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This is the New King James text of the passages.

Matthew 3:1-4:11; Mark 1:1-13;                 Listen Podcast
Luke 3:1-22; Luke 4:1-13; John 1:15-51  

 

In these passages, the following events are covered:

  • These events take place previous to the first Passover Festival during Jesus' ministry.
  • John the Baptist prepares the Jews for the Messiah.
  • Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist.
  • Jesus calls his disciples.
  • Jesus is tempted by Satan.

The following passages mark the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. He goes to Jerusalem for his first Passover in John 2:12-25 (see notes).
The sequence of events that follow these passages may be found beginning in John 2 (see notes).

John the Baptist - He's different! (Matthew 3:1-10; Mark 1:1-6; Luke 3:1-9)

Matthew 3
Mark 1
Luke 3
1  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.”		 1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.'"

3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 		5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
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.
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin 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.
9 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.”

John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus. In this passage we see the purpose of John the Baptist's ministry manifested as the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah. Although Mark 1:2 is taken from Malachi 3:1 (see notes), the detailed verses following are taken from Isaiah; he had prophesied of the coming Messiah and restoration of Israel in Isaiah 40 (see notes). Isaiah 40:3 is quoted here in reference to the Messiah. When John the Baptist quotes Isaiah (Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4), it is clear to his listeners that he is introducing Jesus as the Messiah. Also notice the call John makes according to Matthew 3:2 when he says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" You cannot understand the Gospels without understanding specifically what the "kingdom of heaven" really is. Remember this definition: The "kingdom of heaven" is the literal establishment of the Messiah ruling over all the earth. It is not a vague reference to Believers going to Heaven when they die. It is literally the Messianic promise of the Old Testament prophets being fulfilled. Luke continues his account in verses 5-6 by citing two additional verses from Isaiah 40:4-5 that John quoted that day.

Luke alone is quite interested in lending his readers a leadership perspective. Take notice of the informational box below explaining the who's who of Luke 3:1-2.

The religious system under the Sadducees and Pharisees was a mess. Their standards of righteousness were superficial, and their religious system was not open to change. Then, here comes John the Baptist - nothing conventional about him whatsoever (dressed weird; unusual diet)...and he's calling upon them to repent (literally: turn to God). What! They thought they had a corner on God! This could be trouble. John makes it worse when he calls the Sadducees and Pharisees a "generation of vipers" (Matthew 3:7, Luke 3:7). He adds, "And don't tout your ancestry back to Abraham; you need to repent!"

What was this baptism all about? It was a custom among the Jews to require proselytes to Judaism to be baptized. John's baptism is not a picture of today's Believers' baptism. I have heard preachers refer to John's requirement that they bring forth fruit (actions) meet (worthy) of repentance prior to their baptism as being the same standard for new Believers today. These preachers require a waiting period before they will baptize new converts to make certain they live the appropriate lifestyle first. They base this requirement on John's words in this passage. Peter required no such thing on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:38-41 (see notes)! To make such a requirement is to take scripture out of its context. John had already addressed their wickedness and was now calling upon them to turn from that wickedness and be baptized. Their pride of heritage in being the children of Abraham was no substitute for an individual, authentic relationship with God.

So, what exactly do they need to do? (Luke 3:10-15)

Luke 3
10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,

John knew their corrupt condition. A relationship with God ought to foster positive attitudes toward others. Luke 3:10-15 gives us a record of the specifics to their question, "What shall we do then? These suggestions were by no means meant to be a comprehensive plan for salvation for these people, but merely a declaration to expose their wrong attitudes toward God and to demonstrate what will follow when a person authentically seeks to please God with his life. Getting their hearts right with God would serve to make them receptive to the first advent of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Baptized by the Holy Ghost! (Matthew 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16-17)

Matthew 3
Mark 1
Luke 3
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.” 		7 And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 		16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John the Baptist makes a differentiation. He's baptizing in water those who repent. However, he's introducing Christ ("Christ" is the English transliteration for the Greek word for "Messiah") who will do a supernatural baptism - a baptism by the Holy Spirit (Ghost and Spirit come from the exact same Greek word, "pneuma"). John also mentions "fire" and a "fan." It's an agricultural analogy. The fan (winnowing fork) was used to sift the chaff from the wheat, and then the chaff was burned in the fire while the wheat was preserved. Get the picture? The Messiah, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will accurately separate Believers from the wicked. And the wicked...that's kinda self explanatory - don't you think? Hey John! This kind of preaching can land you in prison! And, we see in Luke 3:18-20 that it did.

