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Responses

 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) 

          Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:8) 
          Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10)


         Understanding the temptations we face is important. Understanding how to respond is even more important. You’ve probably heard that Jesus’s responses to Satan’s temptation were quotes from Scripture. The first is from Deuteronomy 8:3.[1] The second is Deuteronomy 6:16. [2] The third is Deuteronomy 6:13.[3] Two things should be noticed. All come from what Moses told the Israelites after they had been wandering in the desert for forty years. They are warnings about what they were to do and not do when they entered the Promised Land. 
         The commandments Jesus quotes are paraphrased, taken out of context and at least potentially misapplied. Jesus doesn’t seem to be following the rules of application as laid down by those who teach proper hermeneutics. I’m entirely in favor of proper interpretation of Scripture. The notion that it can mean whatever we want it to mean is nonsense. Jesus, being God incarnate, understood the Scripture as only He could. We need to be far more careful in our limited understanding, but perhaps applying His Word is more important than making sure we have ever T crossed and every I dotted in absolutely correct interpretation. 
          In Jesus’ first reply, He doesn’t just reject the idea of solving His problem Himself. He rejects problem. As hungry as He was, eating food was not what would make Him able to accomplish the task before Him. He didn’t need to prove Himself to be the Son of God to Satan or to Himself. His audience was not there. 
          His second reply is this writer’s dream response. First, Jesus is telling Satan that He will not put God to the test. That is the Law and He is going to follow it. But wait, there’s more. God, the Son, told Satan not to put God to the test. That was not only what Satan was suggesting to Jesus, but it was what Satan was doing to Jesus. The rebuke is not just of the idea, but of the technique. 
          His third reply does the same thing. Not only is Jesus saying that He won’t worship Satan even He gets the whole world for it (What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?) but that Satan should worship the Lord and serve Him only. In other words, “No, Satan, you worship Me.”
          And, in a sense, that’s exactly what Satan did. He slunk away, conceding defeat, at least for the moment. Jesus was the Victor.


[1] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
[2] Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah (Deuteronomy 6:13)
[3] Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. (Deuteronomy 6:16)

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