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.
Matthew 4:4 KJV
Luke 4:35-41 tells a very intriguing story about Jesus. He had been teaching His disciples and the public all day with beautiful and life-giving parables. In the evening, Jesus said to His disciples, “let us go over to the other side”. Jesus in John 14:10 says that the Words He spoke were never of His own authority, so it was clear that He had received an instruction from the Father to go to the other side. This Word that He had received, He also passed to His disciples. On their way, there arose a great storm and the boat was hit and tossed to and fro and the scriptures say the boat was full! This means they were sinking. While all this was happening, Jesus was fast asleep on a pillow.
Not many people have been on the high sea today so imagine this scenario on an airplane. The plane is experiencing much turbulence and everyone is holding on to their sits. The next thing, the pilot announces that an engine has failed, and suddenly, the airplane that was horizontal tilts vertically with the nose pointing downwards. Back to Luke 4:35-41, at this point the disciples may have been saying prayers and then noticed Jesus, sleeping! How could He be asleep when their boat was full of water! Surely the sensation of being wet should have woken Him up, right? The disciples called out to Him, He woke up and rebuked the wind and all was fine.
Recall we said that Jesus never spoke on His own authority. He had heard and received a Word from His Father and He knew the potency of the Word of God. The disciples, however, did not hear with faith, although they had seen the works of Jesus prior to this. This was why Jesus rebuked their faith. A question worth considering is: Would Jesus have needed to rebuke the storm if the disciples had rested in the Word of God? Paul had a similar experience with a Shipwreck in Acts 27:1-44. . He had received a word from the Lord that He must testify in Rome. In his heart, this was settled, and neither the shipwreck nor the Viper that greeted him when he arrived in Melita could stop this from happening.
The idea of the Proceeding Word used in Matthew 4:4 (today’s text) shows that the words continue to come to us. One interpretation of the word “proceedeth” is to flow like a river. This Word is continuous, He speaks a Word in season as Isaiah 50:4 says. Hebrews 1:1 says God spoke at multiple times and in diverse manners through the prophets in the old covenant. The only thing that has changed for us in the new covenant is the Person through whom the Word comes: Jesus, the Son of God who lives in us. He is the Word of God. Hebrews 1:3 says this Word is His power and upholds all things. Little wonder, Peter in Matthew 14:29 was able to walk on water by Jesus simply saying “Come”.
Final thoughts: Look around you at the sun, moon, constellations, etc. All this was created and is upheld by the Word of God in Genesis 1, “let there be…”. If the cosmos can be sustained by His word, how much more should we have confidence in Him that has said that it is His pleasure to give us the Kingdom. Because the Word of God is tried, each word you receive will come with a trial, as Proverbs 30:5 says. However, this Word is a shield to all who rest and put their faith in Him.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you because You are always speaking to me and your Word comes with the faith to believe it. Help me always, regardless of if it makes sense to me or not to say like Mary, “I am your servant. Be it unto me according to Your Word”. Amen.
Scripture: Luke 4:35-41
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