Matthew 4:1-11 (NRSV) 1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’; and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
How many of us are running the risk of wasting the only years we have by doing things that seem important at the time, but we may realize later did not fulfill God’s plan and purpose for our being here? The Greek word for devil is diabolos, which means to split away. The temptation of the devil is to split us away from God’s will. It is to distract us. It is to lure us away from God’s call.
Jesus was tempted by the devil. If you are the son of God command these stones to turn to bread. When our thoughts are dominated by our need for the basic stuff of life God appears irrelevant, indifferent, and even as the One who wants to deprive us.
Having tempted Jesus at the point of physical need, the devil next seeks to split Jesus away from the call of God by tempting him at the point of strength – the faith Jesus has in God, and the knowledge Jesus has of the Scriptures. If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written that God will give his angels charge of you lest you strike your foot against a stone. As long as life is going smoothly we may not be bothered by this temptation. But watch what happens when trouble strikes. Notice how many people either look to God to do some miracle for them or simply check out on God all together. They abandon trust.
The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and said all these I give to you if you will fall down and worship me. You can have it all. Set your sights on success. Forget God. Go for it.
But then the devil left Jesus. Each time the devil tried to split Jesus away from his call, Jesus countered with Scripture: it is written, not by bread alone, do not put God to the test, worship God only. The point is we need outside help from the scriptures. We need God’s Word.
In the hands of Jesus, the Word confronts the deception of diabolos. When we are worried and anxious about money, Jesus does not say we shall not live by bread alone, but rather we need more than money. We need the security, the care, and the guidance that comes from God’s Word. It is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Seek first the kingdom of God and God will give you what you really need.
And the angels came and took care of him. Jesus received bread enough. Jesus was protected by God, not from pain but from defeat, not from death but from annihilation by death. Being faithful is discerning in our heart what we have been called to do and saying no to what we have not been called to do.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope February 21, 1999
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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