This
is the first Sunday in Lent, the 40-day period before Easter when many
of us seek to deepen our relationship with God. We do that in a number
of ways. Traditionally, it has been done through prayer and fasting.
Our desire is to prepare ourselves to observe Holy Week and Easter with
greater devotion.
The lectionary lesson for this Sunday is on
the Temptation of Jesus, which reminds us that the Christian life
is a spiritual battle. During the 40-day period, we will face a variety
of temptations. And by considering the experience that Jesus had, we
can learn how better to face the temptations that will be coming at us
Let’s
start by asking whether we, as modern men and women, can actually
believe the Bible passage before us since one of the two persons in
this story is the devil. Some would ask, “Is there really a devil? Does
such a being exist?”
Whenever I’m asked that question I like to
quote C. S. Lewis. Lewis is considered one of the most thoughtful and
effective communicators of the Christian faith in the 20th century. In
the Preface of his classic book, “The Screwtape Letters,” this Oxford
Don wrote that -- “there are two equal and opposite errors into
which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in
their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and
unhealthy interest in them.”
I think we play into the devil’s
hands when we dismiss him as unreal, a phantasy; or when we trivialize
him, painting him in red tights with a tail. The Bible does not
describe the Devil physically. What is described are his words, his
suggestions as he tempts Jesus three times.
The first temptation is a “physical” test. In this test we are taught to say, “My body is not god; God is God.”
Matt 4:1 says that after the baptism of Jesus, he was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Imagine
the scene: on the one side: the Son of God, eternally One with the
Father, totally committee to truth and goodness, on the other: a
super-human intelligence, shrewd, cunning, full of deception. How will
he cause Jesus to stumble, fall? What strategy will he use? What
temptations will be most effective?
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry--
Jesus
prepares himself for the battle by fasting, following the ancient
principle of sharpening himself spiritually by denying himself
physically.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
The
Devil makes what seems like a very reasonable suggestion: that Jesus
satisfy his human hunger for food, a very basic need. Bread is
necessary, --bread sustains life. There is nothing wrong with
satisfying hunger. It’s a legitimate appetite. Jesus taught
us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” For forty days Jesus
had fasted -- so why not turn those flat, circular, lime stones that
looked so much like the bread of that day, into nutritious bread?
What’s
the temptation? The temptation is to place the natural and legitimate
desires of the body above the control of the Spirit. The question is
this: will Jesus listen to the desire of his body, or will he listen to
the voice of the Spirit?
The issue is pertinent for all of us.
Shall we live by the desires of our bodies in the areas of food, sex,
drink, work, sleep? Or, will our bodily desires be under the control of
the Spirit? Can we learn to say, “My bodily desires are not going
to be my god; God is God”?
After a 40 day fast, Jesus obviously
felt hunger for food. But Jesus had disciplined his bodily appetites to
be subordinate to his Spirit. His body served his Spirit, not the other
way around. More important than feeding his physical body with bread,
was feeding his Spirit on Words from God.
And so Jesus
answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
For many of
us, our bodily appetites are very strong and it is difficult for us to
control them. Jesus spoke the truth when he said, “Our spirit is
willing, but our flesh is weak!” But Jesus’ example is very helpful. It
tells us that it is possible for us to bring our bodily desires into
the service of the Spirit. I think this is a very important word of
encouragement for all of us.
Jesus would not feed the
body until a word from God released him from his 40-day fast. His body
was subordinated to His Spirit. He was able to say, “My bodily desires
are not god; God is God.”
Let’s look at the second temptation. The second temptation is the “spiritual” test. In this test we are taught to say, “I am not god; God is God.”
Matt.
4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the
highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” 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.’”
This is
impressive! The devil takes Jesus to the Holy City, Jerusalem; has him
stand on the highest point of the Holy Temple; and quotes to him the
Holy Scripture. The devil knows how to set a scene, how to throw a
challenge.
He says, “Are you going to live by every Word that
comes from the Father’s mouth, Jesus? Well, here is a word that is
repeated again and again in the Bible—‘God protects the
righteous.’ Now, since you believe in the Word of God, show that
you really trust in God. Be a person of faith. Let’s see you jump off
the temple. For It is written:-- God will command his angels and they
will catch you. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will
not strike your foot against a stone.’”
How the Word of God can
be twisted. Psalm 91 teaches God’s gracious protection, but this great
Psalm does not invite believers to ignore the laws God has put in place
--like the law of gravity.
