Jesus in the Desert
After his baptism by St. John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert for a period of fasting and prayer.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
Matthew 4:2-3
Satan Attacks in Isolation
Isn’t that just like the devil? To wait in the shadows, wait until we are isolated and hungry and alone, wait until we have desperate need before he pounces? Satan offers Jesus such a cunningly concealed temptation. He tempts Jesus with what he wants and needs, but he packages that temptation with a caveat. If you are the Son of God…
The devil will come to us with lose-lose offers. Satan believed that Jesus could’t win the battle placed before him. Either He could use His power to make bread from stones, giving in to temptation, yet proving He is the Son of God. Or He can refuse and seemingly admit that He is not.
I imagine in that moment that Satan felt victorious. There sits Jesus. He’s hungry, nearly starving. He sees the stones and feels deeply the temptation before him. And the devil smiles, maliciously celebrating his checkmate move against a weakened king.
Our Victorious Defender
But my favorite part of this cosmic exchange lies in Jesus’ calm answer.
He said in reply, “It is written:
‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
His response is beautiful. Satan believed he had Jesus cornered, but Jesus used his own weapons against him. His words are far more complex than Satan’s tricky deception, and with them He effectively silences this first desert temptation.
We can trust God’s provision and care.
Jesus doesn’t deny that we need bread when He said we don’t live by it alone. He is acknowledging here that He is hungry, and He needs bread. But it isn’t all He needs, and in that moment, even starving, it isn’t His most pressing need.
By quoting from Deuteronomy, Jesus shows that He trusts God to provide what He needs. Jesus is referring to a time after the exodus from Egypt, when the Israelites were wandering and hungry. God provided for them, raining bread down from heaven.
We can trust God’s faithfulness and goodness.
While in the desert, the Israelites cried out to God angrily and accused God and Moses of bringing them out only to let them die. God heard their cries and fed them. But God didn’t give them stale, old bread. Instead, He rained down manna, heavenly bread, wonderful and perfect day after day, faithfully. We don’t deserve His goodness. We deserve stale, old bread, not manna. But still He lovingly provides.
We can hope in the promise of salvation through Christ.
Finally, it isn’t just bread or even the word of God that sustains us. But the Living Word, the Living Bread Himself. Jesus is the Word, He is the Bread. Just as God gave the Israelites heavenly bread, He gives us Jesus who is both. He is the Good News both in word and deed.
Daily Lectionary Readings
This Daily Bread section is for you to dive into the daily lectionary readings. Our beautiful Catholic Church has given us a wonderful tradition and resource in the USCCB lectionary. Take the time to read over the daily lectionary entry.
Right now, we are in a weakened state. We are isolated and hungry and alone. We need our daily bread, our true Living Bread, more than ever. I’m challenging you, especially in these dark and uncertain times, to hunt for every crumb of God’s goodness, faithfulness, lovingkindness, and mercy. Where can you find Jesus, the true bread of life, in these words? What promises and beauty can you find there? Remembering always that right now we need to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Why Should I Read the Lectionary Here?
Its true, you could totally read this in a paper lectionary or on another website, like the USCCB site. The USCCB site has a ton of wonderful resources, and I highly recommend you do check out that site.
But the most important reason to read it here is community. Here, you will find a group of loving, Catholic women learning and growing with you. In the comment section below each post, I highly encourage you to post your responses to the daily readings and to enter into loving dialogue with other women about them. When we are all stuck at home, this is a great way to be able to connect, share our thoughts about our faith, and strengthen one another.
You can subscribe to have an email sent to you each day as a reminder to read the Daily Bread and check in with your sisters in Christ. Nothing overwhelming or intense, just a friendly email with a link to quickly get directly where you want to go.
Additionally, the format of this lectionary is easy to read, and it is fully responsive. That means that it will be easy to read on any device, be it tablet, desktop, or phone. You won’t need to zoom in or out to try to make out tiny words on your phone.
Also, its pretty here. And I like pretty. And chances are, if you are Catholic, you like pretty, too.
