Matthew 4:2-11, The Forty-Day Fast

2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Comments

Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness symbolized forty years of Israel’s wandering, Moses’ 40-day fast at Sinai, and Elijah’s forty-day journey to Sinai to escape Jezebel. We do not know if Jesus completely abstained from food and drink for forty days, but we know he experienced real human hunger. Even though Jesus was fully God, he was fully human, experiencing true hunger and thirst.

Satan’s “ifs” are not of doubting that Jesus is the Son of God, but “if” he indeed has the power to satisfy his needs miraculously, the disobedience to tempt God to act immediately, and the will to evade suffering and the cross by worshiping him now and not waiting for the Father to exalt him.

Application/Reflection

Satan can make bad suggestions, often twisting God’s word to suit his purposes. Only the tempted person can act. On all three occasions, Jesus responded to Satan’s offers by quoting Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy. This section of Deuteronomy, 6:13-8:3, refers to the wilderness experiences of Israel and the instructions God gave them to do well.

Throughout his time of temptation, Jesus had no special resources except the Word of God. By spending time in study and prayer, he was prepared to conquer Satan. It is exactly the same resource we have today!

Prayer

O Lord of grace, lead us and guide us from a life of self-centeredness and satisfaction for what we are and what we do to a life of dependence on you. Inspire our hearts that we rise beyond the daily trifles of our existence and join with you in love and concern of the whole creation, that we may always remind ourselves that we are the disciples of one who did not help himself but was a man for others. Grant that we may, through our life and example, work for a world where God is praised and we all live like salt and leaven in the midst of this mass humanity and in a bond of charity. O God the Holy Spirit, inspire, hallow and guide us in this vocation of wholeness and healing, through Christ our Lord.

Church of Bangladesh