Skip to main content

45. Tempted By Food


Key Verse: "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Deuteronomy 8:3B Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4

This temptation seems easy enough for us to understand.  Physically, Jesus was hungry.  He hadn't eaten for forty days. Hunger would certainly be a natural, physical response. It would certainly be an area in which Jesus would be vulnerable at that time. And so this is evidence that Jesus was really human. If he was all God he wouldn't have gotten hungry.

Satan loves to find our vulnerabilities and exploit them for his own benefit.  Hadn't Eve been tempted by food?  True, Eve was tempted to doubt God's goodness and sincerity, but food was the vehicle that satan was able to use to accomplish man's first sin.  Jesus was hungry.  It worked once on Eve.  Perhaps it would work again. Maybe that's why they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

"Turn these stones into bread."  Well, how ironic, daring Jesus, the Bread of Life, to turn dead stones into nourishing bread.  And Jesus could have done it.  They were out in the desert.  No one would know if Jesus just took enough to stop the hunger pains.  Perhaps one small rock would be enough.  What could that hurt?

Jesus, however, understood two things that Eve did not.  First of all, Jesus was aware of the larger story of man.  He understood that He was on this earth for a purpose beyond self-gratification.  He was here on a mission to save humanity.  Eve may have never understood this.  She may have thought that her calling was simply to live and enjoy life in the garden.  She may have never known that she was a pawn in a cosmic battle far beyond herself.  Jesus, however, knew the battle and knew His adversary.  They had met many times before.  Jesus knew that no ground could be relinquished, no matter how small.  Satan would never be satisfied until he had conquered it all. 

Secondly, Jesus was aware of God's presence at all times.  Eve walked with God in the cool of the evening, but Jesus was with God, Jesus was God constantly.  God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were a team, working together to defeat their enemy. 

Satisfying hunger would not tempt Jesus because of the bigger picture.  Jesus knew that "Man does not live on bread alone."  Man should live and depend on the word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  That is our daily bread, our daily food.  Jesus, therefore, used that bread, God's word, to fight back against the devil's schemes.  It is in digesting God's word that we receive our strength for the day, our strength to resist the temptations that satan sends our way.  Jesus is setting here an example for us to follow.  He's keeping the bigger picture in view and refusing to be distracted by the moment. 

Are you like Eve, thinking that you are with God only in church or during your daily quiet time?  Or, are you like Jesus, aware of His presence always, beside you, before you and within you. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...