Chapter IV.
Part II. The ministry of preaching is treated in two ways.
1. But Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, etc. Above, the Evangelist has treated the mystery of the incarnation, or the nativity of Christ; in this part he treats the ministry of preaching, or doctrine. And since the work of the wise man is twofold, namely in teaching, "not to lie about what he knows, and to expose the liar," therefore this part has two sections. In the first he unfolds the truth; in the second he refutes falsehood, below in chapter eleven: Jesus was casting out a demon, etc.
First, the truth of doctrine is unfolded in four ways.
The first part, in which he unfolds the truth of doctrine, has four sections: in the first of which occurs the authentication of Christ's doctrine; in the second is treated the calling of the disciples, below in chapter five: It came to pass, when the crowds, etc.; in the third, the instruction of those called, below in chapter six: It came to pass in those days, etc.; in the fourth, the delegation of those instructed, below in chapter nine: And having called together the twelve Apostles, he gave them, etc. The order and sufficiency of the parts is self-evident.
First, the doctrine of Christ is authenticated through three things.
The first part, therefore, in which the authentication of Christ's doctrine occurs, comprises the present chapter and has three parts. Since doctrine is authenticated in three ways: either from the merit of life, or from the testimony of Scripture, or from the miracle of power: therefore in the first part is shown the authorization of Christ's doctrine from the merit of life; in the second, from the testimony of Scripture, at: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit; in the third, from the miracle of power, at: And he went down to Capernaum, etc., where the miracles are treated.
The doctrine of Christ is authenticated from the merit of life.
Merit, however, consists in victory over temptations, because "the life of man upon earth is a warfare"; therefore the Evangelist describes how he overcame the diabolical temptation. For a complete description of this, three things are fitting, namely the occasion of the temptation; the manner of tempting, which he touches upon at: And the devil said to him; and the third, the consummation of the temptation, which he expresses at: And when every temptation was ended, etc.
The motive for tempting, however, the devil drew from four things considered in Christ: the first is the fullness of grace, the second is the solitude of the place, the third is the suspicion of Divinity on account of his wondrous abstinence, the fourth is the observation of infirmity on account of his apparent need. The consideration of the fullness of grace moved the devil's will to tempt through envy; the consideration of solitude furnished the malice for tempting; the suspicion of Divinity incited the curiosity for tempting; the observation of necessity provided the opportunity for tempting.
2. (Vers. 1.). He therefore introduces the fullness of grace in Christ, saying: But Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, not because He was first filled there, but because then His fullness first began to appear, by overflowing unto others, according to that passage of John chapter one: "And we saw His glory"; and afterwards: "Of His fullness we have all received." Full, I say, not only sufficiently, but also superabundantly: whence Colossians chapter one: "In Him it pleased all fullness to dwell"; and chapter two: "In whom all the fullness of the Divinity dwells bodily".
3. Then he adds the solitude of the place, because in the desert: on account of which he adds: And He was driven by the Spirit into the desert so that he might test whether He was God or the Son of God, because perhaps he had heard that word: "This is My beloved Son." To be driven by the Holy Spirit belongs to benignity: whence Romans chapter eight: "Whosoever are driven by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Hence Gregory says: "It is fittingly understood that He is believed to have been led by the Holy Spirit, so that His own Spirit might lead Him there where the evil spirit would find Him to tempt Him." Whence He led Him into the desert, where God is accustomed to speak intimately with the soul, according to that passage of Hosea chapter two: "I will lead her into the wilderness, and there I will speak to her heart." And therefore the holy soul says in the Psalm: "I went far off fleeing and remained in solitude"; so also David, in First Kings chapter twenty-three, "dwelt in the desert and remained in the mountain of solitude."
4. (Vers. 2.). And the time is specified, namely forty days, so that thus the truth might correspond to the figure: so Moses, Exodus chapter twenty-four; so Elijah, Third Kings chapter nineteen, so that thus Christ's fast might have testimony from both the Law and the Prophets.
And lest you believe that Christ withdrew there for rest, it is added: And He was tempted by the devil, not interiorly, but only exteriorly. For as Gregory says:
"The delight of sin did not bite His mind"; Hebrews chapter four: "We do not have a High Priest who cannot have compassion on our infirmities, tempted in all things according to likeness, without sin."
5. And note spiritually, that here Christ is said to be driven by the Spirit, in Matthew chapter four He is said to be led, in Mark chapter one He is said to be driven out. In which it is signified that one comes to the desert of penance in three ways, namely by the fear of severity, whose property it is to drive out from evil to good: Ecclesiasticus chapter one, "The fear of the Lord drives out sin," etc. By the splendor of truth, whose property it is to lead: Proverbs chapter four: "I will lead you through the paths of equity," etc., says Wisdom. By the love of goodness, whose property it is to drive: Romans chapter eight: "Whosoever are driven by the Spirit of God," etc. Or through threats, admonitions, and promises, which three correspond in us to the three powers of the soul, namely the irascible, the rational, and the concupiscible.
