"... Between the birth narrative (Matthew 1:18–2:21) and Jesus’s temptation (Matthew 4:1–11), both of which include angel references, Matthew describes Jesus’s baptism (Matthew 3:1–17), complete with its own unveiling of apocalyptic elements: the heavens split open, the spirit comes down as a dove, and a voice calls from heaven (Matthew 3:16–17). The significance of this event is brought to the forefront in the testing that immediately follows the baptism. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit and is tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). After forty days, Jesus is tested three times. In the second temptation, Jesus is taken to the top of the temple and challenged, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:6; Psalm 91:11). The devil taunts Jesus with Psalm 91’s promise of angelic assistance in the time of need. Here, in Matthew 4, it is not the military might of angels that are intimated (as will be in Matthew 26), but a picture of angels coming to one’s aid. Outside Psalm 91’s picture of celestial help, angels act as personal guides and protectors ..."