ACC ~ Matthew 4 v4

THE LESSON OF THE MANNA

ORIGEN: This saying is quoted by our Savior, and it makes clear to a person with understanding that before the manna came, which was our heavenly food, we must have been in a bad way and close to starving, having spent up all our fat for food. For thus it is written: “And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and then fed you with manna, which you had not known, nor had your fathers known, in order that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone.” [1] The manna itself is a word. This is made clear from the reply Moses made to the question of the children of Israel, when they said to one another, “What is that?” [2] What then did Moses say? “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is the word which the Lord has commanded.” [3] After this the devil goes on to another defeat. FRAGMENT 63. [4]

[1] Deut 8:2-3.

[2] Ex 16:15.

[3] Ex 16:15-16.

[4] GCS 41.1:41.

FEEDING ON THE WORD

MAXIMUS OF TURIN: The Savior put down the devil’s stratagem with a clever response. He does not do what the devil says, lest he seem to declare the glory of his power at his adversary’s will, nor does he answer that it cannot be done, since he could not deny what he had often already done. Therefore he neither gives in to the devil’s petition nor rejects his inquiry. He reserves for himself the manifestation of his power and counters his adversary’s stratagem with eloquence. He therefore says to him, “Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”—that is, not by earthly bread or by material food, whereby you deceived Adam the first man, but by the word of God, which contains the food of heavenly life. The Word of God is Christ the Lord, as the Evangelist says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” [1] So, whoever feeds on the word of Christ does not require earthly food, nor can one who feeds on the bread of the Savior desire the food of the world. The Lord has his own bread; indeed, the bread is the Savior himself, as he taught when he said, “I am the bread who came down from heaven.” [2] About this bread the prophet says, “And bread strengthens the human heart.” [3] SERMONS 51.2. [4]

[1] Jn 1:1.

[2] Jn 6:41.

[3] Ps 104:15 (103:15 LXX).

[4] CCL 23:51; ACW 50:125*. By the Word, not bread alone, we are fed for life with God. That by which Adam was tempted, food, did not succeed in tempting Christ.

NOT BY BREAD ALONE

THEODORE OF HERACLEA: The first Adam sinned by eating. Christ prevailed by self-control. He thus teaches that there is no need for us to stay far away from God, even if we are famishing. This is also a pledge of our future state, which Christ in fact inaugurated, that in the future human beings will live even without food. FRAGMENT 22. [1]

[1] MKGK 63.

FEEDING ON GOD’S WORD

JEROME: The testimony was taken from Deuteronomy. The Lord responded in this way, for it was his purpose to overcome the devil with humility and not with power. At the same time, it should be noted that unless the Lord had begun to fast, the devil would not have had an occasion, in accordance with the passage: “My son, as you embark upon the service of God, prepare your soul for temptation.” [1] But the Savior’s very response indicates that it was as man that he was tempted: “Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” So if anyone does not feed upon God’s Word, that one will not live. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 1.4.4. [2]

[1] Sir 2:1.

[2] CCL 77:20.

DO NOTHING FOR SHOW

THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: If as God Jesus overcame the devil, it was no great accomplishment for him to defeat the apostate angel whom he himself had made. Nor is this victory to be ascribed to his humanity alone. But by long-suffering, he prevailed over him as man, teaching us that it is not through miracles but by long-suffering and patient endurance that we must prevail over the devil and that we should do nothing merely for show or for notoriety’s sake. FRAGMENT 20. [1]

[1] MKGK 103.

Mt