The passage
      v1. Matthew links Jesus' testing with his baptism. Jesus moves from the water (as Israel did the Reed Sea) and enters the wilderness. The agent of testing is the "devil", who rises up to defend his domain (the kingdoms of this age, Babel, the secular city, the world) against the attack of the messianic king.
      v2. Jesus' fast for forty days most likely images Israel's forty years journey. At the end of the fast, Jesus is weak and hungry.
      v3-4. Jesus certainly had the power to miraculously provide food for himself and it would not be unreasonable for him to do just that. Yet, in the context of wilderness typology, the question is, will God supply the needs of his son during his journey to glory (to Zion)? Life, in its fullest sense, comes by relying on "every word that comes from the mouth of God". God has said it, and he will do it. Unlike Israel, who constantly failed this test of faith (eg. Massah when they "put the Lord to the test by saying, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'" Ex.17:2-7, Deut.6:16), Jesus does not doubt God's promise to sustain his Son through his wilderness journey.
      v5-7. Jesus is now taken (most likely in a vision cf. Ezk.8:1-3) to a projecting part of the temple. The devil's test (temptation) is that Israel's acceptance of the messiah can be guaranteed by a powerful sign. For messiah to rest on signs and wonders is to doubt that God's way to glory through suffering is somehow flawed, even fail. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness", 2Cor.12:9. Moses and the people of Israel failed this test of faith in the wilderness, Num.20, but Jesus does not fail.
      v8-10. As Moses once viewed the promised land from Mount Nebo, so Jesus sees the world before him, as in a vision. He came to receive the promised land and establish an eternal kingdom, a new dominion over heaven and earth, Dan.7:14. To do this, "the enemy", Satan, must be defeated, just as Israel had to defeat the Baal-worshipping Canaanites. Since the world is satan's domain (cf. Jn.12:31, 2Cor.4:4, 1Jn.5:19), satan offers Jesus a compromise solution. Jesus may have dominion, but on satan's terms. Israel had long ago compromised their faith and looked to the Golden Calf to help attain the promised land. Jesus did not fail this test, but rather, he chose the way faith rather than compromise.
      v11. The aid that Jesus was unwilling to ask for himself is now provided by his attending angels.

A time of testing
      This passage particularly applies to the church today. Not the institution, but the worshipping community of believers who gather week by week with their living Lord. The temptation story gives us three insights into the business of serving our Lord.
        i] Does the Lord support his servants as promised, or is self-help necessary? The people of Israel were a normal mob of believers, and like any modern day church they grumbled and doubted their way from Egypt to the promised land. The Lord had promised to provide all their needs for the journey, and yet they doubted, time and again. Unlike them, Jesus did not doubt, rather he rested totally on God's provision for his vocation.
      We modern day Israelites have our vocation, and we are bound to rely on the provision of the Lord. For example, Jesus asks us to communicate the gospel to our broken world. His word tells us that this gospel is the "power of God unto salvation for all who believe." So we don't have to rely on selling techniques, psychological manipulation or group dynamics, to achieve results. To doubt his promise courts disaster.
        ii] Is the Lord's mission self-authenticating, or does it need promoting? Other than Christ, Moses was probably the greatest of the Lord's men, but even he felt the need to authenticate both God's plan and his place in it. The sign of water from the rock was his downfall. Jesus faced a similar test, but did not fail.
      The need to authenticate the church is with us today, as it was all those years ago. There are those who look to miraculous signs and there are those who look to a more subtle authentication - large successful congregations, social justice, spirituality, relevance..... We put the Lord to the test when we forget that his program is self-authenticating.
        iii] Is the victory the Lord's, or does he need help? Israel sensed their venerability and were quick to rely on a Golden Calf, the symbol of Egypt's might. Jesus faced the same test. Rather than submission and sacrifice, the kingdom could be his if only he would submit to dark powers.
      The Christian church has often feared for its very survival and so there is nothing new in the seeming demise of Christianity today. Yet, to build our security on the systems of this age, on structure rather than substance, or relevance rather than reality, is a disaster. "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain", Ps.127:1

