Jesus refused to turn stones into bread and responded by quoting what is written (Matthew 4:4).
After fasting forty days and nights, Jesus was hungry, and Satan challenged Him to command stones to become bread (Matthew 4:2–3). Instead of satisfying His physical need, Jesus answered from the written Word, declaring that life is sustained by every word from God (Matthew 4:4). In doing so, He made clear that spiritual nourishment takes priority over physical appetite.
Matthew 4:4 — Jesus directly quotes the written Word in answer to the command to turn stones into bread.
Matthew 4:1–4 records that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and that He fasted forty days and forty nights, after which He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said that if He were the Son of God, He should command the stones to become bread (Matthew 4:3). Jesus' answer was a quotation of what is written, found in Matthew 4:4.
Les Feldick explains that Satan knows our weakest point, and Jesus had just come out of forty days of fasting, so He was physically hungry. That is exactly why Satan tempted Him with food (Clips 1, 3). Les also emphasizes that Jesus was fully human and fully God—from His human side He was truly hungry, making the temptation real (Clip 4).
After the forty-day fast, Jesus was physically hungry (Matthew 4:2). Les Feldick explains that Satan knows a person's weakest point and chooses that exact moment to attack. Since Jesus' natural appetite for food was in high gear, Satan tempted Him with bread (Clips 1, 3, 4). Les sets the context from Matthew 4 and notes that Jesus faced the same categories of temptation (Clip 5).
Jesus' answer shows that physical things alone cannot sustain life. Les Feldick teaches that we cannot live by material, physical things alone; we also have to have that which is spiritual. He applies this by urging believers to feed on the Word daily (Clips 2, 7). The Bible records Jesus' response as a quotation from Scripture (Matthew 4:4).
Les Feldick says that had Jesus given in to Satan, He would have lost everything He had to accomplish for our salvation. The temptation was not simply about hunger; it was a test of whether Jesus would depend on the Word of God rather than His own power (Clips 2, 4).
The Three Temptations Everyone Faces — Eve to Jesus Explained
I mean, the guy was sinless, he was perfect, what more could you ask for? They were living in all the beauty of paradise, they had no sickness, no death, no disease, no insects, no thorns, I mean, they had it pretty good. But she wasn't satisfied, and Satan detects that, and so he comes now and says, Yeah, Eve, there's something better, all right. Verse 6, "...
Satan's Attack at the Weakest Point
But He's led up into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, He said, "...if..." See, now that's the way Satan likes to come, isn't it? He likes to put conditions. Now He says, "...if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Jesus' Answer from Scripture and the Word's Power
If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Now what's he saying? Well, if you're all that you say you are, you're hungry, all you have to do is speak the word and you've got bread. But you see, the whole idea was, had Jesus given in to Satan, he would have lost everything that he had to accomplish for our salvation.
The Appeal of Bread to Hunger
Now, I'm sure all of you have experienced that you may be driving down a freeway or something and, oh, you may realize you're hungry, but that appetite really isn't whetted until you see a billboard of some delicious piece of food. Isn't that right? And then all of a sudden, boy, those juices just start flowing and you just can't get something to eat fast enough.
Jesus' Full Humanity and Satan's Doubt
He was hungry. Now, I had to point out to someone just yesterday that you always have to remember, and again we take these things by faith, that Jesus, on the one hand, was totally human. He was totally man. But on the other hand, he was totally God. And so from his human side, he was hungry. Absolutely he was hungry. He had been fasting for forty days and forty nights.
Matthew 4 Context of the Temptations
I can make it on my own, and to submit to a sovereign God and admit that He is what I need, no thanks, is what most of the world says. All right, so look at them again. It's the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. All right, now I said the Lord Jesus faced those same three set of circumstances.
What Happened Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? (The Genesis Gap Explained)
All right, now if you'll come with me to Matthew chapter 4, as Christ begins His earthly ministry. And He's been 40 days and 40 nights out there in the desert, and the first thing Satan comes up with is the temptation to satisfy His hunger. All right, but I want you to come with me for sake of our speaking of ruling and reigning and so forth, to come up to verse 8 in Matthew 4.
Feeding Daily on the Word
And yet how many believers go week in and week out and never feed on the Word of God? Listen, we have to feed on it every day, and I know we're all in busy schedules. I don't think anyone's got one any busier than mine. But we still have to find the time and take the time to feed on the Word, all right? You cannot live by material, physical things alone.
Matthew 4:1: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Sets the scene of Jesus being led into the wilderness to be tempted.
Matthew 4:2: And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
Establishes Jesus' physical hunger after the fast, the point of attack.
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.
Satan's specific temptation to turn stones into bread.
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.
Jesus' direct response—the central verse answering the question.
No. According to Matthew 4, Jesus answered Satan by quoting what is written instead of commanding the stones to become bread. His answer is recorded in Matthew 4:4.
Les Feldick points out that Satan was trying to plant doubt in Jesus' mind with the word 'if.' He attacked Jesus at His weakest physical point, after the fast, when He was hungry (Clip 4).
Les teaches that only the Word of God can defeat Satan, and therefore believers need to be saturated with Scripture every day. He also warns against giving in to physical appetites over spiritual priorities (Clips 2, 7).
Yes. Scripture says He was afterward an hungered after fasting forty days and nights (Matthew 4:2). Les emphasizes that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God, so His hunger was real (Clip 4).
Watch the Teaching: The Three Temptations Everyone Faces — Eve to Jesus Explained