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St. Charles Episcopal Church - Saint Charles, IL
The First Sunday of Lent - Lent 1 RCL – Year C
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 – Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 – Romans 10:8b-13 – Luke 4:1-13
Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”
The story of Jesus being tempted in the desert is one of the classics of literature, in addition to being one of the best parts of the bible. A slightly different version of this temptation story also appears in the Gospel of Matthew, and a very short version, a mere two verses, appears in Mark as well. Clearly, this event is important in understanding who Jesus is and what his ministry is all about, or at least the early writers of the New Testament thought so. What is it about this event that makes it so important? Let’s stand back and look at the big picture.
The Hebrew Bible is filled with examples of their leaders being tempted and then not succumbing to the temptation as a way of proving that they were worthy of their positions of leadership. So part of the reason this story is important is that it shows how Jesus proved his worth as a leader. But there is more. The temptation happens right after Jesus’ baptism, and so taken together these two stories reveal that Jesus is the beloved Son, but also has the power to act. The name, the title Son of God, is not enough. Here we see Jesus behaving as a true Son of God, vanquishing the enemy, though only for a time. Tales of this kind of verbal jousting have a long history in literature. Jesus and the devil’s verbal combat, the classic good versus evil battle, is a clear foreshadowing of the coming battle that will be fought on the cross at the crucifixion. As rich as this story is in the big picture, when we look closer the rewards are even richer.
Before we go on, I feel the need to point out the wonderful irony of this story in the context of the current “unpleasantness” in the life of the church, that here at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry there is already an argument going on about the interpretation of scripture. I won’t belabor the point, but I do wonder if the argument ever will, or ever can, be resolved on this side of heaven. Anyway, back to our story.
Let us now look a bit closer at each of the three temptations. In the first temptation the devil tells Jesus to turn stones into bread in order to ease his hunger, and Jesus replies that “One does not live by bread alone.” On the surface this works well as a rebuff of the temptation that Jesus would have had throughout his ministry to use supernatural powers to ease his time here on Earth. This would serve to remind us, if we needed any reminding, that Jesus didn’t pretend to be human during his time on Earth, he was human. He didn’t pretend to cry at the death of Lazarus, he was really moved to tears. He didn’t pretend to be in pain during the torture of his passion, he was in real pain. And most importantly, he did not pretend to die on the cross, he really died on Calvary. As the Son of God, that temptation would always have been there. As Jesus of Nazareth he stayed present to that reality throughout. He did not fall.
The story of this first temptation, however, has much more to say to us, and for us, as a metaphor for our own temptations. As the devil tempted Jesus to change stones into bread, so the devil tempts us to change the things around us into things they were never meant to be. There are many examples that come to mind, whether it is the desire to gather possessions only for the purpose of having them, or the surgical altering of our bodies for merely aesthetic purposes. There are many others, of course, but these are the first that popped into my head. I might take a step back and say that the objectifying of people in any way, turning a person into an object for our use, would fall under this temptation. And there is more still. The first temptation also reminds us that our own body has wants and not all of them are necessarily good for us. As a Christian, there will be times when our own bodies will tempt us. As my mom used to say, “There is a time and a place for everything.” and often she would follow on with “and now is not the time,” but perhaps that is sharing a bit too much! The easiest example here is, I think, the most obvious. Sex. Sex is one of the greatest gifts given to us from God. It is a mystery to be treasured, but it can also be horribly misused. The ultimate goal of sex is, I believe, the creation of families, not by making babies, though that is a wonderful by-product, but by the slow knitting together of two people for life. To reduce it to a biomechanical act, like shaking hands, is to turn good bread into stones. I could go on, but the clock is ticking, and I still have two temptations to go, so let’s move on.
The second temptation is the temptation of idolatry, the temptation we have to put something else in the place of God. The devil asks Jesus to worship him and says in return that he will give Jesus authority over all the world. For us, a metaphor for this same dynamic might be the placing of trust in financial security to keep us safe from harm. The insidious substitution of money as the savior of our lives is the easiest example of how idolatry can quickly and easily ruin our lives. As bad as we have discovered this to be, we must be careful to stay on watch for the more subtle snares the devil has waiting for us. Money is at least obvious. The tough part with idols is that often they aren’t implicitly bad to start out with. Money isn’t inherently evil. It is a disordered attachment with money that gets us in trouble. What other idols have slipped into your life and are pushing out the work of God? To put it another way, what is the good stuff in your life that has gotten so compelling that you’re finding it hard to let go of?
The third temptation in the Gospel of Luke is probably the toughest for us. I’m sure it was the toughest for Jesus too. The devil taunts Jesus’ faith by taunting God in much the same way that bullies have taunted people throughout all of history. It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that they just need a good comeuppance to put them in their place and everything will be all right. But that’s never been the way to handle bullies. All it does is make you into a bully. In this temptation, Jesus shows us what he will teach his disciples later on. When someone slaps your right cheek, show them your left. Don’t get drawn into a fight, but don’t back down either. It is not an easy place to be, but then no ever said it would be easy, unless you were listening to the whisperings of the devil. And that brings us around to the other revelation that this temptation has to share with us. Life is not fair. It is difficult. To live a life is to have to deal with injustices, illnesses, disasters, and the potential for you or your loved ones to die suddenly and unprepared. Believing in God and having Jesus Christ as you savior doesn’t change any of that, but it does give you some extra tools to help you get through all of it, and a community of people who will walk your path with you, and love you along the way. It also helps you to know that you are never alone because God has been there before and will be with you through it all.
As you begin your Lenten journey this week I invite you to reflect on how these three temptations have been active in your life, working to do you ill. Remember that Christ is with you in these ordeals. Where you have stumbled, invite Christ to help you back up on you feet and back on the path. Remember that you don’t have to do this alone. In your prayers, try picturing yourself in a magnificent wilderness seated on a rock next to Jesus with all the time in the world...well forty days anyway. What might you share about yourself? Your life? What might you ask for yourself? For others? “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty.” Go on, it’s ok...speak up.
Amen.