"Temptation"
a condensed version of the
sermon delivered by Rev. Kirk Moore on Sunday, February 25, 2007 at Union Congregational Church in Somonauk, Illinois.
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This week we begin a three-week series that addresses three things that we all experience. Its called "Encounters with Reality. This week:
Temptation.
It is a reality of life. We all experience temptation
Jesus experienced temptation
Jesus resisted temptation by relying on God’s word. We can too.
Amen.
That’s the "It’s so simple – just do this and everything will be fine" version of temptation.
And really – doesn’t it seem hollow, arrogant and irrelevant as advice to anyone?
Let’s dig a little deeper.
Let me take you on a tour of how an early hearer of the first part of the account of Jesus’ temptation would likely react – and how one today might react. I’ll use different voices to express the two times. The first one will be from the past and the second one from today. Any perceived bias in my voice is intentional.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit . . . Oooh! Just like Elijah and Moses – they were completely connected to God
Hmmm, just like the pastor at that really big church that just built a huge new building. Or maybe it’s more like the people who faint on TV.
. . . was led by the Spirit in the wilderness. Wait! The Spirit led Jesus from a place of blessing to a place of danger? Is that right?
Where the Spirit leads – we must follow
. . . where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.
That’s a significant amount of time. It reminds me of the 40 days Moses fasted on the mountain and the 40 days Elijah fasted on the mountain. I know – it the number we talk about when we’re thinking about a time of testing. This Jesus must be really important.
A person could die if they didn’t eat for forty days – and Jesus must have had water. God obviously kept him alive even though he didn’t eat or drink.
All too often we look for something simple that we can do when we read the Bible. I don’t think the account of the temptation of Jesus works that way.
The introduction to the temptation gets to it right away. This account isn’t about the exacts. It’s about what is significant about the descriptions. It isn’t about defining what the Holy Spirit does and doesn’t do. It’s about the Holy Spirit’s presence even in the chaos. It isn’t about the scientific certainties. It’s about remembering the past, understanding that Jesus was tested and being challenged to understand more about temptation and what to do about it.
The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. The "wilderness" can bring up different images in our mind. The Bible passage here, however, is trying to communicate some place where God is absent. In the Hebrew language it is called TOHU WE BOHU – the formless void that existed before God created. It was the place where there was no order – only chaos. (That come from the Greek "Khaos" and the word is the Greek equivalent of TOHU WE BOHU.) t’s a place where no one wants to be and no one would ever choose to be. But it is a place where Jesus was led. I don’t think this is a place where we ever have to go – though it may be a place that we sometimes feel we are. But while Jesus was in TOHU WE BOHU, the Spirit was there. If we ever feel like we are surrounded by chaos – that we are in TOHU WE BOHU – God is still never absent. As a matter of fact, TOHU WE BOHU – to follow the story of creation in Genesis – is the place where God begins to create.
The devil tempted Jesus three times. First he tempted a famished Jesus to turn the stones into bread so he could eat. And Jesus responded with scripture – Deuteronomy 8:3: 'One does not live by bread alone.'
Why wouldn’t he make bread to eat if he could? I think this is the temptation that gives me the most trouble to understand. Some say that if Jesus did use his miracle ability to his own benefit, he would lose his credibility when he asked the disciples to deny themselves and follow him.
But we’re not talking about anything extra here – we’re talking about bread for a famished person. What’s wrong with wanting to eat when hungry?
My best explanation is that Jesus wasn’t going to do it just because the Devil dared him to do it. He’d eat soon enough.
The other two temptations are easier to understand.
The second one, where Jesus was tempted take the easy route to power had an easy answer. Jesus answered with Deuteronomy 13:4: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"
I think the whole reality that Jesus wasn’t here as a political or military leader made this temptation easy to resist. I think it can remind us that attempts to rule politically and militarily by religious means aren’t what God calls us to do.
The third temptation is sort of fun. The Devil twisted scripture to try to get Jesus to hurl himself off the peak of the temple. He quoted from Psalm 91. , 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' And Jesus responded with Deuteronomy 6:16: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'
The devil tempted Jesus by using scripture. He took the Bible and twisted it into something it is not. Think about that. When we use the Bible to exclude, harm or exploit someone else, we do the same thing.
And what else do we do? I don’t know if these particular temptations are ones that we resonate with. They’re not that clever – and I think we are not easily fooled. But what kinds of things are we tempted by that aren’t so easy to identify?
Here are a couple I can think of:
I saw the movie "Amazing Grace: The William Wilberforce Story" on Friday. It's a compelling story that puts this temptation in perspective. On many occasions, William Wilberforce seemed ready to give in to the temptation to give up and stop advocating for the abolition of slavery in England. Thankfully his faith and the encouragment of many challenged him to continue. He persisted in caring for others and completely changed the world. Jesus’ commands to love God and love each other aren’t qualified with "If you have time" or "If it makes you feel better." They are simple – this is what you do.
Here’s another:
Bible study, attending church, discussing "God-things" with other people help us to understand things more and more. But as soon as we think we’ve got it all figured out, we lose the blessing of being on a Journey with Jesus. We stop.
I don’t want to stop. I want to continue learning, experiencing and wondering what God will continue to reveal on the journey.
We’re at the beginning of a journey within that journey right now. We’re in the 40 day period of Lent – a time to reflect and to prepare to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. During this time I know we’ll all be tempted. What exactly we’ll be tempted by, I don’t know. What exactly we’ll do I don’t know.
Maybe right now you can think of some things you’ve been tempted by. You can think of time temptation that you’ve resisted. You can think of some temptation that you’ve "yielded to."
When we’re tempted, I hope we’ll remember that even if we feel like we are in TOHU WE BOHU – the wilderness -- that God is not absent. I hope we’ll remember to keep our focus on God and on the strength God give us.
When we fail, I hope we’ll remember that we didn’t just send ourselves to TOHU WE BOHU. God has not abandoned us. God’s love is unconditional and God’s presence is everywhere.
This week, let’s spend time paying attention to the journey. Let’s put some attention on caring for others and to remembering that we don’t know everything. And let’s live our lives on this journey not fearing, but encountering and resisting temptation.
Close with prayer.
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