Not by Bread Alone
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
After 40 days of fasting, it’s quite an understatement to say Jesus was hungry! Satan used this fact against Him in his first temptation: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3).
Jesus demonstrated the power of Scripture in combating temptation by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. Jesus was focused on His Father and the Bible even more than His physical needs. Yes, we must have food, but Jesus wants us to understand that we need the spiritual “food” of regular Bible study even more. Our spiritual growth and our ability to fend off the attacks of the devil depend on it.
For more about this passage, see “Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone.” For more about Bible study, see our article “How to Study the Bible.”
