The book of Matthew 4 tells us about the importance of feeding ourselves spiritually, since as the verse says “man does not live by bread alone”. This passage tells us that the human being has other needs apart from food that are paramount in our lives. In addition, this quote also alludes to the sexual life of men.
However, this biblical quote does not allude to the physical needs of people but rather has to do with the spiritual part of the person, because the expression is from a passage from the Gospel Matthew 4 in which the moment is manifested. in which Jesus Christ is led into the desert (by the Holy Spirit personified as a dove) where he was manipulated by the devil.
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After forty days and nights of fasting, he challenged Jesus to turn the stones into bread if he truly was the Son of God, as claimed. Given this, the Messiah responds as follows: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word or disposition that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)
In this sense, Jesus Christ makes it clear that the devil cannot tempt God or manipulate with the word, since the wisdom of Jesus went beyond the evil intentions of the devil, who tried to distort the scripture. When Jesus tells us that we must nourish ourselves with the word, it is to be able to fight the enemy in the moment of great adversity.
Analysis of Matthew 4 and the most important aspects of this biblical passage
This biblical quote shows us the way in which Jesus was tempted by the devil and the way in which he responded accurately and wisely, making it clear that there are other things more important than food. But in order to analyze this passage, we must study different relevant aspects that provide us with a teaching:
1.- Jesus is tempted in the desert
In the book of Matthew 4:1-2 we can see how Jesus was put in a place of temptation: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil” So Jesus was in the desert by the Spirit with the intention that he would be tempted after he had been baptized and sanctified.
Which was necessary for the formation of his Ministry. Which was in stark contrast to the glory of Jesus’ baptism and the challenge of being tempted by the enemy that is Satan.
In this sense, his baptism took place in the waters of the Jordan and his test, his temptation was in a very different place, an arid desert, whose conditions were very adverse, since he was hot, hungry, tired and thirsty. At his baptism there were many people and the Spirit rested like a dove, but in this desert, carried by the Spirit, there was only silence and solitude.
Jesus was not to be tempted to grow, but endured temptation to identify with us and reveal his sinless and holy character. As we can see in the following passage: “For inasmuch as he himself suffered while being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18)
In this sense, the Holy Spirit cannot tempt us, however he can lead us to a place where we will be tempted. Which is presented to us to prove to ourselves that we can overcome temptations and that we fully trust God, we should not show God anything because he already knows all things.
As the following quote shows us: “When someone is tempted, do not say that he is tempted by God; because God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” (James 1:13)
2.- The concupiscence of the flesh
One of the temptations that Jesus had was regarding carnal needs, as this passage shows us: “And the tempter came to him, and said to him: If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. He answered and said: It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:3-4)
This temptation did not refer to riches, luxuries, money, it only referred to bread, food. The Bible, for its part, has many events where provisions are given in a miraculous way, where Jesus multiplied the loaves to feed the people.
But on this occasion, Jesus did not turn those stones into bread, since he was not going to allow himself to be instigated by the enemy, because he does what he wants to do, according to his own will. So Satan does not have the Power to command or tempt him, nor does he use the word for that purpose.
Jesus used the Scriptures to fight against the temptation of the devil, he did not use any supernatural power to fight the enemy, he only used the word of God with authority and wisdom. However, he had the Power to exalt his Glory before satan, but he did not do it because he wanted to show man that the most powerful weapon is his word, which is a two-edged sword.
In this way, we can resist temptations by counteracting the enemy’s lies through the word of God, which represents the truth itself. But if we do not have knowledge of this word, we will be defenseless before Satan. Therefore it is important to nourish ourselves with his truth, pray fervently and obey his word.
3.- The pride of life
Satan wanted to test the pride of Jesus by pretending that he used his supernatural power to save his life. But in the word of God, there is true salvation. We can appreciate this in Matthew 4:5-7 “Then the devil took him to the holy city, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him: If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: His angels will command over you, and, in his hands they will hold you, so that you do not stumble with your foot on a stone. Jesus said to him, “It is also written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”
In this passage, the devil tempts Jesus to desire to be approved by God and to have that consent publicly displayed. In addition, the enemy makes use of the word of God to deceive and tempt the Son of God to do what he pleases. But God is sovereign.
