
Matthew 4.3-4,
Luke 4.3-4.
There’s a line in Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson’s 1984 hit song, “We Are the World,” which goes, “As God has shown us by turning stones to bread.”
As those of us who are biblically literate know, God never did any such thing in the scriptures. Now to be fair to Richie and Jackson, maybe God performed such a miracle for them personally… but I have my doubts. In any case neither of them, nor their producers, nor the roomful of pop stars they brought in to sing the song with them—which has to include people who were raised in church, right?—caught the error. Or convinced the producers to change it. So it’s still in the song. Aw well.
As we know, Jesus was tempted to do such a thing.
Matthew 4.3 KWL - Approaching, the tempter tells Jesus,
- “If you’re the son of God, say something
- so these stones might become bread.”
Luke 4.3 KWL - The devil tells him,
- “If you’re the son of God, speak to these stones
- so they might become bread.”
Back when I was a kid, I noticed something kinda obvious about this particular temptation: It’s not a sin for Jesus to turn stones into bread. There’s no commandment, at all, telling people to not do such a thing. There’s nothing
Well duh; it’s the “if you’re the son of God” part. Jesus didn’t have to prove anything to Satan. Nor should he be that easy to manipulate, like a child showing off or an insecure president. Jesus knows exactly who he is… and frankly, it’s not a bad idea to keep the devil, who might have its own doubts, wondering. And underestimating him.
So Jesus did nothing, and threw a little bit of Deuteronomy back at Satan.
Matthew 4.4 KWL - In reply Jesus says, “It was written,
- ‘Not only by bread will humans live,
- but by every word coming out of God’s mouth.’ ”
Dt 8.3 Luke 4.4 KWL - In reply Jesus tells the devil, “It was written,
- ‘Not only by bread will humans live.’ ”
Dt 8.3
And that’s that.