The Mystery of the Middle of Jesus' Mighty Deeds (Matthew 8–9)
At the geographic and literary center of Matthew's ten mighty deeds lies a confrontation with demons that unveils the true purpose of Christ's mission.
Matthew 4 and Deuteronomy
In Matthew's Gospel Jesus recapitulates Israel's story.
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus recapitulates Israel’s story (see Peter Leithart’s paper “Jesus as Israel: The Typological Structure of Matthew’s Gospel”). After Jesus’ 40 day fast, he is tempted by the Devil and resists using three quotations from Deuteronomy. This fits the canonical-narrative parallel given that the 40 days corresponds to Numbers wherein Israel wandered for 40 years, and then comes Deuteronomy. Jesus’ quotations from Deuteronomy match Deuteronomy’s canonical placement.