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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 4, 2008 You Can Not Live By Bread Alone |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday February 4, 2008 by Fritz Foltz
Matthew 4: 1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’
My guess is most of our first responses to this lesson are, “Of course, everyone knows you cannot live by bread alone”. Even if you read the passage as popular slang, understanding ”bread” as “money”, you probably still respond, “Everyone knows this”.
It gets harder if we read this as “Do not put bread first in your lives”. It is a pretty accurate rendering of what Jesus was trying to say. Jesus has been fasting for forty days. He has to be hungry as he tries to understand what kind of ministry God wants him to offer. Then Satan’s suggestion that he turn stones into bread sounds pretty good. Surely in this situation he should first care for his bodily needs and then return to ponder God’s will.
How about social service guidelines such as “Feed a hungry person first, then proclaim the Gospel” or current political wisdom such as “Take care of the economy and everything else will fall into place”? Yes, I think I agree with that. No, now I am not so sure now. Things are clouding up a bit now.
That is especially true if when we move from placing the words in the mouth of a red-suited, tailed, pitchfork carrying stooge and hear them instead from our best friend. That is what happens at the end of the Gospel when Peter attacks Jesus for suggesting that the Messiah would suffer. Messiahs are not supposed to suffer at the hands of the enemy; they are to beat up the opposition. Messiahs are not to sacrifice themselves for others. If Jesus put his personal welfare first, there would have been no Cross and there would have been no forgiveness of our sins.
Jesus puts it later this way, “Seek the Kingdom of God first and everything else will be added as well”. He is not telling us to do things to get into heaven after our deaths, not saying we should place aside concerns in this world and concentrate on other-worldly stuff. He is talking about establishing priorities here and now in this life. At another place he asks the question, “What does it really profit you if you own the own the whole world but lose your soul?”
We hear the lesson of Jesus’ temptation next Sunday as we begin Lent. And the first words we hear are “You can not live by bread alone”. As you begin your preparation for Holy Week and Easter take time to ponder them. Take time to ask what you think Jesus means. And then live out those words in your life.
Let us pray: Give us the courage to be honest as we examine our lives, Father.. Grant our courage and determination as well that we might repent and live the Gospel. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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