Jesus did not turn the stones into bread; He answered Satan by quoting Scripture.
After fasting forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry, and Satan challenged Him to command the stones to become bread. Instead, Jesus answered, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' Les Feldick points out that Jesus met the temptation with the Word rather than using His divine power.
Matthew 4:4 — This is Jesus' direct answer to the tempter and the key verse for this question.
Matthew 4:3 — This records Satan's exact challenge to turn stones into bread.
After Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, Matthew records that He "was afterward an hungred" (Matthew 4:2). The tempter then came to Him and said, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (Matthew 4:3). Jesus answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). The biblical record shows that Jesus did not perform a miracle to satisfy His hunger; He responded with the written Word.
Les explains that after Christ's forty-day fast, Satan knew exactly where to attack — His hunger. He came with a conditional "if," saying, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (Matthew 4:3; Clip 1). Les stresses that Satan knows our weakest point at any time, and for a hungry Jesus, food was the obvious target (Clip 2). Les also points out that Jesus never let His divine nature interfere with His human nature. He answered from the Word: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Clip 3). The lesson for believers is that we maintain our guard against Satan by staying in the Book; the Word is the cleansing aspect and the only way to confront the enemy (Clip 3). Les uses the example of seeing a food billboard while hungry to show how Satan whets fleshly desire; Jesus was tempted in His physical appetite (Clip 4). He concludes that physical appetites must be tempered with the spiritual things that are far more important, and we must keep our priorities straight (Clip 5). Les also identifies this first temptation as the lust of the flesh — hunger (Clips 0, 7).
Les says the forty-day fast was a perfect setup for temptation, and the devil came realizing Jesus was hungry (Clip 1). Satan knows our weakest point at any point in time, and after the fast Jesus was physically hungry, so Satan tempted Him with food (Clip 2). Les also notes that hunger triggers physiological responses; a hungry person can be tantalized by the thought of bread, and this is what happened with Christ (Clip 4).
Jesus quoted the Word, and Les explains that in spite of our physical appetites, we must temper them with spiritual things that are far more important. He stresses keeping priorities straight — spiritual nourishment matters more than satisfying the flesh (Clip 5). The Book is the cleansing aspect for believers, so staying in the Word is how we maintain our guard (Clip 3).
Les says it is no different today — we maintain our guard against the evil one by staying in the Book. Jesus confronted Satan by quoting Scripture, and we are washed by the cleansing of the Word (Clip 3). Satan loves to put conditions with "if," and believers need to answer from Scripture just as Jesus did (Clip 2).
Three Areas of Temptation
Les connects the Lord Jesus' wilderness temptations with the same three areas that all people face — the lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life — setting up the stones-to-bread temptation as a fleshly desire.
Satan's Challenge After the Fast
Les shows that Jesus had been fasting forty days and the devil attacked His hunger, saying "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."
Satan Attacks the Weakest Point
Les explains that Satan knows our weakest point, and because Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him with food using a conditional "if."
Jesus Answers with Scripture
Les emphasizes that Jesus, both God and man, answered from the Word — "It is written" — and that believers today must stay in the Book to guard against the evil one.
The Power of Physical Appetite
Les compares hunger to seeing a food billboard; Satan used bread to attack Jesus in His fleshly desire for something to eat.
Spiritual Priorities Over Physical Appetite
Les teaches that physical appetites must be tempered with spiritual things and that we have to keep our priorities straight.
First Temptation Before the Kingdoms
Les notes that the first thing Satan came up with after the forty days was the temptation to satisfy Jesus' hunger, before showing Him the kingdoms of the world.
First Temptation Identified as Lust of the Flesh
Les identifies the stones-to-bread temptation as the lust of the flesh — hunger — compared to the later temptations involving showmanship.
Matthew 4:2: And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
This sets the scene: Jesus was physically hungry after His fast when Satan approached.
Matthew 4:3: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
This is the exact temptation Jesus faced.
Matthew 4:4: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
This is Jesus' answer to Satan and the central verse for this question.
No. Jesus answered Satan with Scripture: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." He did not command the stones to become bread.
Les notes that Satan likes to put conditions, and the word "if" was his way of challenging Jesus. He attacked at the point of physical hunger, suggesting Jesus could prove His sonship by satisfying His appetite.
The only way to defeat Satan is with the Word of God. Believers need to stay in the Book every day, just as they need regular physical food, because the Word cleanses and guards us against the evil one.
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