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WORD AMONG US WAU.ORG Reflections
Daily Meditation: Matthew 4:1-11
Afterwards he was hungry. (Matthew 4:2)
Of course Jesus was hungry! Who wouldn’t be, after forty days of fasting? Surely his stomach ached and his head throbbed. It’s true that he is the Son of God who needs nothing. But he was also a real human being with real needs. And so this Divine Son . . . got hungry.
Matthew wants to make sure we understand this truth. Jesus decided to become a man and face trials in a human body like our own. In his hunger, he confronted the temptation to provide for himself instead of trusting God—a test our first parents had failed. Is God truly good? Will he provide for me?
In Eden, the serpent had asked, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees?” (Genesis 3:1). Now, Jesus heard a similar enticement: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3). It seemed logical: Would God really want you to be famished? Isn’t there a better way to bring in the kingdom?
But Jesus held fast to the word of God: “It is written: ‘One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’ ” (Matthew 4:4). He was recalling the Exodus, when God provided manna for his hungry people so that they could learn to rely on him. In the wilderness, Jesus defeated the devil by trusting his Father and aligning himself with his will. At the same time, he showed us how to battle our own temptations.
We all face testing. Our Lenten fasting is difficult, our best-laid plans go awry, someone we love falls ill. In our “wilderness,” we are tempted to doubt the goodness of God’s plan. In our “hunger,” we wonder if he will provide. But Jesus promises that we will not be tested beyond our ability (1 Corinthians 10:13). And he is with us to give us strength.
Cling to the Lord today—he knows what it is to be hungry.
“Lord, help me to trust in your ways and resist temptation.”
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First Reading — Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
What do you learn about humanity, temptation, and sin from this passage in Genesis?
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Second Reading — Romans 5:12-19
Compare and contrast the characteristics and effects of the “trespass” with the “free gift?”.
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How would you summarize the Good News in light of this passage?
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Gospel Reading — Matthew 4:1-11
4. In what ways did Jesus’ response to temptation differ from Adam and Eve’s as
seen in the first reading?
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5. What can we learn about dealing with temptation from this passage?
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