The Stones & the Bread

The Stones & The Bread

The temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness opens to us a lesson about God’s priority in Kingdom building. The fact that Jesus came to show us the Way is enough reason for us to study and put to practice his lifestyle. Our classroom begins in his Wilderness;

‘The devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’ – Luke 4:3 – 4.

It will do us good to first define and dissect the ‘ Wilderness’. It is a place of furnace, where articles of gold and silver are purified, tested before trusted (Isaiah 48: 10 – 11). The wilderness is a solitary places compulsory for spiritual development. We do not go to the wilderness in-group or in company of others. Jesus was there alone by himself. The wilderness is not a particular geographical location or a mountain somewhere in the East. On the last note, it is God that ordained the invitation (Psalm 65:4).

       Our motive in following God is always made known in the wilderness.

The devil did not doubt the Sonship of Jesus at any time in the temptation, but he only wanted Jesus to act contrary to the Father’s will. Therefore the phrase ‘If thou be the Son of God’ was originally meant to be ‘Since thou be the Son of God’ It should noted that the approval of our Sonship is never meant to be a liberty to violate the Father's Will – lesson 1

Jesus understands this, but do we?

        Command may be another word for authority. The tempter wanted Jesus to abuse his authority. Moses knew that the power of God is always made known in His mercy. Hence, when interceding for Israel, he asked God to show his power by forgiving these people. The misuse of authority only makes a tyrant out of us. Jesus will not yield to this – lesson 2

        For stone to become bread is a Kingdom priority turned upside down. It is a misplaced priority in God’s eyes. Beside the fact that the timing was wrong (Process – another lesson), Bread never comes before Stones in the Kingdom. Just as in the secular world, nobody uses bread to build a house, so also in the spirit. Stones are use to build God’s House (not bread) and Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone (I Peter2: 4 – 5, Ephesians 2: 19 – 22).

        With stones the house is established, with bread the love is shared. The stones talk about reliable character that God can trust. It will surprise you that the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (Bread), but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Stone) - Romans 14:17.  The Tempter wanted Jesus to place the stone over bread – It will crush! But when the bread is placed on the stone, it is bound to stand. Both are needed, but one takes priority over the other. No story.

        Can God count on you as a stone in His Kingdom? ‘… Hast thou considered my servant Job…’ (Job 1:8, 2:3). Can God say the same about you today? The stones are the trusted sons on who shoulders the Kingdom are firmly seated. The unknown 7,000 during Elijah’s time were stones. Enoch was a stone, a type of Christ in resurrection. Joseph was a stone, a type of Christ in suffering. The stones are not looking for miracles from God, but for relationship with God. The stones are not making Heaven to escape the torment of hell, but are making Heaven so as to be with God.

        It is worth a while to think about the implication of John the Baptist and Jesus’s statement about God’s using stones to accomplish His purpose;

‘ And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham’ – Matthew 3:9

‘ And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones will immediately cry out’         - Luke 19:40

        As you partake of His grace, choose to be a stone, established and trusted in faith not wavering and tossed about by the dictates of life. Jesus would not turn stone into bread, but they were used as the foundation (stones) in the HolyCity. See Revelation 21. This is the 3^rd lesson. Don’t do it.

Preparing The Bride,

Segun Tewogbola,

christtruth@hotmail.com