Rev. David Hammerle, M.A., M.Ed., DAPA

Permission to copy is granted.

The wilderness temptations of Christ have been a topic of conversation ever since the Gospels were introduced to the early church. The first temptation listed in Matthew’s record focused on the turning of stones into bread. Much of the discussion centering on this temptation concerns itself with the question as to why such a miracle would be a sin.

On another occasion, Christ turned the water into wine according to the second chapter of John’s Gospel. A brief comparison of the two miracles would indicate that the one miracle was designed to meet a need for others while the wilderness situation focused on Christ alone. This might cause some to suggest that the sin would be the use of divine power for selfish purposes.

The miracle performed at the wedding feast did become a testimony of God’s goodness for others to see. On the other hand, a miracle in the wilderness would focus on proving that Christ is the Son of God. The challenge of the devil begins with, “If you are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:3). Those in attendance during this wilderness encounter already knew that Christ is indeed the Son of God.

Jesus did anticipate that the miracles that He performed would serve as proof that He was the Son of God thus enabling His disciples to believe. In John 14:10-11 He challenge them to believe that He was in the Father and the Father in Him for the works sake. However, He did not need to prove anything to the devil and He was not about to give in to the temptation to do so at this time.

Could it be that this testing was designed to teach us that we should not flirt with temptation? If Christ had turned the stones into bread, He would then have been tempted to eat the bread. Why would He create a situation that would cause Him to face a greater temptation? Christ had been fasting for forty days and forty nights when He went into this wilderness experience. The loaves of bread might tempt Him to break the fast that He had committed Himself to keep.

Let us take the time to focus on the response that Christ offered to the devil. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’”

(Matthew 4:4) This quotation is taken from Dueteronomy 8:3 where God is reminding the generation of Israelites who were coming out of the wilderness of the care that they had received while enduring their own wilderness trial.

The message to the Israelites noted that hearing God’s word was more important than the manna that was given to sustain physical life. We might remind ourselves of the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.”

When focusing on Christ’s response to the suggestion of the devil, it seems evident that the temptation had more to do with the breaking of His commitment to fast than it did with the performing of the miracle. Considering that the purpose of a fast is to recognize one’s need to spend time with God, it would appear that Christ felt that time spent with the Father during this great struggle was more important than breaking a fast to satisfy a physical whim. Even greater implications might come to mind when considering the suggestion that He would allow the devil to dictate when the fast would end.

Linking the response of Christ with the purpose of the fast would lead us to conclude that the time of fasting should focus on God’s word and the value that it holds for the spiritual being. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus asks, “Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” The biblical concept of fasting recognizes the importance of spending time in the conscious presence of God as being of greater value than seeking to satisfy the physical demands of a hunger drive. Taking this a step further emphasizes the truth that the care of the spiritual being is more important than the care of the physical being.

Unfortunately, some people look on the fast as a bargaining system. They feel that if they spend a certain amount of time fasting that God will meet a particular need. It should be clearly understood that God’s answers to our prayers are not something that we can earn or deserve. When the Bible speaks of God’s grace, it is referring to the underserved favor of God extended to us. God answers our prayers because He chooses to show us His grace and not because we have earned the answer.

When choosing to fast, a person should plan to schedule time for prayer and Bible reading with the goal of making one’s self available to God in order that He can make us aware of the things that He wants from us rather than demanding the things that we want from Him.

When Paul speaks of spiritual warfare in the sixth chapter of Ephesians, he emphasizes the importance of making use of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18). After describing that armor, he instructs the believer in this manner: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication….” “Praying always” does not mean that we must remain on our knees twenty-four hours a day. It means that we need to be conscious of God’s presence in all that we do. This would be the most accurate concept of time spent during a fast.

A time of fasting that is spent in a conscious awareness of seeking God’s presence and the strength to do His will would be more in keeping with the biblical teaching concerning this spiritual activity.