“Divine Paternity Test #1: Food” | Luke 4:1-4 Commentary

What follows is an excerpt from a Luke 4:1-13 Bible Study that was streamed on 1.27.21. This post was published on 4.23.22

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Commentary

In Luke 4:14, we read about the first Divine Paternity test – which is about food:

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit, into the wilderness, 2 being tempted forty days by the devil. He did not eat anything in those days, and when they came to an end, He was famished. 3 The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It has been written: One shall not live on bread on alone” [Dt 8:3] (Lk 4:1-4, AT)

As we mentioned on Sunday (in a recent sermon), if you start watching a show in season six, and you don’t know what happened in seasons 1-5, you’re not going to fully understand everything.

This is why shows often have recaps before new episodes. You know how they’ll say, “Previously On…” (whatever the name of the show is), and then show clips of previous episodes?

Well, by the time Jesus walks the earth, it had been well over a millennium since Israel walked out of Egypt. This is like season 106 of this drama. (Speaking of 106, if you read Psalm 106, you’ll get a nice recap).

After the Exodus, Moses sent twelve spies to explore the Promised Land. Then, as we see in Numbers 13:25, it says:

“At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.” (Num 13:25, NIV)

Now, as we said on Sunday, everyone except but Joshua and Caleb thought the people in the land were too mighty to be defeated (Num 13:31-14:10).

They started grumbling against Moses and rebelling against the LORD. They even were talking about going back to Egypt (Num 14:1-4). So, in Numbers 14:22-23 the LORD says:

22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors.”(Num 14:22-23, NIV)

Continuing in Numbers 14:34-35, the LORD says:

34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die. (Num 14:34-35, NIV; cf. Ex 16:35)¹

So we see that, after the Exodus, while Israel was in the wilderness they disobeyed God. Thus after exploring the Promised Land for forty days, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. They failed the test and actually tested God.

Now we have Jesus in the wilderness, being tested for forty days. Anyone who’s watched the first couple seasons of the drama should recognize the parallels.

Speaking of forty days, in Scripture, when writing the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, we also see that Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights. As we read in Exodus 34:27-28, which says:

27 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread ordrinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. (Ex 34:27-28, NIV;²(cf. Ex 24:18³)

Also in Deuteronomy 9:9, Moses says:

9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. (Dt. 9:9, NIV)⁴

In addition, it also took Elijah forty days and forty nights to reach Mount Horeb – another name for Mount Sinai. As we read in 1 Kings 19:5-8, after Elijah said he was ready to die, it says:

5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. (1 Ki 19:5-8, NIV)⁵

And that angelic food may have been all Elijah had before that forty-day journey.

So, before they proclaimed the word of God, Moses and (perhaps even) Elijah fasted for forty days and forty nights.⁷ – Marshall, 169[/note]

And here Jesus is fasting for forty days, before He begins His public ministry – proclaiming the word of God.

Anyone who’s watched the first couple seasons of the drama should recognize the parallels.

And anyone who’s ever been hungry knows that you’re not quite yourself… when you’re hungry. Do you ever find yourself in a bad mood when you’re hungry?

As it’s been said, when we haven’t eaten we can get “Hangry”.

Now, I don’t know how true this is, but it’s been said that 80% of arguments happen because someone hasn’t eaten yet (not a real stat ?).

We’re not ourselves when we’re hungry – which means when we are hungry we are more vulnerable. We’re more vulnerable to give in to temptation.

Many recovery programs recognize this and recommend the HALT method to resist temptation. They say that if one feels tempted, one should check to see if one is hungry, angry, lonely or tired. H-A-L-T.

If we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, we’re often more susceptible to give in to temptation.

Now 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Now if you’ve ever seen lions or other predators hunt, do they go after the strongest in herd? Do they try to catch the fastest in the flock?

No, they often go after those who can’t keep up with the others. They target the weak.

My brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised when Satan tries to tempt you when you are feeling weak. When we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired, understand that we are often more vulnerable to fall into temptation.

Satan tries to tempt Jesus when He’s likely hungry, lonely, and tired.

Now Luke actually doesn’t use the word “Satan” (שָׂטָן | śāṭān), which means adversary.⁸ He uses the Greek word διάβολος (diabolos) (like diabolical). Diablos means: (hostile) accuser, slanderer⁹ or “misrepresenter”.¹⁰

Understand that the devil will often try to misrepresent the truth to get us to rebel against our Redeemer. The misrepresenter attempts to lead God’s children astray and fracture their relationship with the Father ¹¹ – through disobedience.

Now, as we’ve said before, this word tempt (πειράζω | peirazō) also means “to try”, to “test,” to “put on trial”.¹²

Even today we know that secular tests we take can serve as evaluations and assessments. And, as it’s been said, in the past, God tested His people to “assess the reality of their faith[fulness]”. ¹³

For example in Exodus 16:4, it says:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test [LXX: πειράζω | peirazō] them and see whether they will follow my instructions (Ex 16:4, NIV)¹⁴

Furthermore, Deuteronomy 8:2-3 says:

2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test[LXX: πειράζω | peirazō] you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD (Dt. 8:3, NIV)¹⁵

And this is the Scripture that the Savior cites. The LORD tested Israel in the wilderness to teach them that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God.

And in His own wilderness test, Jesus shows that He knows the right answer.

Now the devil may not doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, he tries to get Jesus to act like He’s not the Son of God – by acting independently.¹⁶.

The devil is trying to get Jesus to go solo. To do His own thing. To take matters into His own hands. This is the sinful way of self.

Now as you may recall, Israel was called God’s son. As we see in Exodus 4, starting at verse 22:

22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” (Ex 4:22-23a, NIV)¹⁷

And of course, in the Garden of Eden, Adam fails the test and falls into temptation by eating what he wasn’t supposed to eat.

And as we’ve seen Adam is called “son of God” at the end of the genealogy in Luke 3:38.

So when it comes to food tests, Israel, son of God (Ex 4:22-23), failed the test in the wilderness¹⁸and Adam, son of God (Luke 3:38), failed the test in the Garden ¹⁹(cf. Gen 3:1f).

But Jesus, Jesus, the Son of God (with a capital S)(Lk 1:32-33, 3:21-22), passes the test.²⁰

As it’s been said, “Israel was tested with hunger so that she would learn dependence on God, but failed to do so. Jesus depends wholly on God for his sustenance.”²¹

Instead of taking matters into His own hands, he submits to the Father’s plans. As we’ve studied previously, in John 4:34, Jesus says:

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (Jn 4:34, NIV)

As it’s been said, “for Jesus, life is doing God’s will, not providing for self.”²².

Life isn’t about doing what’s pleasing in our sight, but about doing what’s pleasing in God’s sight.

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