Matthew 4:11

IV. MINISTERING ANGELS.-

11. Then the devil leaveth him.

Luke adds, "for. season," for the defeated enemy was not ready to give up the conflict, was. chief counsellor among the enemies of Christ. When the devil is resisted he always flees. He is bold to attack only those who give him. welcome.

Angels came and ministered to him.

When he fought off the tempter alone then, after the victory was won, angels came to minister to him. We suppose this ministry was especially to supply him with food. He had refused to command the stones to be made bread but declared his trust in the means appointed by God. The Father now sends his angels to feed him. He had refused to tempt Jehovah, though the Scripture said the angels should bear him up; now the angels are sent to minister to him. Great joy was that to the angels! and it must have been as great to him! In such. state of long, long conflict and trial, how blessed were these visitors from the great world of peace above; their communications how sweet, how rich in assurance! So, between the beasts and the angels, men being wholly away, Jesus gets tokens of sympathy that minister comfort, and help him to compose himself to the opening tragedy of his life.-- Bushnell. At the close of the temptation, or possibly after different attacks of temptation during the forty days. Angels were spiritual beings, probably in visible form on this occasion. Alone in the contest, he had these companions after his victory. "Ministered" most naturally means " supplied him with food," as in the case of Elijah (1 Kings 19:5). Others think, "gave him spiritual companionship," to support him.-- Schaff. Probably the angels did both.

PRACTICAL AND SUGGESTIVE.

At the beginning of the Christian life comes the great temptation,--the battle as to who shall rule the soul; its success is conversion.

The greatest battles of the world are fought on the silent battle-field of the heart; there greater victories are won, greater heroisms done, than at Thermopylæ or Waterloo.

The whole appeal of Satan, running through all three temptations was: Put forth your power in self-seeking and self-assertion, carry the Jewish nation by storm, and so begin the conquest of the world.

Satan asks Jesus to be just such. Savior as the Jewish nation expected:. Christ who would feed them with bread miraculously made as Moses did, who would give them wonderful signs, and who would rule as. splendid worldly king.

The temptations of Christ are an epitome of those that assail us. The tempter still whispers, If he be the Son of God and insinuates doubts; still tempts us not to do our part but to throw all on God; still makes splendid promises of pleasure, of wealth, or of power, if we will only worship the god of this world. To every whisper of the adversary we should reply, Get thee hence, Satan.

The devil craftily chooses the seasons when he would assail us. Perhaps it may be after. season of spiritual exaltation and he may approach in the name of religion; perhaps it may be in an hour of physical weakness and may make his assault through the door of the flesh. We may be sure he will choose the weakest point at the time of assault.

After. special manifestation to him of the Divine favor, thou shalt be sure to be assaulted by Satan; when thou hast received the greatest enlargements from heaven, either at the sacrament or in prayer, or in any other way, then look for an onset. This arch-pirate lets the empty ships pass, but lays wait for them when they return richest laden.-- Leighton.

HOW COULD CHRIST BE TEMPTED ?--In every act of sin there are two distinct steps. (1) There is the rising of. desire which is natural, and, being natural, is not wrong. (2) There is the indulgence of that desire in forbidden circumstances, and that is sin. Sin is not in the appetites, but in the absence of. controlling will. There were in Christ all the natural appetites of mind and body. He suffered, being tempted, from the force of desire. But there was obedience at the expense of tortured, natural feeling. Remember this; for the way in which some speak of the sinlessness of Christ destroys the reality of temptation, and converts the whole of his history into. mere fictitious drama, it which scenes of trial were represented, not felt.-- F. W. Robertson. 'Tis one thing to be tempted.-- Eschylus. Another thing to fall.-- Shakespeare.

POINTS FOR TEACHERS.

1. Bring out the era in the life of Christ reached; baptized, inaugurated, anointed, proclaimed as the Son; yet, before he begins, even as the first Adam, he must be tried. 2. Point out where he went. 3. What for and why. 4. Bring out the circumstances of the First Temptation, the fast, the hunger, the craftiness of the demand, the force of "If," the sin had the Lord complied with the demand. 5. Bring out the force and meaning of the Lord's answer, from whence did he quote, what did Moses mean, what did Christ mean 6. Show the underlying principles of each temptation. 7. Point out the wisdom of the Lord's replies. 8. Bring out how the first Temptation was an appeal to appetites, the second to spiritual pride, the third to ambition. 9. Impress that the leading idea underlying all was to be just such. Messiah as the Jews expected. 10. Show how this would have defeated the divine work to which he was called. 11. Show that the Savior was tempted as we are, and how we should follow his example.