2-10-08

The traditional reading for the First Sunday of Lent is "the "Temptation of Christ." I know you are in a UCC church and you do not expect to be traditional, but, hey, it won't hurt. After all, it is Lent. Well, or if it does hurt, it is supposed to hurt! We even did ashes on Wednesday.

"The Temptation of Christ" appears in the gospel readings of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John skips the temptation and instead has Jesus go directly to Galilee where he gathers some friends and attends a wedding in Cana, where they run short on libations and he turns water into wine. If you want to party, read John.

Ah, but, this is Lent. Mardis Gras is past. We better deal with the temptation. Let's look at Matthew's version, inasmuch as Matthew is our Bible study focus for the year.

Actually we have to back up a bit for the temptation begins with the baptism. With this all four gospels agree. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all have Jesus being baptized. Though this gospel or that may have a prelude to the baptism, for example, Matthew and Luke have birth stories, though fairly dissimilar, Luke shepherds and angels, Matthew the magi, and John begins with the great Christological hymn, "In the beginning was the Word." I think it is fair to say that in each of the gospels the drama really begins with the baptism. The orchestra has concluded the prelude in the pit, the curtain opens, and the play begins.

The opening number is a real corker. The heavens open up, and the Spirit of God descends upon Jesus like a dove. As John the Baptist pours water over Jesus' head, or lifts him up out of the water, we are not sure, but as this Hebrew cleansing ritual is concluded, Jesus sees the Spirit of God descend upon him and hears the voice of God proclaim, "Thou art my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased," though perhaps a more accurate translation is, "Thou art my beloved son, in whom I will the good."

Whichever translation, this is a powerful moment. It can be said, in this baptismal moment God adopts Jesus as God's son, or at least Jesus becomes aware of his sonship in a new and powerful way. Jesus is God's son, with whom God is well pleased and in whom God wills the good. This is good news. This is new life. Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit, and Christianity is born in the baptism. Curtain closes. Conclusion Act I, first scene.

Curtain opens. Second scene. What do you expect? Jesus, children gathered around, at his feet, in his lap, hanging on his shoulders, in rapt attention as he speaks? Jesus, in the countryside, squirrels and deer at his side, casting bird seed to the sparrows? Jesus, sitting in the synagogue in learned conversation with the men of the community? Jesus, in street corner ministry, healing the lame and giving sight to the blind?

No. Curtain opens, scene two. Wilderness. No well spring of living waters following this baptism. No adulating congregation ready to enroll in the Christian movement. No. No, Jesus is alone and in the wilderness. A quiet contemplative retreat? No - a desolate dislocation of deprivation. What kind of drama is this? From baptism to bare bones.

Forty days and forty nights without food. Enter a second character. It is now Jesus and the devil on center stage. Such company. The drama unfolds.

In touch with his God given gifts, blessed at baptism, how will Jesus use them? Will Jesus be God-centered or self-centered? What a fateful decision. Whose child is this?

Will Jesus travel the faithful road of life? Or will he take any of three alternative trails as tempted by the devil? Let's see.

1) First temptation. Forty days, and Jesus is hungry. No bountiful baptismal brunch for Jesus in the Bible. Hunger, and you've got to assume, doubt, disappointment and even despair. So much for the blessings of the Spirit.

The devil knows good timing. Slithering aside Jesus at this moment of weakness, Satan speaks, "If you are the son of God," sneaky Satan, playing the conditional card, "if" Jesus, Satan is saying, surely by now Jesus you are wondering, doubting, beginning to lose your baptismal confidence, after all, where has it gotten you, you're still starving in the wilderness, "If you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread."

"What's the matter with you," the devil is tempting Jesus. "If you're hungry, satisfy yourself. Take it for yourself. Use your God given gifts to get for yourself. You don't have to accept this second rate station in life. Think about it, man. Feed yourself. All you want.

And don't stop there. Once you've got all you want, open up a deli, and get rich quick ripping off other starving people."

Don't you know Jesus can just smell that bread. He's hungry! How tempting! After all, he is the son of God. He should look like it and live like it, be among the fullest of the full, with a crown on his head and a ring on his finger.

Yes, this makes sense. Jesus should feed himself, satisfy himself, save himself. Surely as the "son of God," he can and should do this. Turn stones into bread, and live a life of beautiful banquets.

But instead, Jesus declines the devil, saying, "One cannot live on bread alone..." Mind you, Jesus does not say he is not hungry. Mind you, Jesus does not say, we don't need bread, it's not important. What Jesus says is, "We do not live on bread alone." That is, there is more to life than satisfying our own desires. There is more to life than taking care of ourselves alone. Life is larger than luxury.

Where does Jesus gets this stuff? Well, from his Bible, the Torah, where it is written in Deuteronomy (8:3b), to the children of Israel who have spent forty years in the wilderness, "one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."

In other words, there are other and higher laws in life than getting what we want. While we are working hard and making ends meet in this material world, there are other moral and spiritual laws we need to keep as well, like caring for the orphan and showing kindness to the widow, like leaving alms for the poor and offering hospitality to the foreigner, like doing justice and walking humbly before the Lord. Do this and we will be truly blessed, as individuals and community, the Torah says.

So Jesus quotes scripture, "We do not live by bread alone," and declines the devil's delicious temptation.

