Meeting Needs Our Way – Luke 4:1-4

How did Washington D.C. become our capital?  Philadelphia was our first capital but not by the determination of Congress.  The nation was in debt and needed to collect on contributions from the states and Alexander Hamilton proposed the government assume those debts.  But there was opposition to the government taking that financial role, especially since it would mean empowering the government to levy taxes to cover that debt.  Jefferson and Madison, however, believed they could deliver the votes in favor of this.  All they wanted was for the nation’s capital to be placed in Virginia, their home state.  This secret deal resulted in Washington D.C. becoming our capital.  As the musical Hamilton sings, this private deal was made in “The Room Where It Happens.”  The temptation to get what one wants through manipulation can be overpowering.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 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 4:1-4 ESV)

Though Jesus has been anointed by the Spirit and commended by his Father, he is not ready for ministry yet.  Just as Adam was tested in the garden, and Israel in the wilderness, so the Messiah must be tested to show that he is loyal to the Father and sinless.  He is full of the Holy Spirit, which indicates that he is morally righteous and dependent on the Spirit in all things.  The Spirit directs him to go into the wilderness and fast, and give the Devil an opportunity to do his best to lead Jesus astray.

Israel was in the wilderness 40 years before they were ready to enter the promised land of Canaan.  Moses spent 40 days fasting on Mount Sinai as he received the law of God.  Jesus is preparing for entrance into the promised land to bring the law of God to his people.  At the end of the 40 days of being tempted and eating nothing, Satan takes advantage of his hunger.

Satan knows that Jesus is God and has the power to turn stones into bread, so he tempts Jesus to meet his physical needs by accessing his deity.  Jesus’ purpose for taking on human nature is, in part, to live as we must live, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, not on his divine nature.  But Jesus counters with a Scripture from Deuteronomy, Moses’ instructions to Israel as they prepared to enter Canaan after 40 years in the wilderness.

“Man shall not live by bread alone,” (Deut. 8:3).  The rest of the verse says, “but by every word that comes from God’s mouth.”  Jesus will trust God to meet his needs.  We too have in our power at times the ability to meet our needs in ways that contradict God’s purpose for our lives.  Jesus is showing us the way to counter that temptation.  We can learn that God alone is our “bread” and our sufficiency.