Jesus said unto him,
It is written again, You shall not test the Lord your God.
All Commentaries on Matthew 4:7 Go To Matthew 4
John Chrysostom
AD 407
From this first answer of Christ, the Devil could learn nothing certain whether He were God or man; he therefore betook him to another temptation, saying within himself; This man who is not sensible of the appetite of hunger, if not the Sonof God, is yet a holy man; and such do attain strength not to be overcome by hunger; but when they have subdued every necessity of the flesh, they often fall by desire of empty glory. Therefore he began to tempt Him by this empty glory.
Perhaps you may say, How could he in the sight of all place Him bodily upon the temple? Perhaps the Devil so took Him as though He were visible to all, while He, without the Devil being aware of it, made Himself invisible.
How does he expect to discover by this proposition whether He be the Son of Godor not? For to fly through the air is not proper to the Divine nature, for itis not useful to any. If then any were to attempt to fly when challenged to it, he would be acting from ostentation, and would belong rather to the Devil than to God. If it is enough to a wise man to be what he is, and he has no wish to seem what he is not, how much more should the Son of God hold it not necessary to show what He is; He of whom none can know so much as He is in Himself?.
For the Son of God in truth is not borne of Angels, but Himself bears them, or if He be borne in their arms, it is not from weakness, lest He dash His foot against a stone, but for the honour. O thou Devil, thou hast read that the Sonof God is borne in Angels’ arms, hast thou not also read that He shall tread upon the asp and basilisk? But the one text he brings forward as proud, the other he omits as crafty.
Observe that Scripture is brought forward by the Lord only with an apt meaning, but by the Devil irreverently; for that where it is written, “He shall give his Angels charge over thee,” is not an exhortation to cast Himself headlong.
Yet He says not, Thou shalt not tempt me thy Lord God; but, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God;” which every man of God when tempted by the Devil might say; for whoso tempts a man of God, tempts God.
