Not by Bread Alone

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”—Luke 4:4

There are multitudes of lessons to learn from Jesus’ confrontation of the enemy in the wilderness. We learn of Jesus’ moral perfection and His impeccability. We learn of His use of the Word of God against temptation. We learn of His reliance upon God instead of self. But there is another, more practical lesson for us and it is this: we should not live by bread alone, but by every word of God!

You see, this was written in a day when people lived day-to-day. Most of the people who would end up reading the gospels were simply survivors, average wage-earners who received their salary each day, bought bread on the way home, and had dinner. Few people could afford to think beyond the next meal, much less to eternal and spiritual things.

America happens to be a privileged nation. Though our wealth is based on debt and depends on continued consumption, we do enjoy plenty of “things.” Our picture is quite different from poverty-stricken first-century Jerusalem. But our spiritual picture is quite the same. You see, a lack of having bread can cause an inability to focus on the eternal, but it also prepares our hearts for a message of hope. For America today, we also have a hard time focusing on the eternal because of our focus on material things. But that materialism will leave us empty and searching.

Jesus’ words are as important for us today in our world of wealth and luxury as they were to the first-century individual who was barely scraping by. Hope comes from the spiritual things in life, namely, God’s Word. Can you see beyond your daily bread? Can you see past things into the spiritual realm of life? If not, look through the lens of God’s Word.