Jesus is led into temptation—that story always worries and fascinates me—but the story of his temptation explains how it is that he is “tempted in every way as we are, yet did not sin.”
At first glance, it’s hard to figure how these temptations have anything to do with our real lives. Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread, worship the devil, and throw himself off a tall building—somehow I don’t think any of these scenarios feature really big in any of our lives. But change the details, and our own struggles intersect with his.
The first temptation, turning stones into bread, is presented by the devil in the context of Jesus’ own hunger. He’s been fasting for 40 days according to the story, so why wouldn’t he want to use the miraculous power he certainly has to provide himself a little lunch? But the implications go deeper than food. Jesus is tempted here to use his power not for others but just for himself. Turn down this road, and Jesus will find himself proclaiming a gospel of self-promotion, a message not about God but about himself and what he can do for his followers.
The next situation requires Jesus to put ends and means in their proper places. The devil offers Jesus power, and lots of it. He could rule every country there is! The price isn’t too high according to the devil—just change the focus of your attention and worship. Certainly Jesus could do a lot of good as a ruler—he has to know that he has more wisdom than anyone else on a throne—but is doing good enough? For Jesus, this price is too high and the Gospel too valuable.
The last temptation is for Jesus to create a spectacle of himself. If he were to throw himself off the temple and survive, he cer
tainly would gain attention—how could people not be impressed? But while these disciples might do whatever Jesus commands, they certainly could not follow him in his death-defying feats. Jesus’ message could impress, but it wouldn’t change lives.
What all the temptations have in common is that they offer Jesus power, prestige and authority without a price. The devil allows, indeed encourages, Jesus to be completely self-centered. Not a messiah bringing God’s word, but a cult leader promoting his power—Jesus according to the devil will be powerful but temporary. Even if he preaches the same message of Good News and belonging, his success won’t last. Enemies will be defeated, but nothing will change. Only in sacrifice will the power of Jesus’ message seep into the all the dark places God’s word needs to go.
Out in the wilderness, Jesus makes the decision he will call his followers to make as well—putting the message of the Kingdom of God before anything else. This, by the way, is how it is that he does not sin—he never gets lost in his priorities. Those priorities will cost him everything, but still he stays on course.
We, of course, do get lost. We attempt to live in both worlds, following Jesus while falling for the devil’s plans as well. To remain self-centered, to use power over others, and to focus on the spectacle—these options remain attractive. Thus this week’s challenge is to resist (avoid, renounce, deny) one temptation.
How can we admit that we’re not at the center of the universe? Is there a resentment to renounce or relationship to reconcile? Can we resist the urge to treat others as simply means to our own ends—maybe there’s a place for empathy that we can find? Finally, the temptation to turn faith into a spectator sport—can we do something in the name of Christ? Jesus’ call is described in active verbs, while the Kingdom calls us to be servants and to know of sacrifice. So what can we do this week to respond?
3 Responses
For me, it has been a resentment towards a former employee that I simply must surrender/turn over to God. At times, still encountering negative thoughts towards this individual is a waste of time and certainly not in the Christian spirit. I continue to pray for the “good news” to happen to me as far as employment goes. Keeping my chin up, staying positive are the keys for me. By the way, I will be traveling to Florida this Sunday for an interview on Monday AM. I will not be able to make it this week as plane leaves EARLY in the morning. Also, I have a phone interview for a company in New Jersey tomorrow morning. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and hopefully that “good news” I need to hear can happen soon!!!! I must keep reminding myself that everything is in God’s plan.
Paul, I hope these plans do lead to the Good News you need! Just refusing to dwell in the negative is a tremendous victory that we all should celebrate!
Meg
Are there times when I put myself before others? Yes. Would I ignore the concerns of others to get my own way? Likely. Make a spectacle of my faith? I’ve probably done that too. Whatever specific example I could come up with today may be completely different next week. I fall in spite of my best efforts. Jesus was tempted, but He wasn’t going to fall as I do. He was not going to be separated from God. I started thinking about how He met the temptation. I think, (and I could just be sensitive to this because the focus for our Lenten suppers this year is reading the Bible) it is interesting that He responds with words. Jesus doesn’t just pray harder or ignore the tempter. He commits to resist temptation and cites the reason.
At school we teach the Pillars of Character. Trustworthiness, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring and Citizenship. My first graders listen attentively to the lessons and examples, but if I ask a higher level question like, Why should we respect others? They respond with something like, We have to be good.
Jesus’ actions here make me want to be more than a first grader that wants to be good. I want to be able to cite, if only to myself, how my falling when faced with temptation interferes with my intention to stay the course, connected to not separate from God.
OK there, this is not easy for me.