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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