Jesus didn’t begin preaching until after His time of fasting and temptation, but when He did, His message was the same as John the Baptist had proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17). The word “kingdom” will become a primary subject all through Matthew’s gospel, in fact, throughout the entire New Testament! The establishment of God’s kingdom on earth was a primary goal of Jesus’ earthly ministry and would certainly have been a part of the prayers of Jesus during the forty days of fasting. The foundation of God’s kingdom would have to be built very strong. The temptations that Jesus faced also indicate the foundations for His ministry – and are applicable for us as well as for Him!
Notice Matthew 4:2, “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” Let us remember that Jesus, although He was the Son of God, was also entirely human as well; hunger and physical weakness affected Him as much as it does us. As usual, the “tempter” came at this time of weakness. What form Satan took, we aren’t told. He could have appeared as a man or simply put the thought into the mind of Jesus, but the idea is stated in this way, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Mt 4:3). The focus of the temptation was to use the power of God to provide for His own physical need – stones to bread! Perhaps in His weakened state, the stones appeared about the size and shape of the biscuits that Mary often had cooked for breakfast! (Well, maybe!) The question is this, would Jesus focus on His own needs? (I think maybe our temptations often appear in similar form, being offered a way to get our own “needs” met by a method that isn’t approved of by God!)
Jesus quickly saw through the suggestion and declared what was for Him (and should be for us) the number one foundation in dealing with temptations, with life, with physical needs, in fact in dealing with everything! Listen to Jesus, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD’” (Mt. 4:4). The quote is from Deuteronomy 8:3, written by Moses, and also dealt with God-provided bread, called “manna”! (Go back and read it!) The point is this – your need for physical nourishment is not as important as your need for spiritual nourishment! Focus on the things of God, follow His plan – His word – and He will provide for all of your needs! As God provided manna for the nation of Israel for forty years in the wilderness by way of miraculous bread, God would certainly take care of providing Jesus with physical nourishment on that day! And, He will certainly take care of us!
But the question comes to us, are we (you and me) taking nourishment from God’s Word on a daily basis? Are we listening to “every word” that proceeds from Him? (Or are you trying to exist on a Sunday snack once in a while? – Just asking!) Listen, here is the first foundation of a life that pleases God – looking to Him and His Word! Start there! Quit focusing so much on what you “need” and start feeding yourself from the Bible! Most of our problems begin here; we’re not really looking to God, listening for His voice in the words of Scripture! If you’re going to survive spiritually as well as physically, you’ve got to read the Bible and listen for God’s voice, His words! And talk to Him, He can hear you, even your thoughts! Be honest, He knows what you’re thinking and feeling anyway! Then, go to church! Find a Bible believing church, find a church home, become part of a church family! You need God and His people! Together, we’ll live in His kingdom!
Well, what are you waiting for?
Everything is About God 