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The point, of course, is not that Jesus couldn’t have turned these stones to bread. A little later in the story He can make food appear when He needs to. But Jesus doesn’t work miracles out of the blue, for no reason, for show or proof or spectacle. He works them in intimate, close places; He works them to meet people’s needs and to show them the way to the Kingdom.

Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city, Jerusalem, and he had Jesus stand at the very highest point in the holy temple.

Devil: If You are the Son of God, jump! And then we will see if You fulfill the Scripture that says,

    He will command His heavenly messengers concerning You,
        and the messengers will buoy You in their hands
    So that You will not crash, or fall, or even graze Your foot on a stone.[a]

Jesus: That is not the only thing Scripture says. It also says, “Do not put the Eternal One, your God, to the test.”[b]

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Then the devil took him to the holy city(A) and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,”(B) he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[a](C)

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[b](D)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11,12
  2. Matthew 4:7 Deut. 6:16