2) Second temptation. Win some, lose some, figures the devil, as he digs around in his bag of dirty tricks. Hmmm, if Jesus will not fall for something as earthly as bread, how about an extreme adventure. Extreme is in. So the devil airlifts Jesus from the wilderness to the bright lights of Jerusalem, where he sets Jesus down upon the highest point of the Temple, and says,

"If you are the Son of God," still working the old doubt angle, for Jesus has proved nothing yet, obedience to the law, yes, but power, not really, he could be any old peasant up to this point in the drama, "throw yourself down (upon the stones below and let's see if God will save you).

The point being, if Jesus truly is the "son of God," God will send angels to swoop down and save Jesus. It is at this point, get this, and it is easy enough to miss, the devil quotes scripture, going verse for verse with Jesus, saying, "For it is written, ?God will give his angels charge of you,' and ?On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.' " (Psalm 91:11-12)

Oooh, this Satan is sly, with the sub-lesson being, one cannot trust everyone who quotes scripture. Don't you just know Jesus is tempted? Toss in a little miracle here and dust off the devil. He could swan dive off the Temple tower, be swooped up by the angels before a foot should strike the stone, and drive a stake into the mouth, if not the heart, of the devil, doing away with the devil's condescending doubt "if you are the Son of God."

Wouldn't this be dramatic? Jesus, the miracle man, swooped up and saved from the brink of death, telling one and all who this truly is. Plus this would show well on the highlights, attract more viewers. In fact, this display would help our own unbelief. Wouldn't it? I mean, miracles can motivate. Shake us out of our sloth. Toss us down a big one, God. How about the lucky lottery.

Then we'll listen up. We promise. Maybe even tithe, or so we say on this side of the miracle.

Ah, but what kind of belief is this? Dependent on miracles. Perform for me God, prove yourself to me God, and I'll consider the possibility of maybe believing in you, somewhat. Think about it. In this system, who, then, is God? Who is working for whom? God is like a genie on call at our command. I hope not.

Jesus dukes it out with the Torah touting devil, himself again deferring to sacred scripture rather than the devil , "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." (Deuteronomy 6:16) Oh, God will put Jesus to the test, and mightily so.

Don't you know, the Lord of Life puts all of us to the test. But we fail the test when we need proof of God through miracles. Keep the laws, and we will receive all the proof we need. Worship, serve and trust in the Lord. Not in genies or the lottery.

Jesus does not fold to the devil's second hand.

3) Oh, but the devil is still not done. One more time he tries to tempt Jesus, number three. Again Jesus is transported, this time to a very high mountain. What a view! Jesus can see all the kingdoms (small "k") of the world.

It is spectacular, "...all the kingdoms and the glory of them." The devil says, playing his trump card, "All these I will give you" - all the wealth in the world, and the power and the might that comes along with wealth - "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."

Well, where have we heard this one before? The classic temptation: anything you want, Jesus, you can have it all, if only, well, if only you will sell your soul to the devil.

Appreciate, this is still the same starving Jesus going on 40 days and nights in the wilderness without food. He cannot be at full strength. Having it all as opposed to nothing must seem attractive.

Especially since his bum luck since the baptism. Certainly he deserves a break. "Let's see, sell my soul in exchange for everything else in the world. Could this seal a deal and be the break I deserve?"

I tell you, it is a good deal Jesus knew his Bible, for one more time he quotes scripture, again from Deuteronomy, Book of the Law, saying to the devil: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve only God." (Deuteronomy 6:13)

Jesus can have it all: power and wealth. He can retire on the Galilean riviera before he ever starts his ministry, and spare the brutal ending. He can buy his mom a new home worthy of Mother Mary, and remodel his dad's carpentry shop. He can set his brothers up in business, marry off his sisters to men of means, and perhaps purchase the governorship of Galilee.

Jesus can have it all. But not for the price. From the man who would later say in Matthew, "You cannot serve both God and mammon," (6:24), and "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (6:21), comes the biblical quotation, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve only God."

No, for the third time Jesus will not be tempted, begging the question: who is this guy, anyway? Though he is hungry and hurting, Jesus' heart cannot be hustled by the devil. Jesus "just says no."

So, we are told, the devil departs. Though I like the way Luke puts it, "The devil departs for the time being." (4:13) Look out, the devil will continue to lurk about, waiting for an opportune time.

It is a weird story: the Temptation of Christ. It precedes Jesus' earthly ministry. Jesus moves from the beauty of baptism immediately to the trials and temptation in the wilderness. It is a weird story, but not that different from our own.

We address the same questions, if we are alive and kicking at all. What are we doing with our God given gifts and talents? On what and for whom will we give ourselves? Do we live God-centered lives or self-centered lives? Who or what is our focus?

These, brothers and sisters, are reflections for Lent. Our spiritual season for self-examination in light of the life of Christ, who faced temptations just like ourselves, and said, "no." Now is our time to dialogue with our devils and ask "Whom shall we serve?" Can we say "no" to temptation, so that we can say "yes" to Easter?

Lent is our season for taking spiritual inventory. And for praying as Jesus taught, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever."

Exactly what the devil promised Jesus: worldly kingdoms, power and glory. And the baptized Jesus said, "I know a better way. Not the tasty temptations of this world, but ?Thy will be done.'" On ?thy will' shall I feast." Jesus shows us the way. For this reason we call Jesus "Lord" and "Savior."

May we travel with the Lord this Lent.

AMEN.