And the devil said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread. And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. (Luke 4:3-4)
Jesus was hungry in the wilderness when the adversary of the devil came and tempted him with food. What was really being offered to Jesus, was it just food? On the surface this looks like a simple temptation to cure the hunger pains. How easy it would have been for the One and Only Son of God to turn the oval loaf shaped rocks into actual loaves of bread that would fulfill and satisfy any man, whether starving or not. However the devils temptation grew further than self-fulfillment. Jesus could have used his authority as the Son of God and fed the entire world. Jesus could have saved all the starving children in the world. Seriously, think about it. If Jesus would have turned stone into bread then no one in the inner cities would ever go hungry. No longer would the man on the corner or on the side of the highway ever ask you for change and/or food. No longer would the women and children in homeless shelters and orphanages get only enough to survive but never enough to be fulfilled, The commercials on TV begging us to offer pennies a day to save malnourished children in 3rd world countries would just cease. All of this would have happened if Jesus just said, “ok, I’ll feed myself and the world.” The Son of God turned all of this down and He said, “I am ok with being hungry and I am ok with others being hungry.” But why?
When I did my studies in Chicago I had the privilege to meet a little girl named Crystal. Crystal was around eight years old living with her mom and sister in a homeless shelter. Crystal was always happy and a joy to be around. I was at the shelter one night with a group from campus and I sat down to share a meal with Crystal. We prayed first, she thanked God for our food and the time together. During the meal we started talking about prayer. I asked her what she prayed for when she talked to God. I didn’t expect the response I got, for it literally changed my life. She said that she thanked Him for the roof over her head, the clothes on her back and the food that she had. I was astounded that this little girl who in my eyes had nothing was so thankful for everything.
See, God takes care of Crystal, sure she has a roof over her head, clothes on her back, and food in her stomach, but she has something that is even more valuable than all three of those combined. She has faith, hope, and love and that was all she needed.
The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen presents an intriguing perspective on this scripture in his book Life of Christ. Archbishop Sheen claims that the Devil was offering Jesus the ability to be a social reformer and bring about social justice. Anyone who has ever worked in an impoverished neighborhood, or impoverished school, or soup line, or homeless shelter, or went on a mission trip has begged God to change the world this way. It seems only natural doesn’t it? Yet Christ turned down the chance for an immediate social change. Why?
Jesus knew that when turning stones into bread becomes the norm there is no need for faith. When you already have all your needs meet there is reason to hope for a better day. When all you are worried about is the material then you just flat out forget about people and God. You just flat out forget about relationships a.k.a. love.
Christ knew the simple fact that “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4). If Jesus only fed us then he would have been short changing us. Jesus knew if he gave us bread and only bread we would all be starving. The starvation would not be in our bellies, it would be in our souls. Before we feed the hungry we have some lessons to learn, some things to truly know. Before we save the world we have to understand salvation. Before we love the unlovable we have to learn how to love ourselves, our neighbors, and our God. Christ didn’t turn down a plethora of food because it was too much, he turned down the devils offer because we wanted more, he wanted a life that meant more than just material security. Jesus wanted to live an extreme and radical life of having faith in the impossible, a radical life of hoping for the future, a radical life of LOVE.
Don’t just feed the poor. Feed the poor in faith that God will take care of them and is taking care of them through you and others. Don’t just feed the poor. Feed the poor in hope that the world will one day change not in some magical instantaneous social justice scheme, but the world will change in and through pure love. Don’t just feed the poor. Don’t feed the poor out of pity, this is dehumanizing. Feed them because they are just like you and me. Feed them because you love them. Feed them because you truly love your neighbor.
In the Faith, Hope, and Love of Christ Almighty,
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