Mateus 4
O Livro
Jesus é tentado
(Mc 1.12-13; Lc 4.1-13)
4 Depois disto, Jesus foi levado pelo Espírito Santo ao deserto para ser tentado pelo Diabo. 2 Durante quarenta dias e quarenta noites nada comeu; por fim, sentiu fome. 3 Então o Tentador instigou-o a arranjar alimento, dizendo: “Se és o Filho de Deus, manda a estas pedras que se transformem em pão.”
4 Mas Jesus respondeu: “Não! Porque as Escrituras dizem:
‘Nem só de pão viverá o homem,
mas de toda a palavra que sai da boca de Deus.’ ”[a]
5 Depois o Diabo levou-o à cidade santa[b], ao telhado do templo: 6 “Se és o Filho de Deus, salta! Pois, segundo as Escrituras:
‘Deus dará ordens aos seus anjos a teu respeito.
Eles te susterão com as suas mãos,
para que não tropeces nas pedras do caminho.’ ”[c]
7 Jesus retorquiu-lhe: “Mas as Escrituras também dizem:
‘Não deves provocar o Senhor, teu Deus.’ ”[d]
8 Por fim, o Diabo levou-o a um monte muito alto e mostrou-lhe todos os reinos do mundo e a sua glória: 9 “Tudo isto te darei se te ajoelhares e me adorares.”
10 “Vai-te, Satanás! As Escrituras dizem:
‘Adorarás o Senhor, teu Deus. Só a ele servirás.’ ”[e]
11 Então o Diabo foi-se embora e os anjos vieram e serviam-no.
Jesus começa a pregar
(Mc 1.14-15; Lc 4.14-15)
12 Quando Jesus soube que João tinha sido preso, saiu da Judeia e voltou para casa, em Nazaré na Galileia. 13 Porém, cedo deixou Nazaré e mudou-se para Cafarnaum, junto ao mar da Galileia, perto de Zebulão e Naftali. 14 Assim, cumpriu-se a profecia de Isaías:
15 “A terra de Zebulão e de Naftali,
uma estrada para o mar, além do Jordão,
na Galileia onde vivem tantos gentios,
16 o povo que anda nas trevas viu uma grande luz,
uma luz que brilhou sobre todos os
que vivem na terra da sombra da morte.”[f]
17 Dali em diante, Jesus começou a pregar: “Deixem os vossos pecados e voltem-se para Deus, pois o reino dos céus está próximo.”
A chamada dos primeiros discípulos
(Mc 1.16-20; Lc 5.2-11)
18 Certo dia, caminhando ao longo da costa do mar da Galileia, Jesus viu dois irmãos; Simão, também chamado Pedro, e André, que num barco pescavam com uma rede, pois eram pescadores por ofício. 19 Então chamou-os: “Venham e sigam-me. Farei de vocês pescadores de pessoas!” 20 No mesmo instante, deixaram as redes e seguiram-no.
21 Avançando dali, viu na praia outros dois irmãos, Tiago e João, num barco a remendar as redes, na companhia de Zebedeu seu pai. Também chamou estes para o seguirem. 22 Logo pararam o trabalho e, deixando o pai, foram com Jesus.
Jesus cura os enfermos
(Mc 3.7-12; Lc 6.17-19)
23 Jesus andava por toda a Galileia ensinando nas sinagogas e pregando as boas novas do reino dos céus. E curava toda a casta de doenças e enfermidades entre o povo. 24 A fama dos seus milagres espalhou-se para lá dos limites da Galileia, de tal modo que em breve começaram a aparecer muitos enfermos em busca de cura, vindo mesmo de regiões tão distantes como a Síria. Qualquer que fosse a doença ou mal, mesmo os possessos dos demónios, os loucos e os paralíticos, a todos curava. 25 Multidões enormes seguiam-no, vindas da Galileia, das Dez Cidades, de Jerusalém e da Judeia, e até do outro lado do Jordão.
Matthew 4
The Message
The Test
4 1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.”
7 Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”
8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”
10 Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
11 The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.
Teaching and Healing
12-17 When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. This move completed Isaiah’s revelation:
Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
road to the sea, over Jordan,
Galilee, crossroads for the nations.
People sitting out their lives in the dark
saw a huge light;
Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
they watched the sun come up.
This Isaiah-prophesied revelation came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”
18-20 Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.
21-22 A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee’s sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.
23-25 From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with a sickness, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the “Ten Towns” across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.
O Livro Copyright © 2000 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson