Not just bread
Matthew 4:1-11
“One does not live by bread alone…” Mt 4:4
Today’s gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary depicts the temptations God’s Adversary puts in front of Jesus. The first of them is to satisfy his hunger in a miraculous way by turning stones into bread. Jesus response is a reminder that life is more than satisfying physical needs.
We live in a time where satisfying physical needs does seem to be what life is about. The amassing of wealth, the over-abundance of food on our plates, the desire to accumulate more and more “stuff”, indicates our vision of what real life is about. We live with fear that we will not have enough, and not having enough somehow diminishes our humanity and personhood.
Jesus counsels living by “…every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Hebrew Bible kept alive that word spoken through the centuries. That word expressed concern for the poor, for the widow, for the orphan, for the stranger. That word spoke both justice and mercy. That word proclaimed again and again God’s steadfast love for all that God had made. That word reminded God’s people that their identity as the people of God had a greater importance than constantly full stomachs.
Jesus’ words don’t negate the necessity of food for our bodies or the bodies of others. Those words instead awaken us to the needs of all those whom God has claimed as God’s own. In the garden of Eden story, God’s word to Adam and Eve was to join God in caring for and providing for the good creation. Part of that care is making sure that all have bread.
PRAY: Lord God, in the light of the resurrection we see the needs of all people especially those who are hungry, our brothers and sisters, members with us of the human family. When the devil tempts us to live for ourselves alone, keep us in your word that offers life to all. Amen.
FAST: By refusing second helpings today.
ACT: Set aside canned meat for a local food pantry
OR set aside $1 to give to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
...the least of these... 