The lesson is that spiritual priorities must govern physical appetites, and temptation is defeated by quoting the Word of God.
After fasting forty days, Jesus was genuinely hungry, and Satan tempted Him with bread. Instead of feeding His physical desire, Jesus answered with Scripture: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' Les Feldick draws the practical lesson that we defeat Satan only with the Word of God, so we must be saturated with Scripture daily.
Matthew 4:1-4 — The account of Jesus' wilderness temptation and His 'It is written' response is the direct biblical basis for the lesson.
Deuteronomy 8:3 — The Old Testament verse Jesus quoted, which frames the lesson that God's Word is life-giving.
The Bible records that after Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was hungry (Matthew 4:2). The tempter came 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 verse He quoted, from Deuteronomy 8:3, teaches that 'man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.' Scripture further explains the nature of temptation in 1 John 2:16: 'For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.' And Hebrews 4:15 assures us that Jesus 'was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.'
Les Feldick explains that Satan attacked Jesus at His weakest point. Because Jesus had fasted forty days, He was genuinely hungry, so the tempter told Him, 'If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.' Les points out that Jesus was fully human, so from His human side He felt that hunger; yet He was also fully God and could have spoken the word to make bread. The whole idea, Les says, is that had Jesus given in to Satan, He would have lost everything He had to accomplish for our salvation. 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 draws the lesson: 'There's only one way we can defeat Satan, and that is with the Word of God.' He therefore encourages believers to be saturated with the Word every day. Les also ties this to the three temptation categories that John describes — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He shows that Jesus faced the same categories as Eve did in the garden, and that every temptation we face falls into one of these three. By answering with Scripture, Jesus modeled how to keep spiritual priorities above physical appetites.
Les explains that Satan knows our weakest point at any point in time. Jesus had just come out of forty days of fasting, so He was naturally hungry. In the same way a person driving down a freeway may not feel hungry until they see a billboard of food, the mention of bread whetted Jesus' fleshly desire. Les says, 'Here He is, He's hungry, and so where does Satan attack Him? In that fleshly desire for something to eat.'
Jesus did not argue with Satan or depend on His own divine power. Instead, He quoted exactly what God had said. Les's lesson is direct: 'There's only one way we can defeat Satan, and that is with the Word of God.' Because of this, Les constantly encourages believers to be saturated with the Word every day. The quotation also reveals that spiritual nourishment — every word that comes from God — is more important than satisfying physical hunger.
Les teaches that every temptation we face falls into the same three categories Jesus encountered: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The 'lust of the eye' is anything that looks alluring; Les reminds us that 'all that glitters isn't gold.' He also warns that pride is perhaps the greatest barrier, saying that pride keeps more people from salvation than anything else. The answer is to follow Jesus' pattern: answer with Scripture and keep God's Word central in daily life.
Eve's Temptation and the Three Categories
Les shows that Eve's temptation combined the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — the same categories Jesus faced.
Satan Attacks Jesus' Hunger
Satan used Jesus' physical hunger after the forty-day fast to tempt Him to turn stones to bread, demonstrating that he attacks at our weakest point.
The Same Three Circumstances
Les connects the temptation of Christ to the same three categories Eve faced — lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life — and notes that most people refuse to submit to God.
How Hunger Made the Temptation Powerful
Using the example of a billboard whetting an appetite, Les explains that Satan deliberately mentioned bread to intensify Jesus' fleshly desire for food.
The Only Way to Defeat Satan
Jesus answered with 'It is written' and quoted Scripture, because the only way to defeat Satan is with the Word of God; Les urges daily saturation in Scripture.
Jesus' Humanity and Satan's Doubt-Inducing 'If'
Jesus was truly hungry as a man, and Satan's word 'if' was an attempt to plant doubt about His identity as the Son of God.
The Dangers of Fleshly Desires and Pride
Any fleshly appetite can get the best of us; the lust of the eye is deceptive, and pride keeps more people from salvation than anything else.
Every Temptation Fits a Category
Les says every temptation we face falls into the same three categories, which is how Jesus 'tasted of every temptation' without sinning.
Matthew 4:2: And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
This sets up the physical weakness that Satan exploited in the wilderness.
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 the verse Jesus quoted in response to the temptation to turn stones into bread, showing the priority of God's Word over physical bread.
Deuteronomy 8:3: And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
This Old Testament passage is the source of Jesus' quotation, revealing that spiritual food sustains life more than bread alone.
1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
This verse names the three categories of temptation that Les connects to Jesus' wilderness experience.
Hebrews 4:15: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
This verse confirms that Jesus was tempted in every category like we are, yet without sin.
Satan's 'if' was an attempt to plant doubt in Jesus' mind about whether He was the Son of God. Les explains that Satan likes to put conditions and attack at the point of doubt.
It means physical food is not the highest priority; every word that comes from God is life-giving. Les teaches that this is the Word of God, which is the only way to defeat Satan.
Les says the only way to defeat Satan is with the Word of God, and he encourages believers to be saturated with Scripture daily. Jesus answered 'It is written,' showing the pattern.
Watch the Teaching: The Three Temptations Everyone Faces — Eve to Jesus Explained