v1
      tote "then" - Matthew drops Marks euqoV (immediately).
      anhcqh (anagw) aor. pas. "[Jesus] was led" - Matthew's choice of word, as distinct from Mark and Luke, probably has exodus overtones. Jesus was led into the wilderness as Israel was led into the wilderness.
      uJpo + gen. "by [the Spirit]" - Expressing agency.
      peirasqhnai (pairazw) aor. inf. pas. "to be tempted" - to be tested. The infinitive expressing purpose; Mark and Luke use a participle. Note how Matthew has the temptation after the 40 days, while Mark and Luke has it during.
      eiV "into" - to, into. Mark has en "in" = "into".
      tou diabolou (oV) "the devil" - Diabolos is "the enemy", "the tester", "the accuser", "the evil one" who seeks the destruction of Israel and all that is good.

v2
      nhsteusaV (nhsteuw) aor. part. "after fasting" - Temporal participle, as NIV. Note how Matthew fills in the details of fasting, ie. going without food for a period, possibly queuing his readers to the "fast" of Israel in the wilderness, Ex.34:28, Deut.9:9. "After a fast of forty days", Phillips.

v3
      As with all the temptations, the first test is a test of faith. Will God supply Jesus' needs in the journey to the cross, will he supply Manna for the journey, or should Jesus rely on his own ingenuity. Israel failed this very test in the wilderness in that they doubted God's promised provision. So, the first temptation tests Jesus willingness to rely on God's promised provisiion. proselqwn (prosercomai) aor. part. "came" - having come, approached [ ... he said]. Attendant circumstance participle identifying action accompanying "said", as NIV.
      oJ peirazwn (peirazw) pres. part. "the tempter" - the one tempting, testing. Participle as a substantive descriptive of the devils persona; he tempts to an evil end. The interesting question is whether he can do more than just tempt. It is likely that a whisper is all he needs to keep "the whole world in his hands", v9.
      ei + ind. "if" - Introducing a conditional clause, 1st class, where the condition is assumed to be a reality; a real condition /simple conditional assumption, "since", BAGD. "Since you are the Son of God."
      uiJoV "the Son [of God]" - An example of Colwell's rule, not "a son of God."
      iJna + subj. "[tell these stones to become bread]" - [speak] that [these stones become bread]. The hina clause + the imperatival subjunctive forming a dependent statement indirect speech.

v4
      Jesus quotes Deut.8:3, in simple terms, life is determined by God, irrespective bread, for what he says he does. Note Deut.8:2, tying Jesus' answer to the wilderness wanderings of Israel.
      oJ "Jesus" - he.
      apokriqeiV eipen "answered" - answering he said. Common redundant form of an attendant circumstance participle with a finite verb.
      gegraptai (grafw) perf. pas. "it is written" - The perfect tense indicating a past action with ongoing consequences, so "it stands written." A formal introduction to quotations.
      epi + dat. "on" - Here with a spacial sense, "on / upon", upon which the action, or result of the action, is based, cf. BAGD.
      alla "but" - A strong contrastive.
      ekporeuomenw/ ekporeuomai "that comes" - [every word] coming out. Participle is adjectival, "every word which comes out."
      dia + gen. "from" - through, by means of [mouth of God]. Instrumental sense.

v5
      In Luke the order of the next two temptations is reversed, although Matthew's order seems more appropriate, given the devil's "worship me" is the height of temptations. Actual, or visionary, transportation to the temple is left unstated.
      tote "then" - Matthew's favorite temporal indicator. "Next, the Devil took Jesus with him to the Holy City", Rieu.
      paralambanei (paralambanw) pres. "took him" - takes. The present tense is probably historic, used for vividness, or dramatic effect.
      to pterugion (ou) "the highest point [of the temple]" - The meaning of this word is unclear, but tip or high-point of a building is commonly accepted. It has been suggested that it simply describes the position of the temple itself, given that it was held to be the highest point in Palestine and also the center of the world.

