in its various forms, is rendered, "holy," "holiness," "sanctify," "sanctified," "sanctification." Like the heb. qodesh, it signifies "set apart for God."

3. If the Holy Spirit witness to our being adopted as children of God, that will answer all the suggestions of the evil spirit. Christ was directed to the combat. If we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are tempted, when drawn aside of their own lust, and enticed, Jas 1:14; but our Lord Jesus had no corrupt nature, therefore he was tempted only by the devil. In the temptation of Christ it appears that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and very daring; but he can be resisted. It is a comfort to us that Christ suffered, being tempted; for thus it appears that our temptations, if not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions only. Satan aimed in all his temptations, to bring Christ to sin against God.

Can you tie in Ne 11:1 , Isa 52:1 &/or Matt 17:53 with Matt 4:5 ?

Do you agree with the notes , why/why not ?

Have i missed any points ?

Can you add relevent scriptures ?

What do you think or understand about Matthew 4:5 ?

Can you add relevent comments ?

Answer 1

Remember who got to write the story... it wasn't written by any advocate for the devil.. So it's a one sided account, and we don't get to cross examine the writer.

Answer 2

Can you tie in Ne 11:1 , Isa 52:1 &/or Matt 17:53 with Matt 4:5 ?

All verses talk about Jesus being the Holy City

Do you agree with the notes , why/why not ?yes they appear to state the truth that Jerusalem has been declared by God a city he considers Holy. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to over come Sin in our lives and resist the devil.

Have i missed any points ? yes Jesus was being tested to put God to the test. Cause God to do miracles to prove who he was.

What do you think or understand about Matthew 4:5 ?

Satan is testing Jesus to do some thing miraculous that would get the attention of the people. It is testing God to have him constantly do miracles.

Answer 3

I think that you are keying on 'holy city' instead of the intent of the devil tempting Jesus. I wouldn't go there.

Jesus passed the temptation. He didn't fall for it.

And when you think about it, it was stupid of the devil to tempt him like that, Jesus knew that he would be the King over all the Earth. A New Earth that would never again die, with a covenant people who would be with him for eternity.

So I guess that was the best the devil could do.

Answer 4

Not sure just what your question is about.  The Holy City?

One little point about your quote from the NIV of Matt. 4:5.  Several versions including the KJV, RSV, and NASB say "the pinnacle of the temple."  While not the "highest point of the Temple (itself)," it used to be believed that the pinnacle of the Temple was the southeast corner of the wall of the Temple Mount.  After the war in 1968, archeologists found a stone with the inscription, "To the place of blowing (the shofar)," indicating that it was the southwest corner instead.