A Bread Maker’s Big Mistake
Theme: Living Through the Test
3. Then the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4. And Jesus answered him, “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”
Luke 4:3-4
Testing Helps us Think Past the Problem
Sometimes it is difficult to understand why Christians are tested. There have been situations where some believers have abandoned their faith because the felt that “they just couldn’t take it anymore.” Yet, suffering should come as no surprise. Why not the test? Are Christians considered to be exempt from trouble? The Bible talks about suffering in general as a part of living in a fallen world. No temptation has seized you that people don’t normally experience, and God can be trusted to not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. On the contrary, along with the temptation He will also provide the way out, so that you will be able to endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13 – from the Jewish New Testament) In no case will God put more on us than what we can bear nor will these temptations be so unusual from what other people are experiencing. The difference with the believer is that God sets limits on the test and also gives them the supernatural ability to pass the test. That being the case, we should not consider the trouble to be unusual, even if it is the devil who is conducting the test.
Consider also that struggles and trials are part of God’s training process for the children of God. I know of no soundly run organizations that do not have some form of training for their employees. Why should we consider training to be strange for the Kingdom of God? The military conducts not only physical training, but also resilience training for its soldiers. Training leads to mental endurance and that leads to creativity and the ability to think past the problem. Why should it be strange that God would test His Children? Our Lord Jesus was tested as the Spirit led Him into the wilderness. We too shall be tested as the Spirit leads us so that we will gain strength to “think past the problem” and bring glory to God. We will discover that our greatest enemy is not the devil but our own flesh. The goal in our spiritual test is to lead us to victory in Christ Jesus.
Hard Bread
It is interesting that the first test Satan presented was the food test. If you recall, it was food that caused the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Although the wording was different, the temptation was the same. Satan suggested to Eve that the forbidden fruit would bring them knowledge and make them gods. Thus, Eve yielded to the food test and ate what God said they should not eat. Adam also joined her in what turned out to be “hard bread.” It came at a cost. They lost their innocence and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. They lost their fellowship with God and tried to hide from His presence. They lost their living accommodations and were cast out of the Garden. Such a great loss for food that they could well have avoided. See Genesis 3. Adam and Eve ate some hard bread.
Isn’t it interesting that Satan would pose the same food test to our Lord? Jesus had fasted forty days. The tempter said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Our Lord saw through Satan’s scheme because He knew that having His needs met was not the reason behind His being in the wilderness. Jesus purpose for being in the wilderness was to prepare for public ministry. The purpose for being tested was not to get His stomach full but to fulfill the Plan of God. The purpose for becoming weak in the flesh was to gain strength through the Word of God. So, Jesus responded to the tempter with the Word. And Jesus answered him, “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.” Have you stopped to think about it, that making bread from a stone would have been some “hard bread?” Jesus would have had to use the main ingredient of Need over God’s Command. Jesus would have had to use for flavoring Satan salt over the Power of the Spirit. Yes, our Lord was definitely hungry, but He did not use a physical challenge to justify listening to the Devil’s suggestion. In other words, Jesus was not about to accept the Devil’s recipe for “hard bread.”
How does this “hard bread” scenario play out for the believer? In my forty plus years of pastoring, I have noticed that people will justify placing a priority on making a living versus living for God. In other words, making the bread is more important than doing what God has directed us to do. I have even justified “making bread” by stressing the need to take care of my family. In the long run, this has cost me spiritually.
Some times people will use “making hard bread” as a way of getting ahead in life or achieving some other financial goal. Please don’t get me wrong, “working is better than stealing or begging.” The problem comes when the “Job” becomes the temptation to miss out on what God has planned. When that happens you have a “bad bread problem.” This focus on “hard bread” versus the “Bread of God’s Word” will cause three serious issues in the long run. First is the issue of priority – my needs will become more of a priority than doing what God commands. The second serious issue is preparedness – my strength for serving God will be minimized because my motive is to have my needs met rather than seeking God’s Kingdom. Third is the issue of praise – who gets the honor for the “hard bread?” Those are some tough questions that I’m sure went through Jesus mind and should be going through our minds as we seek to progress in our goal to serve God.
