Text: Matthew 4:1-11 Date: March 9, 2014 Title: People We Meet on the Way: The Tempted Theme: Temptation hinges on our desire to become mini-gods. Question of the Week If you gave something up for Lent, what did you give up and why? Intro to Series The idea for this series is pretty simple all the scripture passages for Lent center on Jesus interaction with different kinds of people People who are skeptical, people who are hurting, people who feel left out or bullied And the question is: what can these interactions teach us about how to minister to them and how God ministers to us? Because I believe each one of us feels some of those things sometimes This week, we begin by looking at the traditional text for the beginning of Lent the temptation of Jesus It doesn t quite fit the pattern here Jesus isn t interacting with anyone being tempted he himself is being tempted. Prayer Sermon I find a lot of sermons on the first Sunday in Lent to be painfully trite We tend to reduce temptation to the things we eat that we shouldn t It s as though our ability to give up chocolate, or potato chips, or desserts for 40 days is the only way to measure our devotion or the holiness of our lives I started thinking about this because I was driving to a couple meetings this week, and I couldn t get my normal radio station so I flipped through until I found what seemed like the only station that was coming in clear And it was one of these morning shows that s really rude and crude and honestly kind of vulgar 1
One day I listened for a couple minutes while they replayed audio from how drunk they d been on air last St. Patrick s Day The next day I m making the same drive, flipping through the dial, and the same crew is talking about what they re giving up for Lent and they seemed very serious about it. Unfortunately, it wasn t alcohol It s not that there s anything wrong with giving up something it s a practice that can and does have power for us How many of you chose to give up something for Lent? It s just that this morning, I want us to wrestle with this a little more seriously Temptation is something we all face And yes, food is an important one so I don t want to minimize that But it shows up in ways that go far beyond food Addictions of all kinds seem to be at an all-time high A whole lot of people in society, and in our churches, are in recovery So my point is that temptation is a real thing it s not an abstraction We can debate whether Jesus encounter with the devil is actual or a vision, but what s not up for debate is that temptation surrounds us all the time The good news for all of us is that our God knows about temptation because Jesus experienced it The book of Hebrews says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin (4:15, NRSV) What does Jesus have in common with us? Well, first of all, he s tempted when he s alone. Isn t that how it goes for us? Temptation, for the most part, happens when we believe no one s watching. That s why the most important thing we can do for anyone who is tempted or for ourselves when we are is to make sure we re not alone This is why small groups are so important in the life of the church 2
When we feel connected and accountable to other Christians, we know who to call when we re feeling weak we never need to be alone And, of course, our first call is to God, who hears every prayer especially one that says, God, get me out of this! We re so much stronger when we stop trying to go it alone That s why the first step of every 12-step program is spiritual It s also why every 12-step program involves a group. The other thing we have in common with Jesus is the kind of temptation he s subjected to Now, I know that s not obvious at first, but stay with me What are the three temptations? Turn this stone to bread. Throw yourself off this building. Here, take charge of everything. Well, ok, it does sound strange to say these are our temptations. But what if we talk about these three temptations in different ways in terms of independence, self-preservation, and power? Independence. That sounds virtuous enough. And it is, to a degree. Except when we talk about the creature in relationship to its Creator. The human Jesus is tempted to bend the rules of nature to quiet the pangs of his stomach. And he refuses. Jesus chooses not to be independent, but instead radically dependent on God. One does not live by bread alone, he says, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4) We don t like living in such a state of radical dependence on God. We find we can t stay there very long. Most of us, myself included, have a hard time fasting through lunch, much less for days on end. We, myself included, get hit with an unexpected financial setback and it puts us in a tailspin We have a hard time relying and trusting in God because we value our independence too much. 3
The temptation is always for us to put more stock in ourselves our ability to plan and prepare for the future than in God s ability to create the future The second temptation about Jesus throwing himself off the Temple is harder to define. It is self-preservation, but it s bigger than that. It s the desire for immortality achieved the wrong way. It has something to do with making and preserving your own reputation. Maybe even seeking celebrity. Some scholars read this second temptation about Jesus throwing himself down off the Temple as an invitation for Jesus to secure his reputation using parlor tricks to impress people, rather than what he mostly did telling stories to change people s lives. (Connection to the messianic secret ) Jesus can do miracles, but he s determined not to be known as a miracle worker. He wants instead to be known as a teacher of faith The temptation here is for Jesus to avoid the cross entirely after all, if he can fall off the Temple and survive, why should a cross get in the way? Jesus wrestles with this again in the Garden of Gethsemane Self-preservation is something we re about all the time. I screwed up at work. Will I admit it and take the hit, or will I pin it on someone else to make sure I live to fight another day? It s about preserving our reputation, and then growing it. It s about cultivating our image to make sure people are sufficiently impressed. Collecting accolades and awards and praise. Jesus, I saw you that time you jumped off the Temple and landed on the Mount of Olives. That was so amazing. Pastor, I heard you preach at so-and-so s funeral. That was great. I think a big part of the temptation here is to believe your own hype. That brings me to power. Jesus is offered the keys to every kingdom in the world. They re yours, the devil says. 4
(An aside, something to contemplate: is the devil lying when he says they are his to give?) To rule a nation in those days was to be a god there were no co-equal branches of government for citizens to appeal to, no press to call you out It s no wonder so many ancient kings insisted people worship them as a god I m fascinated by how power works who has it, and who doesn t. I m amazed at how some use it to lift other people up, and others use it to keep people in their place. That s really the question for us in any situation where we have some power - will we lift people up or hold them down? The price of power for Jesus was worshipping the devil Some people find that s exactly the case for them in order to rise in their organization, they have to abandon all their principles They have to let something other than God be god to them And that s what Jesus refuses to do: Love the Lord your God, and serve only him, is Jesus reply to the devil s offer. What this passage teaches us is that by giving up his right to be like God by giving up his right to be totally independent, immortal, and all-powerful by giving those things up, Jesus showed himself truly worthy to be called the Son of God. Jesus, even though he was God, refused the temptation to act like God And in doing that, he avoided the temptation that I believe is behind all sin and I think has been from the beginning Remember what the snake says in the Garden to tempt Adam and Eve? God knows that when you eat of the fruit of that tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God I believe that s the root of all sin our desire to be mini-gods to write our own rules, to do what we want And that s what makes this passage of Scripture so amazing here, Jesus is God and yet he refuses to act like God. He refuses independence, he refuses immortality, he refuses power. 5
So, what s the lesson for us and for the people we meet? That when we refuse independence for radical dependence on God When we refuse self-preservation and instead offer ourselves in humility to the service of others When we refuse the power to coerce someone to do what we want and instead walk alongside her When we refuse the temptation to become mini-gods That s actually when we become most godlike That s when we cultivate those values of humility, forgiveness, grace, love, and the peace that comes from letting go Every temptation carries within it the call to become our own gods, to do what we want, when we want. By looking to Jesus, who even though he was God, refused to act like it we learn how to be more godly. Amen. By Joe Monahan, Medford UMC, Medford NJ 6