"The Temptation of 'If'"
Luke 4:1-13
If you were here on Baptism of the Lord Sunday, you remember that when Jesus had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved. With you I am well pleased.”
At the age of 30, the man Jesus of Nazareth came to know
that he was the beloved Son of God.
Afterward, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by
the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. The wilderness is hot and barren. The gospel tells us that "he was famished."
From somewhere comes a voice--
"If you are God's Son, then command this stone, so that it becomes bread." And Jesus remembers John... the Jordan River... the sky opening and a voice thundering, “You
are my Son... the beloved."
But now there’s a different voice: "If
you are God's Son... if you are God's
Son." A rounded stone could become
a loaf of bread. Who could it hurt? If he is
God's child-- then why shouldn't he have what he wants? The temptation is to
turn away from the way of sacrifice.
The first temptation in the gospel
story is to choose the easy life. We end
up hungry for the wrong things. The life
focused on security… worldly success… or
play... or earthly pleasure-- is a life
spent looking for substitutes for communion with God.
We're tempted to avoid hard things
like forgiveness. Somebody says
something thoughtless that makes you feel stupid... or devalued.
Someone you thought was your friend hurts you deeply. We should forgive.
Or we’re faced with a situation
where someone needs to be protected, or where we need to stand up for what’s
right and just.
These are the times when it’s hard to
follow Jesus. We’re tempted to do what’s easier.
Jesus understood the temptation of
the easy way. "One cannot live by
bread alone.
The adversary tries again. “If you
will worship me, all the kingdoms of the world will be yours.” Jesus could have chosen success… and prominence or
wealth-- instead of the way of self-giving love and redemptive suffering. But he didn’t.
The tempter tries again. “If
you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple…” You know what the scriptures say, “God
will protect you."
As Shakespeare pointed out, “There is no error so grave but that some sober brow
will not bless it with a proper text."
Even Satan quotes scripture.
First century Jews believed that
when the Messiah came, he would reveal himself from the temple roof. Jesus could be the Messiah the people wanted--
if he would do what they expected.
Did you notice? Jesus responds to all three tests with
Scripture. All three responses are from Deuteronomy, the part of the Torah that
details what covenant relationship looks like, that tells and retells the story
of who God is…and who God’s people are… and how God works. Jesus comes back to the faith that had formed
him, the rote prayers repeated so often that didn’t leave him when he needed
them the most.
Knowing who you are and whose you are is essential to your wholeness
as God’s child, and to your awareness of what God wants you to do with your life. Satan’s primary objective isn’t getting you to
do something wrong-- but to get you
to forget who you are. The Adversary wants you to lose your
identity… and your sense of belonging to
the family of God.
The ways
Satan tries to convince us that we don’t deserve God’s love are subtle and
clever. And these temptations-- like the
temptations of Christ-- are far more treacherous than an impulse to disobey one
of the commandments.
Think about this tricky question: “If
you are a child of God, then why don’t you feel more like one? This
can be deadly, because sometimes we don’t feel much like a beloved member of
God’s family. The temptation is to
believe that-- if you’re not feeling like a child of God-- then maybe you aren’t.
Or about this temptation: “If you are a child of God, why don’t you act more like one?
When we’re tempted to forget who we are, we’re in a kind of spiritual
desert. The word “wilderness” or
“desert” has often been used as a symbol for being lost spiritually. Sometimes we don’t feel or act like children
of God. Sometimes it seems as though
we’re wandering around in a wilderness, not knowing who we are.
Being in a wilderness place is an unavoidable part of the Christian
walk. We fight some of our greatest
spiritual battles when we’re out in the wilderness. It’s a time when we’re confronted with ourselves. and we need to clarify what it is that we
want or desire more than anything else.
When we're tempted to forget who we
are... when we're tempted to take the
EASY way-- we're called to follow
Jesus’ example. Jesus went back to the
scriptures that he learned as a child… the stories he’d heard at home and in
the synagogue. He remembered the things
God had done for him. He recalled the
truths God had spoken.
That’s what we’re called to do. We need to remember this story of Jesus
in the wilderness.
There were no witnesses to this event but Jesus. So, he must have told the disciples-- in the
hope that they would remember.
Remember that we have a savior who
understands our struggle. Remember how
Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee and made it
clear what his mission was in his inaugural speech in the synagogue in
Nazareth:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate those who are
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Remember who you are: a beloved child of God, claimed by God’s grace…
and called to work in partnership with Christ to embody God’s love and to work
for reconciliation and justice and peace in the world.
Following Jesus sometimes
leads us into the wilderness, where we are tested and prepared by God for
ministry in this world. It isn’t a comfortable
place to be, but there, in the wilderness we come to rely more and more on God
as the source of our strength. In the
stillness of the wilderness, we quiet ourselves to hear God’s voice and to
meditate on God’s word.
When we’re tempted, everything is at stake. As Christians we’re called to carry on
Christ’s saving work in the world. God
has an important plan for our lives. So,
as we journey through Lent, let us seek to follow Jesus more
intentionally.
The good news is that, beginning with our baptism, God claims us and
calls us and by the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to carry Christ’s
saving love into the world.
Thanks be to God!
Amen!
Rev. Fran Hayes, Pastor
Littlefield Presbyterian Church
Dearborn, Michigan
March 10, 2019
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