Why was Jesus's forty-day fast in the wilderness the perfect setup for Satan's temptation?
The forty-day fast left Jesus hungry in the wilderness, making it a perfect setup because Satan came knowing He had fasted and was hungry. The tempter targeted that physical appetite, urging Him to turn stones to bread, but Jesus answered that man does not live by bread alone.
Les explains that after Jesus had been out in the wilderness forty days fasting, it was a perfect setup for the temptations. The devil came along realizing He had been in the desert and was hungry. Matthew 4:3 records the tempter saying, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.' Les points out that if He is hungry, the thought of bread sends those taste buds going crazy, so the temptation centered on satisfying His hunger. Jesus answered from verse 4, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' The lesson Les draws is that in spite of our physical appetites, we must temper them with the spiritual things that are far more important, keeping our priorities straight rather than upside down.
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
More Questions
What was Satan's first temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:3?
Satan's first temptation was to press Jesus, with the word "If," to use his identity as the Son of God to command stones to be made bread.