“If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.”
After a forty day fast, that probably sounded like a pretty good idea. After not eating for forty days, the stones might even have started to look like loaves of bread! The temptation here was for Jesus to quench a natural need in an unnatural way. God’s power was not given to Him to use for personal gain. God’s power was available to Jesus to serve others.
By understanding that His ultimate nourishment came from the Word of God, Jesus was able to resist the temptation. Because He overcame this temptation, Jesus would later be able to multiply just a few loaves of bread to feed thousands, not once but twice. Jesus would tell the people, “I am the Bread of Life.” He could make this claim because He had allowed God’s Word to be His true food.
After this period of temptation, Matthew records that, “angels came and cared for Jesus.” One wonders what kind of food that the angels provided Jesus with. I am guessing it was better than a few loaves of bread!
Have you ever been tempted to fulfill a natural need in an unnatural way? What advice would you give to someone who might be struggling with temptation in this area?
If you would like to partner with Annie and I as we work towards getting back to Brazil, here is the link. Obrigado! (Thank you!)