To help us work through these “hard bread” issues we will need to mention another bread problem that is recorded in Scripture. Jesus’ food temptation was not only symbolic of the sin of Adam and Eve, it was the test for the children of Israel. Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness was also a representation of the forty years that Israel spent in preparation for the Promised Land. As you may recall, they too were tested so that they would be prepared to enter the Land of Milk and Honey. Many Israelites failed the test over the provisions issue. It was either food that they murmured about or the lack of water. Many complained and demanded they return to Egypt over some “hard bread.”
Don’t Make the Bread Mistake
Jesus saw right through the devil’s scheme. As a result of His insight, making bread never became an issue with our Lord. As we look at the first issue of priority, the need should never take superiority over God’s Word. In other words, Jesus knew He was not a “bread maker,” He was the Son of God. For our Lord, the greatest priority was to obey His Father’s Will. The Father had already given Him the identification that He needed. In the wilderness, the children of Israel forgot that serving God was their priority. That was their passport out of Egypt. Moses said to Pharoah, “let us go into the wilderness that we may worship God.” Since Israel wasn’t able to pass the test, Jesus represented Israel and went into the wilderness on their behalf. Where they messed up, Jesus fulfilled and understood that the priority was to worship and honor God. Not only that, where Adam and Eve failed the food test, Jesus got it straight. Jesus, in essence, said to the Devil, “I have My priority and that is to serve My Father.” Jesus said in essence, “I don’t need natural bread as much as I need spiritual bread which is the Word of God.” Jesus said in essence, “I’m not going to make bread when it is My Job to give people New Life.” In applying this principle, we as believers must not be so quick to make bread as we are to accept the Bread of God’s Word for our lives. God’s Word satisfies all our need. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”
In dealing with the second serious issue of preparedness, our Lord did not use bread making as a way to gain strength for serving God. Rather than focusing on the skill of making bread from stones, Jesus gained strength by using God’s Word. In reference to Israel, they treated God’s Commands as difficult tasks, but Jesus knew that Divine Energy came through God’s Word. This was the same Word that was spoken in the Creation that caused life to spring forth from nothing. This was the same Word that brought forth light out of darkness. This was the same Word that formed the mighty oceans, the vast mountains, and the heavens above the earth. Why waste time turning a stone into bread when the Mighty Word of God will meet every need. Jesus was not about to make His occupation as a mere “bread maker” when He was the Living Bread. What the devil did not realize is that every time Jesus used the Word, He was being equipped for the Ministry of His Father. As a believer, you and I must be prepared to use the Word of God. Then, when we are on our job and making bread, we can be a witness of the Word. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”
The third issue behind the temptation to turn a stone into bread was the question of who will get the praise. Will God be praised? It will always be “hard bread” if anything is done without God’s approval. Just because Jesus was in the wilderness did not mean that He was separated from His Father. Please recall that the Israelites’ appetite led them to do things for themselves in order to satisfy their hunger. Jesus had a greater hunger and that was to Honor His Father. There are so many modern saints who fall into that trap of wanting to satisfy their hunger first and then give the leftovers to God. What you and I need to realize is without God, there will be no leftovers. Jesus praised God, obeyed God, and honored the Father when He turned to The Word rather than to “making bread” to satisfy His hunger. We should do the same for our lives. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”
As a matter of fact, we can now praise God because of what Christ has done. You don’t have to go to the wilderness to prove anything. Jesus has gone through the wilderness for you. If you are facing a wilderness experience, rest assured that you are not alone. For the Lord walks with you. He is your everlasting strength. You are not forced to be a bread maker because you have the Bread of Life with you. Stop allowing the devil to dictate who you are. You are God’s Child through Jesus Christ. Instead of focusing on making bread be a praise giver. You have Jesus and through Him, you have everything you need. Don’t make the bread maker’s mistake.