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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Living on Purpose

This is the message from the Wednesday Lent service in Gettysburg on April 2, 2014.  The Bible verses used are Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 22:39-46.


            One of the things all of us have to deal with is temptation.  We are constantly tempted to do things we know we should not do, and we’re constantly tempted to avoid doing things we know we should do.  
We can be really good at making excuses for ourselves and justifying the times we give in to temptation, too.  We can convince ourselves that bad is good and wrong is right.  We don’t admit to ourselves that we’re doing that, of course, but we do it all the time.  So, as we continue our sermon series “Jesus in HD”, looking at both the fully human and fully divine Jesus, let’s look at how Jesus dealt with temptation.
Our first reading, from the fourth chapter of Luke, tells us about the devil tempting Jesus with three things.  The first was food.  He tells Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
There are at least two ways that had to be really tempting for Jesus.  The first one, the one that seems the most obvious one, is that Jesus was really hungry.  He’d been fasting for forty days.  Some bread would’ve tasted pretty good to him.  In fact, even a piece of moldy, stale, rotten bread would probably taste pretty good after you’d had nothing to eat for forty days.  So, when the devil said, “tell this stone to become bread”, there was probably a part of Jesus that thought, “Hey, that’s a good idea”.
Now, of course, he was fasting.  He had decided he was not going to eat anything for this period.  But, on the other hand, Jesus was out in the middle of the wilderness.  There was no one around to check on him.  He could have a little snack out there and no one would ever know.  It had to be pretty tempting.
And then, too, there’s the way the devil asked the question.  “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread”.  A part of Jesus was probably thinking “what do you mean, if I’m the Son of God.  I am the Son of God.  I’ll show you who’s the Son of God.”  The human Jesus was tempted because he was hungry.  The divine Jesus was tempted to prove that he really was who he said he was.
But he resisted the temptation.  How?  He quoted the Bible.  He said, “It is written, people do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Jesus resisted the temptation because he knew who he was and what he was about.  He knew what he was doing and why.  He was not out there in the wilderness by chance or by accident.  He was out there because God the Father wanted him to be.  He was out there preparing for his ministry.  He knew that, while of course he needed to eat, there was something more important he needed to do.  He needed to get himself mentally and spiritually prepared for all the things that were going to happen to him in his ministry, so he could handle all those things and continue to serve God.
Then the devil takes Jesus to the highest point on the temple, which was the highest point in all Jerusalem.  He tells Jesus “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”  The angels will protect you.
That had to be tempting, too.  I mean, that’d be awesome, right?  Jump off a tall building, and not only survive but make a really graceful landing.  Sort of like an Olympic gymnast, except that you’d start from way up in the air and then just sort of stick the landing perfectly.  How cool would that be?
And how much easier would it’d have been for Jesus to attract followers after that?  Think of it.  This guy jumps off the temple and not only survives it but makes it look easier than jumping off a step-stool.  That’d attract attention.  The story’d spread.  Pretty soon, everybody’d have heard about it.  Jesus could’ve saved himself a lot of time and trouble that way.  When people saw him jump off the temple and land like that, they’d have known that only the Son of God could do that.  Everybody would’ve believed in Jesus if he’d done that.  The human Jesus was tempted because it would be amazing.  The divine Jesus was tempted because it would show everyone that he really was the Son of God.
But Jesus resisted the temptation.  How?  Again, he quoted the Bible.  He said, “It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, Jesus resisted temptation because he knew who he was and what he was about.  Jesus knew he had not come to earth to put on a show.  When you look at the miracles Jesus did, they were all to help other people--healing people, feeding people, and so on.  He never did a miracle for his own benefit.  In fact, he often told people not to tell anyone that he’d healed them.
Jesus knew he was not here to glorify himself.  He was here to glorify God.  He could get followers by putting on a show, but that’s what they’d be there for--to see the show.  
Jesus would not have been acting as the Son of God.  He’d have been like a popular entertainer.  People might come to see him, but only because he was famous.  And after a little while, they get bored.  They’d want to see a bigger show.  They’d want Jesus to top himself.  “Okay, Jesus, we saw you glide down from the temple.  What’s your next trick?”  And if Jesus didn’t perform one, they’d move on.  Jesus would’ve been a one-hit wonder, someone who was hot for a little while, and then vanished again.
            The devil was not done with Jesus.  He took Jesus to a high mountain.  He showed him all the kingdoms of the world.  And he said, “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me.”
            That had to be pretty tempting, too.  The chance to become the ruler of the earth.  If you’re Jesus, think of all the good you could do as the ruler of earth.  Think of all the people you could help.  You could do away with all injustice.  You could do away with all slavery and oppression.  You could do away with all poverty and inequality.  If you were Jesus, and you were the ruler of the earth, you could actually bring about God’s kingdom on the earth, exactly what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer.  The human Jesus had to be tempted by the power.  The divine Jesus had to be tempted because he could use that power for good.
            But Jesus resisted the temptation.  How?  Once again, Jesus quoted scripture.  He said, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
            Again, Jesus resisted the temptation because he knew who he was and what he was about.  Jesus knew he came from God the Father, and that God the Father has more power than the devil will ever have.  Jesus knew God the Father could’ve given him all the power the devil offered and more, if that had been the plan.  But that was not the plan.  And Jesus knew he’d fail if he followed any plan other than the plan of God the Father.
            But the devil did not give up.  He just waited, biding his time.  And that brings us to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.
            We’re not told that the devil was involved here, but I have to think the devil probably was.  After all, this would’ve been one of Jesus’ most vulnerable points.  Knowing he was about to be arrested.  Knowing he was about to be tortured and ultimately killed.  And knowing, too, that he did not have to go through it.  Knowing that he had all kinds of choices.  He could run.  He could fight.  He could use his divine power.  He could do almost anything he wanted to avoid what was going to happen.  The human Jesus was tempted because he did not want to suffer and die.  The divine Jesus was tempted because he knew how easy it would be to avoid all that.
            But again, Jesus resisted the temptation because he knew what he was about.  Jesus knew he had been sent to earth to do those things that were coming up for him.  He knew he was sent here to suffer and die so that the sins of human beings would be forgiven.  Yes, Jesus could’ve made other choices, but if Jesus had made any of those other choices, he would not have been able to do what he came to earth to do.
            Jesus resisted temptation because he knew who he was and what he was about.  How about you?  And how about me?  Do you and I know who we are?  Do we know what what we’re about?
            You and I are not here by chance or by accident, either, any more than Jesus was.  You and I are not here to do things for our own benefit, either, any more than Jesus was.  And God the Father has a plan for our lives, for your life and for my life, just as God the Father had a plan for Jesus’ life.  And you and I will fail if we follow any plan other than the plan of God the Father.  You and I have the ability to make other choices, just as Jesus had the ability to make other choices.  But if we make other choices, we will not do what we were put on this earth to do.
            Temptation is a hard thing to resist.  The things we’re tempted to do are things we really want to do--otherwise, they would not be tempting to us.  And the things we’re tempted not to do are things we really don’t want to do--again, if that was not true, it would not be tempting for us to not do them.
            But you and I know we are here to worship God.  You and I know we are here to serve God and to love God.  And you and I know that the best way we can serve God and to love God is to love and serve the other people God created.  You and I know that we are here to share God’s word and show God’s love.  And we know that any time we’re tempted to do or not do something that goes against that, we’re being tempted to go against the things God put us on earth to do.
            Jesus resisted temptation because he knew who he was and what he was about.  You and I know who we are and what we’re about, too.  And if we remember that, we’ll be able to resist temptation, too.

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