Matthew 4:1-11 Milagro, No! This passage is most often used as a lectionary reading or sermon text during the season of Lent. It makes sense, that worshippers will want to relate their 40 days of prayer and confession to these 40 days of Jesus in the desert. That s all fine, but it seems to me that we need first to relate the tempting of Jesus to what had just happened to him in the previous passage. His baptism and the voice that called out to him, This is my beloved Son. Here in the wilderness, Jesus learns what it means to be God s Son. Now in this passage we may- and should- see Jesus as our example, who faced severe trials and still overcame them; who remained faithful to God even though he suffered. A fellowship of persecuted believers in ancient times would find great comfort to read of the Lord who had suffered, as well; just as we might be encouraged from this same scripture when we are tempted to give in to personal fears and burdens or to the overwhelming power of the world. But we should read this account not just as pointing to a later time and a future people beyond this occasion in the life of Jesus, but looking back before Jesus day, to the past and to a time and a people that failed when they were tested. I think we are supposed to compare Jesus, and his 40 days, to Israel and its 40 years in the wilderness: those
times they were hungry and complaining, and God fed them, but they still did not believe; the times they doubted and tried to make a deal with God; the many times they went after other gods or made idols for themselves. But this time, Jesus confronts those same temptations and keeps his faith. The children of Israel saw great miracles and signs: manna in the desert, and fresh water out of the rock, the fire and smoke and lightning on the mountaintop when Moses went up. But still they would not trust God. But this time, Jesus starving and thirsty, can you imagine how weakened he was? The heat and the sun, and no sign of God, but rather the devil. But at each test he clings to God, and every question he answers with the words of scripture, It has been written. For those occasions when God isn t speaking or we do not feel that God is near, the words of scripture remind us we are never left without recourse, never without hope. Jesus all alone and the word of God in scripture is his strength. And then, look how the angels come to Jesus at the end in verse 11. So the gospel writer shows us Jesus who has not failed, not like Israel had failed in the past, and not like the teachers and religious leaders of his time had failed the people. Remember last week we noted how John the Baptist reprimanded the Sadducees and Pharisees, calling them children of snakes, You
brood of vipers! and demanding that they act like they believed. But Jesus is called God s son, and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claims the authority that comes of such close relationship to God; and he knows and teaches the deepest meanings of God s commandments, I have come to fulfill the Law and the prophets, he says. Jesus is the Son of God who proves himself in the wilderness, and at the end of 40 days, we know he is the one who will show us the truth. Somewhere, in the dim past of my life, I read that the Big Bend area of western Texas is similar to the Holy Land. I think in the nature of landforms, topography, maybe in soil composition, and perhaps less alike in flora and fauna. This came to mind when I opened the latest issue of Texas Highways magazine, with a cover story about that wild region of our state. Just as I m preparing this sermon on Jesus in the wilderness. I turned the pages to the article and the first word that caught my eye was this one in the sermon title, milagro. It was the name of a particular place out there, but I was convinced that this was the meaning of the passage for us today: Milagro. If you don t know, it means miracle. And it s ok if you don t know, because it s a whole other language, after all- Spanish. And here we find Jesus, tempted to perform miracles, as though it s his right to do so- thus urges the tempter; tempted,
because his most recent memory is the voice calling to him, You are my Son, my beloved son. Beloved, as if he could do no wrong. But Jesus is a deep thinker, and he understands that miracles are the cheater s way to success. Much like the rich kid who sees family money and connections as the road to security and the easy way to cover up his mistakes. But Jesus sees that the children of God must rely on faithfulness and humility and not power or wealth or influence. And so, even this beloved son will not employ his powers, his special abilities, to overcome these tests, not even to meet his most desperate need- food; not even to accomplish his greatest desire- to establish God s Kingdom. Isn t that the second temptation, to think, that s what God s son would do, and how proud would Father be if I jump down and float safely to the ground- everyone would follow me into the Kingdom then! And how wonderful would be this Kingdom on earth, my Kingdom- here s the third temptation- every tribe and nation led by God s son and transformed into a Kingdom of righteousness and justice! But no, Jesus passes the test; he understands what humans are, and knows that there can be no shortcuts; shortcuts encourage those who look only for the quick fix, benefit only those with special knowledge or power- and are crafty to use them, and leave out all the rest of us. Rather, we must build and earn the Kingdom, if I may use such terms to describe
God s gift. No miracles, for he must show us that the Kingdom is always coming, always being built, because its foundation is the humility and the faith of our Lordand not his might; and the humility and faithfulness of us, who wish to be part of it. It does not arrive complete and perfect- as if by a miracle- because we never are perfect. The Kingdom grows in us, and keeps growing, and we grow in it. Entering the Kingdom means choosing the humble path. There is no other way in because, right here during these 40 days, that s the way Jesus set it up. No miracles, not money or tricks or talent or political connections, we enter as equals, worshipping and trusting only God. And just as Jesus learned the meaning of being God s son in the desert, in God s Kingdom we learn the meaning of being human- in all the places it exists, in churches and other religious groups, and where truth and forgiveness and justice are practiced, and in hearts that are filled with God s mercy in all the places the Kingdom exists, we learn the meaning of being human: God s creatures and God s children, who need each other, who are commanded to love one another. And perhaps too, here at the table, we can be reminded what it means to be sons and daughters of the Kingdom: those who desire to share God s love.
These are the temptations of Jesus. They are not ours. I don t think the devil would make a special trip to our neighborhood just to tempt us! These are specially formulated to test Jesus, Beloved Son of God. But we can learn so much by following the lead of our Lord, and learning from this story the cost of discipleship. That we are better disciples when we don t look for the easy way. We must be careful not to hope for a miracle merely to avoid the work. Let s be careful of the desire to walk the easier path, a desire to remain above the fray- to stay separated from the noise and dirt and poverty and from the people who live there; let us be careful lest we deny the necessity of the struggle. I mean, the work of the Kingdom is to share in the struggle of the hungry and the poor, the beaten down and the lost. And so, as Oswald Chambers has said, we must reconcile ourselves to what the world is- there is suffering and hurt and struggle, most certainly, and that this is the world where we still live; and for the sake of others, we are not permitted to disconnect from it. If faithful Jesus in the wilderness is our example, we cannot take the easy way while the rest of the world walks in darkness; nor may we turn away while the people hurt and cry out. The world s fear and despair became our Lord s, and it should be our pain as well.