"The Tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' "

 

         Michael Wilkins writes that one of the primary purposes that Matthew had in writing his Gospel was to establish the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. In the Gospel Jesus continually lays claim to his unique relationship with the Father. He refers to God as his father 23 times. In the opening chapters of Matthew the identity of Jesus as the Son of God is a major theme. The first two chapters focus on the miraculous birth of God's Son. This is done through the genealogy of Jesus, and then through the account of Mary and Joseph. Mary is found to be with child through the Holy Spirit; Joseph is a righteous man and decides to divorce her quietly. But an angel intervenes, and explains to Joseph that this is Immanuel – God with us. Then, after the birth of Jesus, the Magi come to worship the King of the Jews. So through them we learn more about the identity of Jesus.

         Immediately Herod tries to kill him, and they narrowly escape. We learn the identity of Jesus, and then he almost dies.

         In the third chapter, the baptism of Jesus is described, taking place about thirty years later. Again the identity of Jesus is established. A voice from heaven speaks, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." The Spirit of God descends upon him.

         Immediately Satan tests him, and tries to get Jesus to nullify or renounce his sonship. Again, we learn the identity of Jesus, and then it is threatened by the commands of the Tempter.

         God speaks, "This is my Son." Then the devil whispers in the ear of Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, do something to prove it."

         Just what is the devil trying to accomplish? Wilkins says "he is trying to get Jesus to misuse his prerogatives as the Son of God." On Friday mornings, the Men's Bible Study is reading through the Old Testament narrative of King David. It is a somewhat painful story to read, because we want David to be a good example for us, a "man after God's own heart," and yet he keeps acting like a king. He keeps doing the things that ancient Near Eastern kings did. He takes whatever he wants, he enriches himself, and he makes alliances and starts wars. He misuses his prerogatives as the King of Israel under God's authority.

         The devil wants to know if the Son of God will do the same. Will Jesus act like a king? Will he act like Herod or Caesar?

         So, after forty days of fasting in the desert, Jesus is hungry. The devil tells him to make bread out of the stones. A king has the right to a sandwich when he is hungry.

         "If you are the Son of God, order up some food for yourself. You have the power to do it, and the right to take care of yourself." The temptation is about the misuse of power.

         D.A. Carson wrote a very insightful commentary on the temptation of Jesus. He says that in the temptations, "Satan invites Jesus to reflect on the meaning of his sonship." That word "reflect" draws me into the text. For as we read about Jesus and how he handled his temptation, we might also be invited to reflect on the meaning of our salvation, on our commitment to Christ, on our identity as believers.

         What does it mean to you to be "in Christ"?

         What temptations do you face as you live out that identity?

         Are the temptations you face at heart the same ones that Jesus faced?

         Jesus was hungry and the devil told him to use his authority as the son of God to turn stones into bread for himself. Jesus responds that his true need, his more basic need, is to be sustained by the Word of God, that is, by a relationship with God. And so he will continue to focus on that, and trust God to provide for his hunger. Carson says that the scripture says Jesus learned obedience through suffering. His first suffering is that he is hungry.

         Jesus' identity as the Son of God informed him that his primary need, his first priority, was to keep and develop a loving and close relationship with his heavenly Father. He would later teach people about their concern for food and clothing, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." He first lives it before he teaches it.

         There is also perhaps a parallel between Jesus, who is hungry in the desert, and the experience of Israel many years earlier. When they wandered in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, they were hungry and did not know how they would be fed. So they cried out for the leeks and onions of Egypt. Instead of yearning for the milk and honey of the Promised Land that lay before them, they wanted to go back to the food that would lead again to slavery. They were not seeking God and his kingdom first.

         The Son of God invested in his relationship with the Father, and so lived with hope in the provision of God. When we put our relationship with God first, we discover the provision of God. We pray each morning, and then we go to our work. We worship, and then we serve. We give, and then we receive.

         The temptation for us is always to take care of ourselves first, to make stones into bread by our own labor, and hope that there will be some time left at the end of the day to serve God. But along with such stone bread comes slavery to the bread. When we put bread first, we grow all manner of worries, compulsions, addictions and fears in our lives. Stone bead is whatever we live on that depends wholly on our strength, that denies God the opportunity to provide for us, and that replaces developing a relationship with God as our first priority.

         Rudy Leander, the former elder statesman of the Mt. Vernon, Washington, church, a farmer and school teacher, used to say over and over, "Jesus Christ and him served, as our first priority." Jesus understood that what was most nourishing in his life was his relationship with the Father. He lived by the word of God. In putting that relationship first, his needs were provided. This was not a strategy to get his needs met. It is, rather, a central, life giving belief and commitment. My relationship with God comes first.

         So, when the devil told Jesus that he ought to jump off the temple so God could send angels to rescue him, Jesus knew right away that such a scheme was nothing but testing God, and we are not to put God to the test. He already knew God loved him. He already knew he was secure in his identity as God's Son. He knew that God would not forsake him. Even on the cross, when his body was breaking down, and he could no longer feel the presence of God, and he cried out to God, still he finished his work. He did not need to be constantly checking his surroundings to see if God still loved him, as if the love of God was like the stock market, up and down day by day. He did not need to test God. He knew God. That relationship came first.

         When the devil offered to him the splendor of the kingdoms of the world, so that he could have the power and wealth to do God's will in a truly impressive manner, Jesus refused to gain the world and lose his soul. He knew God. He put God first. He was nourished by the living word of God. So when the temptation came to gain greater wealth and power, he did not compromise his worship. God alone is worthy of our worship. Of course the loss of the splendor of the world meant the ministry of Jesus would consist simply of walking from place to place, healing some who were lame, some who were blind, and some whose souls were filled with sin. The loss of the splendor of the world meant Jesus would die on a rough cross. But that is how the sin of the great kingdoms of the world would be redeemed. For the kingdoms of the world are not simply filled with splendor. They are also filled with great sin.

         The testing of Jesus confirmed his identity as the son of God. Nourished by the relationship with his Father, he waited for the provision of God to feed him. When the devil left him, it says that angels attended to him. Secure in The Father's love, Jesus did not test God, but lived by faith. He ministered out of God's love; he did not have to search for it desperately. Since he knew God, he knew the only one who was worthy of worship.

         These temptations speak to our identity in Christ. If you have a personal faith relationship with God through Christ, then you are nourished by his word and his grace, and that relationship is first in your life. If you know God's love, you don't have to wonder about it. You can instead share the love of God. If you have made a commitment of your life to Christ, then you know that he alone is worthy of your worship. You do not have to worry about the world's splendor and light. You know the light of the world.

         Amen.