What is the meaning of Luke 4:4?

But Jesus answered

Jesus responds directly to Satan’s temptation, refusing to turn stones into bread. His immediate reply models several truths:

• The Son of God does not enter debate or negotiation with evil; He confronts it with God’s word (James 4:7; Ephesians 6:17).

• The fact that Jesus, fully human, is physically hungry after forty days (Luke 4:2) underscores that reliance on the Father supersedes bodily need.

• His answer shows that obedience is measured by submission to the Father’s will, not by satisfying legitimate desires in illegitimate ways (John 4:34).

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It is written

Quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus treats Scripture as the final, authoritative standard:

• Scripture’s sufficiency: What is “written” settles the matter (Psalm 19:7-9; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

• Scripture’s permanence: The tense implies an enduring authority—what was written centuries earlier still governs the present (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35).

• Scripture’s accessibility: Jesus quotes a passage every Jewish child would have known, demonstrating that victory over temptation rests on truths already revealed, not on mystical experience (Psalm 119:9-11).

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Man shall not live on bread alone

The quotation reminds that physical provision, though necessary, is not sufficient for genuine life:

• Human life depends ultimately on God’s sustaining word (Job 23:12; Hebrews 1:3).

• “Not…alone” affirms bread’s value yet subordinates it to spiritual nourishment, refuting any dichotomy between body and spirit (Matthew 6:31-33; John 6:27).

• In context, Israel’s wilderness hunger was intended to teach trust in God’s daily care; Jesus, the true Israel, perfectly embodies that trust (Exodus 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

• For believers, this principle calls us to prioritize regular intake of Scripture and obedient dependence on Christ, the Bread of Life (John 6:35; Colossians 3:16).

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summary

Luke 4:4 shows Jesus resisting temptation by anchoring Himself in Scripture. He demonstrates that:

• God’s word is the unchanging authority over every human need and circumstance.

• Physical necessities are real, yet spiritual obedience is paramount.

• Victory over temptation flows from trusting and applying Scripture, not from self-reliance.

Living “not on bread alone” means feeding daily on God’s word, confident that the Father who sustained Israel and His own Son will also sustain us.