6. Third, he introduces a wondrous abstinence, when he adds: And he ate nothing in those days, namely the forty days. From this the devil suspected him to be God, because he was fasting beyond human power, which commonly does not extend beyond three days; hence in Matthew 15 it is said concerning the crowds who had been fasting for three days: "I am unwilling to send them away fasting, lest they faint on the way." - And note here that the Savior fasted before the temptation and ate after the resurrection for our instruction. Hence Augustine: "Christ fasted before the death of the flesh, as if crying out: Abstain from carnal desires, while you are in the struggle. He ate after the resurrection, as if to say: while you have a mortal body, feed yourselves now on the hope of immortality, because while we travel the way of the Lord, we ought both to fast from the vanity of the world and to be refreshed by the promise of the future," so that we may always say: "I shall be satisfied when your glory appears."
7. Finally, he adds an apparent need, when he subjoins: And when they were completed, he was hungry. For he did not wish to abstain any longer, lest the devil be able to perceive it. Hence Ambrose: "He hungers, lest the sublime God be recognized; for the hunger of the Lord is a pious ruse, lest the devil beware of tempting him." And note that he hungered in the temptation, as is said here, and thirsted in the passion, as is said in John 19, to show that he had true humanity, and to invite to poverty and the painfulness of penance; hence the Apostle in 2 Corinthians 11: "In hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in many fastings." Moreover, he hungered and thirsted not for himself, but for us, for whom he merited the spiritual refreshment of his body and blood, by which we are fed and given drink; John 6: "My flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink."
8. But the devil said to him etc. After he described the occasion of the temptation, here he describes the manner of tempting, and this according to a threefold motive. Now the motive to sin is a changeable good, which exists in a threefold difference: either it is inferior, and this belongs to the flesh; or exterior, and this belongs to the world; or interior, and this is the excellence of the mind. From the first, a person is made voluptuous; from the second, curious; from the third, presumptuous. In the first way, the tempter brings a suggestion through the inferior good, which belongs to the flesh, to entice to gluttony; in the second, through the exterior good, which belongs to the world, to entice to avarice, and this is at: And the devil led him to a mountain; in the third, through the interior good, which is the excellence of the mind, to entice to pomp or pride, at: And he led him to Jerusalem etc. And these three correspond to the three things in which he tempted and conquered the first man, and these temptations follow an ordered progression from lower to higher: because by the first, one is assailed with respect to the act of the vegetative power; by the second, with respect to the act of the sensitive power; by the third, with respect to the act of the rational power.
As regards the first temptation, therefore, note the devil tempting, and then the Lord responding.
9. (Verse 3). He introduces the devil tempting, when he says: And the devil said to him: If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread, which he says so that he himself might gain proof concerning him and so that he might incite him to gluttony. For since you are a hungry man, command that you may be refreshed: not because the refreshment of Christ pertained to him in any way: Proverbs twenty-three: "Eat and drink, he will say to you, and his heart is not with you"; but if you are the Son of God, say this very thing, so that, if it comes to pass, you may be recognized as omnipotent: Ecclesiastes eight: "His word is full of power, and whatever he wills, he will do." Hence note the cunning of the devil in tempting, because, when he saw Christ's weakness and doubted his Divinity, he wished to guard against the Divinity by discovering it and to cast down his humanity by seducing it. In which there was at once deceit and pride, according to that passage of Job forty-one: "He beholds every high thing, and he himself is king over all the children of pride."
10. (Verse 4). But against this malicious and proud temptation stands the response of God, humble and discreet, because it conceals his Divinity and avoids carnality; whence it is added: And Jesus answered him: It is written, that man does not live by bread alone: Wisdom sixteen: "It is not the fruits of the earth that nourish men, but your word preserves those who believe in you." But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This is written in Deuteronomy eight: "He afflicted you with want and gave you manna for food, which you did not know, to show you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"; whence John six: "The words that I speak to you are spirit and life."
And note that Christ defends himself through Scripture, in which he reveals his wisdom and conceals his power and preserves justice; and thus the devil's suggestion was entirely nullified, because he neither gained proof concerning God nor dragged man into gluttony. Whence that passage of Job twenty-six was verified: "His wisdom struck the proud one," namely the devil. And from this the nobility of Scripture is apparent, by which Christ in temptation defended himself as with a shield, according to that passage of Proverbs thirty: "Every word of the Lord is a fiery shield to all who hope in him"; whence also Ephesians six: "In all things taking up the shield of faith, by which you may extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God."
11. (Verse 5). And the devil led him. Here the second temptation is described, concerning which two things are to be noted. The first is the diabolical suggestion, and the second is the Lord's response, which is noted there: And Jesus answering said to him, etc.
Concerning the devil's suggestion, note the leading, the showing, the promising, the persuading.