The Tempter Comes

Today we begin looking at Matthew 4, the record of Christ's encounter with the devil in the wilderness. The Tempter is the name given the devil here. He goes by many other names - Lucifer, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, the prince of this world, the deceiver... The names give you a sense of his work, his preoccupation. He exists for the purpose of hindering the work of God, thwarting the plan of God. It is no surprise that as soon as Jesus began his public ministry, as soon as he was publicly introduced as the One of whom the prophets spoke, that the tempter made his entrance.
Jesus has just completed a fast of 40 days. This is incredibly arduous. This is not the Divine who has fasted for 40 days; this is the Son of Man. We may likely forget that he is a man here. We think of him doing something supernatural because he is fully God and fully man, so to be able to go 40 days in fasting is no big deal - but we would be wrong to so think. Philippians 2 describes his condition as being fashioned as a man in true humility. What humility would it be if he were a man with supernatural abilities, exempting him from the pain of humanity? Hebrews tells us that he was in every way tested "like as are we", yet without sin. The enormity of what has just taken place should not be passed over lightly. Christ has been preparing himself for a short life of ministry, a blink of an eye in time, to communicate God's message and plan for mankind in person. Now, he is ready!
The Tempter wastes no time or words - he addresses the greatest weakness of the hour. Jesus is hungry; he is thirsty. "If you are the Son of God, command these stones that they become bread." Satan is not a complicated strategist. Jesus is hungry and weak and has a big task that only he can fulfill in front of him. If he is the one he says he is, then prove it - meet your own very real need with the power that is available to you.
Jesus answered, "It is written, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." In our comfort driven society, it is incomprenhensible that food would not be on the forefront of his thinking at this moment. But here is where the devil lacks understanding. Jesus has not been sitting idle while he was fasting. He has been in communication with God. You could say that while he was fasting from food, he was feasting with God. Later, John records that Jesus states that all that he taught men came from what God said to him - his words are not his own. Jesus has been sustained by the Word. He could echo Job, who said "I have esteemed thy word more than my necessary meat!"