Hard preaching leads to hard time (Luke 3:18-20)

Luke 3
18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20 also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

I guess everybody understands that, when a preacher ruffles the feathers of the influential, bad things come with the good. This time it's a woman (Herodias) who's not a fan of the message John the Baptist is preaching. Here's why. Herodias had been married to a guy named Philip who was the half brother of Herod the tetrarch. Herodias left Philip for Herod. Philip and Herod were sons of Herod the great, the man who had attempted to orchestrate the death of the Messiah by having all the babies murdered after the birth of Jesus. John's preaching here is very convicting to Herod and Herodias because of their disdain for the marriage vows, so John the Baptist is imprisoned. After only a few months of preaching that introduced Jesus as the Messiah, the preaching ministry of John the Baptist came to a close. John remained in prison until he was beheaded in Matthew 14:3-12 (see notes).

 

Jesus arrives to be baptized. (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22)

Matthew 3
Mark 1
Luke 3
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. 		9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
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.” 		10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 		21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

 

Why would Jesus feel the need to be baptized? When John brings up that point, Christ replies, "...for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." It's important to understand this baptism of Jesus. Was he being baptized "...with water unto repentance..." as John the Baptist was pleading for people to do? NOPE! He was sinless, perfect - had nothing to confess or repent from. Well then, WHY? Here's what I think is meant by Jesus' baptism being executed "to fulfil all righteousness." Old Testament priests were washed with water and anointed with oil as part of the sanctification process for the priesthood under Aaron, according to Leviticus 8:6-36 (see notes). We see in Hebrews 7 (see notes) that Jesus was a high priest after the order of Melchisedec. I am convinced that the same ritual observed under Aaron is observed supernaturally here; John baptizes him (the priestly washing); then, instead of being anointed with oil, God actually sends a dove to light upon him while God utters the words, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This baptism by John was necessary to fulfill the law regarding priests - "to fulfill all righteousness." Here's another important point about baptism. We are not baptized because Christ was baptized. Our baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6, see notes). This baptism by John marked the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry as our great high priest.

Incidentally, note the words of God saying, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." This undoubtedly reminded those who heard the voice of Psalm 2:7, "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'" Psalm 2 (see notes) was recognized as a Messianic Psalm.

Christ - the contrast between law and grace (John 1:15-18)

John 1
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

In this passage we see John contrasting the message of Christ as being one of grace and truth while the message of Moses was one of law. It is important to take note that this distinction was made at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. We see it all through the gospels.

Verse 18 is sorta curious here, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." I'm convinced that any form of God ever seen by man was a manifestation of the only body the Godhead has - that of Jesus Christ himself. A fuller explanation of this issue may be found in the discussion of Melchisedek in Hebrews 7; click here to read that summary. John makes the same statement in I John 4:12 (see notes). In both passages, John seems to be making a distinction between Jesus incarnate and God in His essence, His Spirit-being. Jesus later proclaims to the Samaritan woman  that "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24, see notes).

Let's identify the prophet and the Messiah (John 1:19-28)

John 1
19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: “I am The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Well, the Pharisees (verse 24) sent some priests and Levites (verse 19) out to interrogate this wild-looking man (John the Baptist) who was preaching and baptizing. We are told in verse 28 that this incident takes place on the Jordan River at Bethabara, about 18 miles east of Jerusalem.

Now take a comparative look at two verses:

John 1:23 He said: “I am The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said."
Isaiah 40:3 (see notes) The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God."

As you can plainly see, John professes to be the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, a prophecy also made in Malachi 3:1 (see notes) and Malachi 4:5-6 (see notes) concerning the coming of the Messiah. Now here's the confusion. These priests and Levites are familiar with Malachi's prophecies. It appears from this passage that the Pharisees differentiated between Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6 and the Messenger of Malachi 3:1 as seen in verses 21 and 25. So, they reason, if John the Baptist is introducing the Messiah, and the Messiah is here to judge the nations and establish the throne of David, then John the Baptist must be Elijah according to Malachi. But John says he's not Elijah in verse 21! Well, was he or wasn't he? The answer is: he could have been. You see, Malachi's prophecy looked all the way into the millennium. When John the Baptist and Jesus came, the Jews did have an opportunity to receive him as their Messiah and usher in the rule of Israel over the earth under the Davidic throne. However, it had been prophesied that they would reject, and Christ knew that in advance as well (of course he did). Therefore, John the Baptist would have fulfilled the Malachi prophecy had the Jews readily accepted the Messiah, but they did not...so John was not Elijah. For a full explanation of this issue, see the information box to the right or click here to read "Was John the Baptist Elijah?" in full screen.

