Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God

 

 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  

 

And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  

 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  for it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  

 

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,'

and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up, 

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

 

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 

 

- Luke 4:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John the Baptist, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  When all the people were baptized it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed the understanding of "types" in the Bible.  This "typological" way of understanding Christ gives us a lens through which to view His ministry and the events in it, as fulfilling types from the Old Testament.  My study Bible explains that the exodus of Jesus into the wilderness after His Baptism has a dual symbolism, one of which is to fulfill the Old Testament type in which Israel journeyed in the wilderness for forty years after its figurative "baptism" in the Red Sea.  In another sense, Christ's time in the wilderness also prefigures our own journey through the fallen world after our baptism, as we struggle towards the Kingdom.  This we also symbolically relive through the traditional practices of Lent, the forty days before Easter/Pascha, in which we fast, give alms, and deepen our prayer lives.  (There is another traditional forty day fast, as well, before Christmas.)  Let us note that all of the Scripture quotations that Jesus uses are from Deuteronomy, and the story of Israel's time in the wilderness, and they all call for loyalty to God.  Although Jesus is tested with hunger for forty days, He doesn't sin.  He fasted to overcome temptation, and gives us thereby an example of our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  The hunger of Christ's flesh does not control Him; rather, He controls His flesh.  

 

 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Here is the first temptation, in which Jesus is tempted to use His power to follow His impulses to hunger while He has been purposely fasting before He begins His public ministry.  My study Bible asks us to notice that each time Christ rebukes the devil, it is with the truth and power of Scripture. (In this case, He quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3; see also John 6:27.)   This teaches the faithful to become immersed in Scripture, so that we may resist and drive away every temptation (see Psalm 119:11).   The devil challenges Christ's relation to the Father, saying, "If You are the Son of God . . .."  My study Bible comments that this calls into question the Father's declaration at Christ's Baptism (see yesterday's reading, above).  It says that the devil wants Jesus to act independently and to detach Himself from the will of the Father.  In His divine nature, my study Bible explains, Christ shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He can do nothing of Himself, as He has said, apart from the Father.  But in Jesus' humanity, He has free will, and at all times He must choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.   Note also that while Adam disregarded the divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam -- Who is Christ -- conquers all temptation by the divine word, giving human nature the power to conquer Satan. 

 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  for it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"   Once again, the devil seeks to tempt Christ to betray His relationship to the Father, using material promise to lure His loyalty.  My study Bible comments that God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions.  In this test, Jesus is being asked by the devil to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  It notes that the devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).  Jesus refuses the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.

 

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  As Christ has defeated him twice through the power of the Scriptures, Here the devil tries to tempt Jesus by quoting from Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12) in order to put God's power of protection to the test.  (See also 2 Peter 1:19-21).  My study Bible comments here that trials and temptations come on their own; we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:16).

 

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.  Regarding the devil's opportune time, see Luke 22:40-46; 23:35; Matthew 16:21-23. 

 

For most Westerners, in the modern age it may seem a bit strange to deliberately give oneself a form of deprivation, perhaps particularly to experience hunger.  Dieting or fasting to lose weight is something quite common, but these are not often done purely to become a master of one's own impulses nor in combination with prayer and devotion to God.   Indeed, in our world today we have staggering problems with addictions that seem to originate to a large extent from the impulse to extinguish discomfort of all kinds, whether physical, mental, or even spiritual.  To deliberately seek a kind of discomfort for religious reasons is now, in our modern world, unusual.  Perhaps to a great extent our culture has adapted to a consumerist way of life in which any form of sacrifice is distasteful.  But the asceticism that has always been a part of the Church (and clearly, of Judaism in Jesus' time) remains an essential tool for spiritual growth nonetheless.  Jesus' forty-day fast is a time of deep prayer in communion with the Father.  His conquering of Satan in this sense becomes an essential part of His ministry to us and for us.  It is a time of testing, prefiguring all that He will undergo in His ministry, in serving the Father despite the hardship He will endure.  We, too, should not forget that life, no matter how "good" it may be and no matter what our material wealth (including food) may be, is never going to be perfect.  As human beings, we not only remain in an imperfect world in which the "evil one" still has effects, but we are also imperfect creatures.  We are in this world to learn, to grow in grace and repentance and healing, and in this growth our lives are a trajectory.  We must choose the course, the aim, wisely, and learn to live toward this good choice.  When we choose Christ, we choose a kind of devotion that leads us to an abundance of life (John 10:10).  Practices done in imitation of Christ, such as fasting, giving time and dedication to prayer, the giving of alms, are meant to strengthen us in that aim, to deepen our communion with God.  Moreover, they prepare us for our own hardships; that is, those times when we face struggles and opposition in life.  Perhaps even more importantly, when done for this purpose of growing closer to Christ, we grow in the strength He offers at the same time.  For in the traditional understanding of the Church, we are like Christ in the wilderness:  we face temptations from the one who is, in fact, hostile to us, and we need to focus on remaining in the light of Christ (John 12:35), despite the difficulties of spiritual struggle.  In the news today is the death by overdose of a young man who had everything going for him, and every advantage:  loving parents, success, health, enormous wealth.  But in all the ways he spoke of himself and his struggle (particularly with prescription medication), there is no mention of spiritual sustenance, of an understanding that we must endure through the strength which God can offer, and for the purpose of growing more fully into our faith and God's love.  It is a sad paradox and a tragic outcome, and his family needs our prayers as he did, and does still.  But let us consider what is missing in material success and the appearance of having all needs met (including prescription medicines that are meant to make us feel better).  Let us consider Jesus' way, and the example He sets.  We can feed ourselves on God's word, on the strength God gives us, and the practices that are meant to serve our souls.  In the growing strength of faith, we find ways through the darkness and difficulties of life.  Let us take courage in so doing, and follow His example for us.