Jesus knows that God will take care
of him, and God will take care of us. There is no need to ask God
for a spectacular miracle to prove his protecting love. God is to
be trusted, not pushed to prove himself. He is to be followed, not
scripted to do our bidding. We honor him by believing in him, not by
expecting him to engage in tricks and magic.
Notice how
Jesus responds, and how wisely Jesus uses Scripture -- and with
what freedom. Jesus counters Scripture with Scripture –“It is also
written, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” or ‘Do not put the
Lord your God to the test.’” (NIV)
Jesus is saying we can trust
God. When we pray, for example, we are to leave the outcome with God.
We can trust him! We must rest in God’s goodness, not test it.
God has already proven his care for us, his faithfulness, his goodness
toward us.
This temptation teaches us to say “I am
not god, God is God; and I will trust him. Therefore, “You shall not
tempt the LORD your God.”
The third temptation – Is the material test. In this test we are taught to say, “Material possessions are not god. God is God.”
Matt.
4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I
will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus
is asked to do one thing-- if You will worship before me, all will be
Yours. Just one momentary bow—the verb is aorist, suggesting one single
act. It seems like such a bargain—Jesus is not asked to spend his whole
life at the devil’s feet, just a brief acknowledgment of Satan as Lord.
And
the promise is breathtaking—the whole world, material belongings
–power, glory—all the things that are supposed to make us happy—a
comfortable home, financial independence, success, fame.
Even
though the Bible acknowledges that the devil has great power, he cannot
grant this wish. The proposal is a delusion and a lie, as are all of
Satan’s attempts to trip us up. With Satan, one is ultimately left only
with loss, never with gain.
At stake was Jesus’ loyalty to the
Father, devotion to the Father. Would Jesus bow his knee to the Devil
to gain this material splendor? Not even for an instant. Jesus would
worship the Lord his God, exclusively, and serve Him only.
The
temptation for us is to worship, not the devil per se, but our cars and
homes, our ability to cloth ourselves in the latest fashions, our
status in the community, our careers. The pursuit of these material
goods can become a driving force in our lives. These become substitutes
for the true and living God.
But Jesus shows a better way.
Jesus responds with a third “it is written” and banished Satan from his
presence. Matt. 4:10 - “Away from me, Satan! For it is written:
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
His words teach us to say, “Material blessings are not god. God is God.”
What conclusions we can draw as we face temptations during this Lenten period.
First,
let’s be clear about this-- Jesus was able to resist all of the devil’s
temptations not only because knew Scripture. There is no substitute for
knowing the Holy Scriptures. But also essential was Jesus’
determined to obey Scripture. Many of us know what the Bible says, but
we are not fully committed to obeying God’s Word. I know. I feel that
disconnect within myself from time to time.
We must not be like
St. Augustine when he was a young man. -In his autobiography entitled
Confessions, Augustine said he was struggling with life's carnal
temptations. He wrote, "Give me chastity; give me continence, but not
just now." He wanted holiness but not quite yet. What he really wanted
was a little more recreational sex. Dear friends, we will never
overcome temptations unless we have a joyful determination to obey
God’s Word.
Secondly, remember that there is strength in the
fellowship of believers. The Greek Church Father Chrysostom pointed out
that the devil is more apt to attack us when we are alone. That’s
why it is a good idea to belong to some kind of a prayer group, a Bible
Study group, an accountability group, or an action group. Spend
time with your Christian friends, sharing together, laughing together,
but also praying together.
Thirdly, this story of the Temptation
teaches us that Jesus is the Victor. When we are facing
temptations: -- when we are tempted to indulge our bodily desires in
preference to God’s Word, the 1st temptation; or when we are tempted
to doubt God, the 2nd temptation; or when we feel tempted
to choose material gain over our commitment to serve God, the 3rd
temptation; we need to remember that Jesus has already won the battle.
What
we need to do is look up and say, “O Christ, you have overcome the
devil, help me!” Martin Luther did not hesitate to call on the
Lord. Again and again he would say, “I am yours. Save me! I am yours.
Save me. I am yours. Save me.”
The temptation of Jesus is about
three kinds of tests: The physical, the spiritual, and the
material. Jesus has taught us that (1) Physically -
“My body is not god; God is God. I will obey Him!” (2) Spiritually
- “I am not god; God is God. I will trust Him!” (3) Materially
- “Possessions are not god. God is God. I will worship Him.”
“As it is written,’Worship the Lord our God and serve Him only.’” Amen.