In this sense, this biblical passage shows us that God does not need to prove anything, since the best proof of love and the most forceful was his perfect sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, and Satan knew this, for which he was tempting Jesus to discard God’s divine plan. Which was a total failure, because the Victory of Jesus was already done.
4.- The desire of the eyes
Jesus Christ was also tempted to have what a man could wish for in this world, power and riches. As can be seen in this quote: “Again the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said to him: All this I will give you, if you prostrate yourself and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” (Matthew 4:8-10)
In this passage we can see how Satan tempts Jesus, but he cannot be tempted because he is the Son of God, and through his sacrifice, he will obtain Victory over the slavery of sin, freeing man from sin.
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In this way, the word of God is powerful to ward off Satan’s temptations, but we must know that when we are tempted we are not sinning if we resist them. Just as Jesus was tempted, so are we daily, but through the word we can defend ourselves against the plans of the evil one, just as Jesus Christ himself defeated him. Therefore this word teaches us the power that the Word has, since it reveals the truth.
5.- The devil moves away and the angels arrive
Finally, the devil could not fight Jesus Christ and his temptations were unsuccessful, since he showed him the word and revealed that he is truly the Son of God, and has the power to do his will and does not allow himself to be tempted by anyone. Whereupon Satan moved away and the angels came to Jesus, as revealed in Matthew 4:11: “The devil then left him; and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.”
When satan leaves Jesus, it means that Jesus won against him, and he did it because he recognized the deceptions and lies that characterize him. But for those who live in the light of the cross, deception may be the only weapon, since “the demonic powers have been disarmed at the cross of their ‘royal’ weapons and power” just as Colossians 2:15 says. However, deception can be very effective and lead us to sin, giving us a life full of fear and disbelief.
6.- The truth of God
The truth of God is reflected in the word, where we can find all the answers to our questions. First we must visualize the temptation as a lie from the devil, in order to fight it with the truth.
In this way, in each passage that Jesus quoted to Satan in the book of Deuteronomy, it is shown that Jesus Christ meditated and fought with Satan with the fresh bread with which he had just fed. Therefore we must always be sure to have that bread to be able to respond firmly and with authority to the enemy when he tries to tempt us, just as the teacher Jesus taught us.
He thought this was very relevant so that we could know what happened when he was tempted in the Judean desert. Therefore, we must understand this and internalize it, in order to have the tools to overcome the temptations of life, but it is even more relevant to see how Jesus was able to overcome temptation on our part and obtained victory by being the Son of God without sin, where Adam and Moses and all the other characters in the bible couldn’t make it.
7.- Jesus Christ began to preach the gospel
Jesus Christ defeated Satan from the moment of his birth, since his destiny was implacable for the evil one, who was always lurking.
By overcoming temptation, he overcame deception and showed the way to be able to do it, and that way is the truth reflected in the word that symbolizes fresh bread. Therefore, we must nourish ourselves with the Holy Scriptures and be ready to defeat all the temptations that come our way in life.
In this way, the priority of the ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ was to teach, heal and overcome all temptation and evil, as reflected in his word:
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all sickness and all disease among the people.” (Matthew 4:23)
The gospel that Jesus proclaimed began in the same place that John began to preach it. But Jesus went further because John announced the coming of the Messiah, and he was the Messiah. Whereby the truth, the way, and the life were made. In addition, the sacrifice of him meant the end of evil, of sin and represented freedom and the threshold to eternal life.
8.- The kingdom of heaven has come near
Many people followed Jesus Christ, receiving his teachings and receiving physical and spiritual healing. Jesus Christ had a clear purpose for which he allowed so many miracles that they attracted many people, since he intended to teach the crowds, not just impress them with miracles. Each teaching would make room for the kingdom of heaven, since we can…