v6
      This second temptation, like the first, is a test of faith, but the offered interpretations are legion. Seeing Jesus uses scripture, Satan gives it a go as well, in the terms of "did not the psalmist confidently write about God's deliverance of the righteous? `I will rescue him'", Davies & Allison. Possible interpretations: i] The temptation is often seen in terms of Jesus using his powers to prove his messianic credentials (to himself, or to the crowd? but what crowd?) for the purpose of authentication, cf. Morris: a) authentication of messiahship by a mass demonstration, Lagrange, Beare, Bright, Mounce; "a demonstration of diety", Gundry; b) self authentication of sonship by testing "God's pledge to protect his own", Carson, Plummer, Filson; ii] A more generalized temptation such that Jesus is being tempted to use his powers other than in obedience to God, Davies & Allison; iii] Jesus is being tempted to exploit his relationship with the Father for his own advantage, France, Keener; iv] Jesus is being tempted to secure his safety / preservation, by forcing God's hand (rather than trust his promises?), Hagner; v] In response to the first temptation, Jesus is being tempted to confirm the validity of God's promise of provision/ preservation, Fenton, Patte, Robinson, a "testing of the divine providence", Hill; vi] Jesus is being tempted, on the basis of his privileged status, to demand from God a release from the vagaries of life, Nolland; vii] Tying the temptation to Jesus baptism and the revelation from God: a) Jesus is being tempted to doubt his status as "Son of God", messiah, here in this second temptation, to test it, McNeile; b) Jesus is being tempted to question his role as servant messiah, to seize the crown and its benefits of, provision, ministrants and power, rather than be given his crown by way of the cross (as the suffering servant), Ridderbos.
      oJti "-" Introducing direct speech / quotation.
      mhpote + subj. "so that you will not strike" - lest you strike. Probably expressing a negated purpose, as NIV. "To ensure that you will never strike your foot against a stone", Barclay.

v7
      Jesus' quotes Deut.6:16, a verse which goes on to refer to the testing of God by Israel at Massa, Ex.17:1-7. It was here that Israel questioned God's covenant promise for their security and sought to dictate his protection. The Deuteronomy reference encourages Israel to do better, ie. trust the Lord's covenant fidelity.
      efh (afihmi) "[Jesus] answered" - was saying, declaring.
      palin "[it is] also" - again. The normal idea, conveyed by this word, of back to a previous state, ie. "again", doesn't seem to work here. "On the other hand", BAGD.
      ouk ekpeiraseiV (ekpeirazw) fut. "do not put [the Lord your God] to the test" - do no tempt. Obviously an imperatival future tense. The prefix intensifies. "Don't try to test the Lord your God", CEV.

v8
      uJyhlon adj. "high" - Can mean "haughty", obviously here altitude.
      deiknusin (deiknumi) pres. "showed" - Probably more in the sense "revealed", exposed the mystery of the secular world. When it comes to understanding human existence, the devil is a sociological expert.
      doxan (a) "glory" - "Magnificence", Phillips.

v9
      The third and most powerful temptation is the offer of a kingdom without a cross. Jesus will rightly possess an eternal kingdom, his by divine right. Yet, like Israel of old, the way to glory is by a desert path. Satan's compromise will always trouble Jesus, even at the end; "if it is possible, don't let this bitter ordeal come to me", Barclay. Again, we have here a test of faith, either to rely of God and his promise, or satan and his compromise.
      dwsw (didwmi) fut. "I will give" - Is it the devil's to give? To what degree does he have the whole world in his hands?
      ean + subj. "if" - Introducing a conditional clause, 3rd. class, where the condition proposed in the if clause (protasis) has a possibility of becoming a reality.
      proskunhshV (proskunew) "worship" - you may worship, do obeisance. The reader will understand that this word is sometimes translated as if meaning "to serve", but primarily means "to adore." Note how "bow down" virtually exegetes "worship", ie. "to prostrate before."

v10
      uJpage (uJpagw) pres. imp. "away from me [Satan]" - "Go away", BAGD; "Begone", Barclay.
      latreuseiV (latreuw) fut. ind. "serve [him only]" - you shall serve [him alone]. The future here for "worship" and "serve" is probably hortatory, so NIV. It is this particular word, "to serve", which is often confused with "to worship / to adore." The reason being it is often used of ministry, ie. service to God toward others, so a word applied to priests etc. None-the-less, service is service, and adoration is adoration.