“TELL THIS STONE TO BECOME BREAD” (V. 3)

“TELL THIS STONE TO BECOME BREAD” (V. 3)

Could Christ turn a stone into bread? Undoubtedly! So why shouldn’t He? After all, He was famished. Matthew 4:2 tells us Jesus was hungry because He had been fasting for forty days. Nothing is wrong with eating when a person is hungry, unless a greater issue is involved. Luke 2:37 beautifully describes the most probable purpose for the kind of fasting Jesus practiced in the desert. It describes Anna, the prophetess, who “served God with fastings and prayers night and day” (KJV). No doubt Christ’s fast was for similar purposes. Most likely His intent was to seek God and refrain from all distractions. Since we know He was filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit, we can assume the Spirit prompted the fast; therefore, the fast wasn’t over until God said so.

What did this temptation have to do with Christ’s imminent ministry? Robert Stein says the issue was whether or not Christ would use His power for His own ends. “Would He live by the same requirements of faith and dependence on God as everyone else in the kingdom?”1 Satan’s strategy wasn’t all that different from what he used tempting Eve in the garden (see Gen. 3:1). In both cases, Satan wanted to sow doubt . . . but certainly not because he had any. He knew what God had said to Adam and Eve, and he definitely knew Christ was the Son of God. Why in the world would Satan have tried sowing doubt in Christ?

At this point in Christ’s wilderness temptation I can really relate. Think of the questions we would have if we encountered an intense battle right after we entered a place or time of ministry:

            •       Did I misunderstand God?

            •       If He really loves me, why would He appoint me to such a struggle?

            •       How could this happen right after my finest moment with God?

We see a second similarity in that the temptation involved food. Christ was hungry. Eve was hungry for something different. Our appetites are ferocious. They are fodder for much temptation.

I find Paul’s description of the enemies of the cross of Christ very interesting in Philippians 3:19. He not only said their minds are on earthly things, but he also said “their god is their stomach.” Although you and I are not enemies of the cross, we certainly know the temptation of making our stomachs gods. Christ didn’t fall to the temptation. He responded with two critical phrases.

Christ’s first phrase of response was universal because Scripture applies to every temptation we can ever face. He said, “It is written” (Luke 4:4). In those words He clarified the matter of authority. Jesus subjugated Satan’s words to God’s Word.

The second phrase of Jesus’ response was issue specific. “Man does not live by bread alone.” Christ applied the specific word from Scripture to meet His need. So Satan moved on to the next temptation.