“The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”” – Luke 4:3-4
Out in the desert, in the place of testing, the devil spoke in his devilish way. He intentionally spoke to express his doubts and contempt for Jesus, “IF you are the Son of God…”. He sought to provoke Jesus into doing a miracle not out of necessity or to bring glory to God but to merely to flex. To show off, prove Himself, and cover any self-doubts. If this happened to us, we can feel our wounded pride rise up and take over, can’t we? “How dare he question me” we would think to ourselves. “If? If!” we would snort angrily.
Jesus did none of that. He was here to rescue sinners and glorify God, not to perform tricks and elevate Himself in Satan’s eyes. He knew He was the Son of God. There was no need to show off. His response, quoting from Deuteronomy, was absolutely perfect. There is far, far more to life than our physical needs and the satisfaction of our pride. Unfortunately, so many today need to learn this lesson! We’ve become a society driven by short-term needs. We’re controlled by our appetites and urges. We define ourselves by them and celebrate them. If we feel something, we believe we must act on that feeling. If we’re hungry, we must eat immediately. If we’re lustful, we must act on that immediately. If we’re angry, everyone must know about it. We seek to live on bread alone!
We aim too low! We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image, made for eternity, with the capacity for reasoning and moral judgment. Good works have been prepared by God for us to do. Too often we just use our gifts and blessings to feed our endless appetites for the mundane things of the world – food, pleasure, entertainment, power, safety, or status. Don’t let that happen to you! Turn your mind toward higher things. Meditate upon God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Linger longer in Scripture. Love God and neighbor more fully. Pursue God’s Kingdom purpose for your life. Make disciples of all nations, not merely dinner plans. Don’t settle for stones and bread. #FollowJesus