By Every Word
by Ramsey Wynne
A few months ago, I wrote about the importance and relevance of the Old Testament to our lives. Specifically, how we can see parallels in those stories to our lives today. Along a similar line of thought, I wanted to share a recent realization and the impact it had on me. While reading a passage in Matthew, I noticed something I hadn’t before. Now, it’s pretty obvious, but it was something I hadn’t really given much thought to before.
In Matthew 4, we read about Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by Satan. Satan taunts Jesus:
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:3-4)
What was eye-opening to me here is that we see Jesus quoting Scripture! He memorized the same Word we have today and used it to defend against the enemy’s attack by reminding Himself of God’s goodness and from where we attain true, lasting sustenance. When I’ve read this before, I thought Jesus was just speaking truth because He was Jesus, so He just knew it. What I didn’t realize was he is quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. Jesus learned and memorized Scripture just like we do today. In fact, Jesus responds by quoting Scripture each time Satan tempts Him in the desert.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us,
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
In Matthew 4, we see this exact truth playing out before our eyes. Realizing this helped me see Jesus as a real person I could relate to. It comforts me to know that not only does He know my heart, but He can also sympathize with my situations and any trials or temptations that I face. The way we handle (or should handle) difficulties in our everyday lives is exactly how He handled them.
Jesus grew up studying the same Scriptures we do today, He committed them to memory, and He used them as a source of truth and strength to help Him navigate the trials he faced. As Christians, we know that we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ by the Holy Spirit each and every day (Romans 6:22, 2 Corinthians 3:18). This, however, isn’t just a passive process, one of the ways we can mature in our faith and grow closer to Jesus is simply by reading Scripture and committing it to memory (Romans 12:1-2).
In Philippians 2:8-9 we are warned that our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. We are advised that we should resist the devil, standing firm in our faith. Here in Matthew, we see a very real and practical example from our Savior Himself exemplifying this. My hope in writing this is that you will see Jesus more personally. I hope you will be encouraged to read Scripture, internalize it, and commit it to memory so that when the devil comes to you intending to charm you away from God you will be equipped to stand firm and combat him with the source of truth found in God’s Word, just like Jesus did.