Satan in Book of Job and Gospel of Matthew

Satan in The Book of Job and the Gospel of Matthew

When comparing and contrasting two separate scenarios, one must take into account all the messages that each story has to offer. Those messages being but not limited to, the main ideas that each body of work is trying to convey to it’s audience, themes, characters involved, and structure. When reading and examining the avatar of evil, that is Satan in the Book of Job and The Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded that evil comes in all shapes and sizes. In the Book of Job, we are exposed to a more blunt and direct form of evil, one that works in the circle of God. While on the other hand, in The Gospel of Matthew we witness a more mischievous form of evil where the Satan attempts to lure Jesus into doing wrong by indirectly encouraging him to test the Lord.

Firstly, when taking into account the term “satan”, one must look at the direct meaning. The Satan is the term which fits the description of an adversary. The most important question to ask is who was the adversary in the Book of Job? We see the satan as an a man or even an angel who is a member of the council of angels who appears before God with the purpose to challenge him and put Jobs faithfulness to the test. The jealousy of the satan stems from all of Jobs possessions and wealth. However, jealousy is a human trait, therefore there is reason to speculate that the satan is human and perhaps someone that is close to Job. Moreover, It is stated that the adversary was from the earth (Job 1:7). When given the authority to take away the wealth of Job, the character who fits the description of a satan instantly inflicts pain and suffering onto Job by causing him to lose his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, servants, and eventually his family. These are direct acts of evil controlled by a jealous adversary. That being said, it was God who granted the power to this evil being to cause misfortune to Job (Job 1:12). Though in the face of all this negativity, Job never losses his faith. It is important to note that God was controlling the satan the entire time.

Secondly, after examining the satanic figure in the Gospel of Matthew, we see a different embodiment of evil. We see evil in the form of a spirit that attempts to tempt Jesus. The satan provides Jesus with three scenarios to lure him into sinning, and Jesus provides the satan with three answers. Those answers all showcasing that he can resist temptation and ultimately resist sinning. After turning down temptation, the satan departs as a deafened entity and then angels come to tend to Jesus (Matthew 4:11). This was perhaps another test that God put in place, which shows that regardless of what presents itself, God is always in control.

Lastly, when comparing the evil entities in the Book of Job and the Gospel of Matthew, we see similarities and differences. Those similarities being that God was the one