John gives his testimony regarding Jesus (John 1:29-34)

John 1
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”
32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

From the wording of verse 29, it would appear that the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist had already occurred on a previous day. Now it's time for John the Baptist's personal testimony regarding Jesus himself in verses 30-34. He indicates that God himself had told him to be on the lookout for the dove and voice-from-heaven miracle which occurred at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 - see above); when he saw that miracle, he knew, without question, that Jesus was that Messiah.

The calling of disciples (John 1:35-51)

John 1
35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”
They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Here we have John's account of the circumstances around the calling of four of the twelve apostles.

We find the whole list of the twelve in Mark 3:16-19 (see notes); they are as follows:

  1. Peter
  2. James (Son of Zebedee and brother of John)
  3. John
  4. Andrew
  5. Philip
  6. Bartholomew
  7. Matthew
  8. Thomas
  9. James (Son of Alphaeus)
  10. Thaddaeus
  11. Simon the Canaanite
  12. Judas Iscariot

In John 1:41 it is interesting to see that Andrew sought out his brother Peter to inform him that he had found the Messiah. Here we see also the definitive statement that "Christ" means "Messiah." Philip confirms this finding in verse 45, but with an additional comment that is worth noting. He points out that this is the Messiah "of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write." Of course, we are well aware of the numerous Old Testaments prophecies from the prophets concerning the coming Messiah, but what about his reference to Moses? It is obvious from this reference that the Jews of Jesus' day understood Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (see notes) to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah.

Let's take a look at the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (see notes):

15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’
17 “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.
18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

I find this passage particularly interesting in two respects. First of all, I feel relatively certain that the Israelites to whom this prophecy was first given must have thought Moses was talking about Joshua who succeeded him after his retirement (so to speak). That description certainly fits him. However, Philip believes what apparently many (if not virtually all) Jews in his day believe, that Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is a direct reference to the Messiah. To make this discussion more interesting, consider this: "Jesus" is a Greek transliteration for the Hebrew name "Joshua." So, just as Joshua led Israel into Canaan, so will Jesus (Joshua) lead Israel into the millennium. We do find that Jesus, after his resurrection, confirms that Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is a reference to himself in Luke 24:27 (see notes), "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." For a more comprehensive look at this issue, consult the information box to the right of this window or click here to read the article entitled, "Moses prophesied the Messiah."

Verse 46 is amusing as well when Nathan questions Philip regarding Jesus, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Hey! What do you have against Nazareth? Well, probably being unaware of Jesus' Bethlehem roots at the time, it was a fair question. I mean...a Messiah from Nazareth? Jesus' very first words to Nathanael are an interesting play on words when he says of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Jesus is undoubtedly making a reference to Isaac's words concerning Jacob in Genesis 27:35 (see notes), "But he said, 'Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.'" When Nathanael wonders how Jesus was able to make such a correlation, having just met him, Jesus reveals to Nathanael in verse 48 that he had a vision of Nathanael under a fig tree. As we see in verse 49, that settles it for Nathanael.

The temptation of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13)

Matthew 4
Mark 1

Luke 4
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.'"
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.'"
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.

12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

 1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written:
“He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’
11 and, “In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Of course Satan is determined to discover the credentials of Jesus as well. After all, Satan is not omniscient. Isaiah 9:6-7 (see notes) clearly characterized the nature of the Messiah:

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

So, I'm guessing this episode is Satan's attempt to see exactly what he's dealing with here: Is Jesus God in the flesh or not. If Jesus will succumb to temptation and sin (abandon his Messianic mission), then he is not the promised Messiah. You must keep in mind that Satan is not omniscient (nor omnipotent nor omnipresent). However, he does know the scripture and has talked with God...but he's not omniscient. Contrary to popular belief, he can't even read your thoughts. So Satan is using the conventional method of Messiah testing in this passage of scripture. RESULTS: Jesus is 100% Messiah, God in the flesh...and he won't perform any parlor tricks to obtain a big prize from Satan.

These temptations placed before Jesus follow forty days of fasting. It is worth noting that these forty days match those of Moses when he ascended to Mount Sinai in Exodus 24:12-18 (see notes). As a matter of fact, we are told in Deuteronomy 9:9 (see notes) that Moses also fasted for these forty days and forty nights.

Despite being God in the flesh, Jesus quotes scripture as he combats the temptations of Satan:

Matthew 4:3-4 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
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.'"
Quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3 (see notes)

Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 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.'"
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"
Quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16 (see notes)

Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
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.’”
Quoted from Deuteronomy 10:20 (see notes)

It is interesting to note, however, that Satan himself quotes scripture in this verbal duel when he says in verse 6, "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." That's a quotation from Psalm 91:11-12 (see notes); it just goes to show you, quoting scripture out of context is something that even Satan does.