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Matthew 4;6 – Preaching to a Starving Man
“Man does not live by bread alone” does not deny that man lives by bread. When Jesus says, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (NASB), He is not asserting that man even lives by the words that come from the mouth of God alone. Man is flesh and spirit, just like Jesus, so both are necessary, but one has priority, and must have priority. Both are necessary, but the higher necessary leads to the lower; while the lower sought first necessarily excludes the higher.
There is an old missionary adage that you do not preach to a starving man; first you give him bread. But in the Temptations of Jesus we see a starving man preaching to Satan, “man shall not live by bread alone” (Mt.4:3-4). And later on a mountain, He preaches another missionary adage, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things – bread and clothing – will be added to you” (Mt.6:33). The Bread of Life put life before bread.
What an upside down concept. But then again, the first shall be last, and the last first. It might seem callous and contradictory to common sense to present the bread of life to a starving man. However, maybe acting contrary to Jesus’ example causes us to set a false precedent, setting up converts for failure. If it is wrong to preach the gospel to a starving man, then is it wrong to think a starving man will seek first the kingdom of God? If physical needs take precedent over spiritual needs before becoming Christians, then why should we not expect them to think that physical needs always come before spiritual needs?
Yes, preaching to a starving man does not make sense. But neither does turning the other cheek. But neither does Jesus refusing to turn stones into bread make sense. If a starving man will not accept Christ, will a starving man continue to accept Christ? Has Satan turned Christianity into bread by appealing to our good senses and spirituality?
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