And when the tempter came to him.
&c.] By "the tempter", is meant the devil, see ( 1
Thessalonians 3:5 ) so called, because it is his principal
work and business, in which he employs himself, to solicit men to
sin; and tempt them either to deny, or call in question the being
of God, arraign his perfections, murmur at his providences, and
disbelieve his promises. When he is here said to come to Christ
at the end of forty days and nights, we are not to suppose, that
he now first began to tempt him; for the other Evangelists
expressly say, that he was tempted of him forty days, ( Mark 1:13 ) ( Luke 4:2 ) but he now
appeared openly, and in a visible shape: all the forty days and
nights before, he had been tempting him secretly and inwardly;
suggesting things suitable to, and taking the advantage of the
solitary and desolate condition he was in. But finding these
suggestions and temptations unsuccessful, and observing him to be
an hungered, he puts on a visible form, and with an articulate,
audible voice, he said,
if thou be the Son of God;
either doubting of his divine sonship, calling it in question,
and putting him upon doing so too; wherefore it is no wonder that
the children of God should be assaulted with the like temptation:
or else arguing from it, "if", or "seeing thou art the Son of
God"; for he must know that he was, by the voice which came from
heaven, and declared it: and certain it is, that the devils both
knew, and were obliged to confess that Jesus was the Son of God,
( Luke 4:41 ) by
which is meant, not a good, or righteous man, or one dear to God,
and in an office; but a divine person, one possessed of almighty
power; and therefore, as a proof and demonstration of it, be
urges him to
command that these stones be made bread,
pointing to some which lay hard by; (eipe) , "say" but the word, and it will be done. He
did not doubt but he was able to do it, by a word speaking; but
he would have had him to have done it at his motion, which would
have been enough for his purpose; who wanted to have him obedient
to him: and he might hope the rather to succeed in this
temptation, because Christ was now an hungry; and because he had
carried his point with our first parents, by tempting them to eat
of the forbidden fruit.