3: The devil always begins by casting doubt upon the situation. He questions facts that God has already stated. Remember, the Father had just said that Jesus was his beloved Son. Now the devil questions that.
The second element of the temptation is also among the tempter’s chief practices. He hit Jesus’ weakest point. Jesus was hungry. Hunger would be foreign to the pre-incarnate Christ. Thus, Jesus was not simply more hungry than he had been in his life. He was more hungry than he had been ever, in all eternity.
Therefore, Jesus was put to it with one of the devil’s oldest tricks. He tells one that God does not have our needs in mind. He questions God’s care for us. He casts doubt on our perception of our relationship with God. On the one hand, if Jesus could not make the stones into bread, he must not be God’s Son. On the other, if he was the Son of God, why would God leave him so hungry. It was meant to be a logical sticking point to trap Jesus in his thinking.
It would have been wrong for Jesus to do so. He never used his power for his own personal gain. He was on earth to serve, not to be served. If God had specifically led him to be hungry, he was meant to be hungry.
Personal Journal Entry #12121
Prayer Journal Entry #12121
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 21:1-23:27
Praise Journal Entry #12081: Heavenly Father, I thank You for telling us about Jesus’ victory over Satan in this passage. It gives us such hope for victory over his temptations. We must not feel that we cannot resist him, for we surely can in Your strength. Thank You for that, it makes life so much better. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.