Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
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The Devil combines the words Jesus has just heard from heaven, with a simple request for a physical need. "Son of God" you need bread.
Without our ears attuned to God's voice, we might not even see the sin here. The Devil is not tempting Jesus to sin, he is simply pointing out Jesus' identity, and then referencing the power that comes with the title.
But it is sin. Will Jesus use his ability to transform rocks into bread to provide for his needs, or will he allow God's word to provide for his needs.
Notice the Bible says, "Not on bread alone..." So it is not a denial of our need for bread, it is instead an acknowledgment of where that bread comes from. What is the source?
The Spirit sent Jesus into the dessert to fast and pray. The Devil is hoping that while he is there he will change a few rocks into loaves of bread. Because if Jesus is willing to do that, it would be an indication that Jesus is ready to create his own agenda, apart from God's. He is willing to deviate from the plan, in order to meet his own needs. To turn rock to bread at this moment would be saying to God, "I am hungry, and you are not doing anything about it, so I am going to take this one into my hands. I will solve the problem."
How often do we do this. God is not aware of my situation, and since he is not doing anything about it, I will take matters into my own hands. And the whole time the Devil is cheering us on. "Yes, that's it. Turn that rock into bread! You know that God knows that you are hungry, so how can this be a bad thing."
It can be a bad thing when we do not allow God to be God. When we give our lives to him, we become dependent upon him for our marching orders. "Not my will, but yours be done."
Our father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Jesus is aware of the Devil's scheme and his response is to quote the Bible. In fact, he quotes the Bible in all three of these temptations. And each time his quotes come from Deuteronomy. One writer suggests that it is because the sermons at the local synagogue must have been on Deuteronomy, and that is why it is fresh in the mind of Christ. I like that.
‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. The image is that God's word is pouring forth, and is a source of strength.
God's word satisfies our hunger. It is a deeper hunger. If you do not allow your soul to eat God's word, you will go looking for satisfaction in other places. Your body will find other ways to occupy itself.
Application
1) Meditate on this- Jesus has been victorious where we have failed. His perfect life is given in exchange for our sinful life, and we are credited with his righteousness. So we stand and cheer and we watch this interaction take place in the desert.
2) Jesus lives as an example to us. How can we become more like Christ? We can spend more time in God's word. We can acknowledge this truth, that God's word is more important to us than technology, or family, or friends, even the bowl of cereal we had this morning or the oxygen we are breathing.
3) A lesson about temptation. James makes it clear that God does not tempt. The Spirit leads Jesus into the desert so that He might be tempted by the Devil. And Jesus overcomes the temptation through the power. We must commit God's word to memory, so we are prepared when we are tempted. We will continue to succumb to temptation until we arm ourselves with the one thing that lights the darkness, and makes clear the path we should take.
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