40 years or 40 days, same old battle

"Trusting in God is hard work.  It requires that you lay down your point of view which is grounded in the past and assume God's point of view which is grounded in the future.  An unknown future.  No matter what is promised, there is no certainty about how the whole thing is going to play out.  So the only thing left is to trust in this God, God's love for you, God's good intentions, and God's ability to give what God has promised.  It's either that or whining.  Stuck in the wilderness, Israel whined their way to the promised land for all 40 of the years."

That was yesterday's meandering thoughts around the 40 years that Israel spent in the wilderness trying to find their way to the promised land.  Well, actually, they were trying to find their way to the place where they could trust God.  That place is the promised land for all of us.

But today we consider Jesus' 40 days in  the wilderness, sandwiched between his baptism and the temptations of the devil.  What kind of transition is at play here?  Are 'the temptations' not so much a destination but a playing out of the challenge of wilderness survival and trusting in God?

When you look at the whole scope of the story of Jesus, you can see that the baptism is the signal that Jesus is moving from whatever he was doing before (in Luke this includes the infancy narratives) and what he is being called to do as the Son of God.  He is anointed by the Holy Spirit - an ancient indicator of God's pleasure and calling, and simultaneously, an empowerment for the tasks ahead.  That same Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness; apparently it is time for Jesus to prepare for what lies ahead.

What lies ahead is temptation by the devil.  Now the devil generally represents that which challenges our devotion to God.  Certainly this is often 'evil' but it often simply starts out as just a convenient choice or a self-serving decision not some gigantic evil done to another.  That is exactly  how it starts out in the Lucan account of this encounter.  'Heh, Jesus, you're hungry.  No one is going to fault you for turning these stones into bread.  Really, it's no big deal.'  That was the devil's first ploy.

It is often said that the devil is in the details and so it is here.  For Jesus there is no such thing as 'no big deal' when it comes to choosing satisfying his comfort versus listening/following God's call.  Everything is important because God is all in all.  There stands Jesus with one foot in the local Subway shop and the other in the temple.  So the first temptation is to count some things 'no big deal.'

The devil ups the ante.  Now the temptation is about showing off how smart/ powerful/ beautiful/ blessed you are.  Just a little demonstration for the folks.  It will make it so much easier for the masses to believe you are the Son of God, Jesus, if you give them a little show.  So possibly the second temptation is to prove to others just how 'good' you are, how faithful you are, how compassionate you are.  It will make it so much easier for them to see you as the good Christian you are (or at least call you a good person at your funeral).

So the devil lays it out before Jesus.  You don't know what God has in store for you; grab the power now and enjoy yourself while you can.  We know what God has in store for Jesus and grabbing power while it is offered certainly looks like a good idea.  Except it is not God's idea; it is not God's plan; it is not the way to which Jesus is called.

The temptation for Jesus is the same as the temptation for us: to choose our wisdom over God's which is, in the end, to turn away from God.  Jesus pulled an A on this exam.  We never will.  Perfection will never be ours.

Except through Jesus....which is why we are eternally grateful for God's mercy and Jesus' faithfulness.

that pesky devil........

"The devil made me do it."
Flip Wilson introduced that long standing excuse for almost everything into the comedy scene loooong ago when I was young.  It is an excuse that comes in handy most days......even if it holds no water.  No one takes anyone seriously when they claim the devil made them do it.

Yet we get this story about Jesus and the devil and temptations in the wilderness and we have to figure out what the writer is trying to tell us.  Certainly Jesus can and does resist the temptations that the devil puts in front of him.

They are telling temptations: #1 to satisfy his own needs (since he was seriously hungry for bread) over and above whatever God the Father had in mind for him.
              #2 to satisfy his own ego needs by claiming all kinds of status with a little bit of showmanship as he throws himself off a high place and waits for the angels to catch him.  Who doesn't have some ego needs that seek a bit of status?
              #3 to satisfy himself with a grab for power, really big power.  The devil offers this world and all the power it holds if Jesus will throw over his loyalty to God the Creator and take up worship of the devil instead.  Wow!  Power!  Pretty enticing.

Why are we told this story?  What does the author of Luke want us to see here?  Is there something here that might help us as followers of Jesus to make our way in this world?

Those are good questions and I certainly don't have the definitive answers to them but let's explore.  Why are we told this story?  It could be to show that Jesus didn't just float through this world and this life.  The temptations that we face, Jesus faced as well.  Although we can talk about satisfying our lusts for food or power or status, I think there is a much larger temptation being thrown at Jesus.  It is a temptation we face as well, we just don't recognize it when it comes our way.

The big temptation here is for Jesus to give up what God the Father is calling him to do.....to mend and heal the world for the sake of the world which is loved by its creator....and instead to do what makes Jesus feel good, look good, and stand in a position of power.

God was setting Jesus out on a mission to the world where love, sacrifice and service were the foundation for power.  Jesus was not sent out to stand among the rulers of the world but among the oppressed.  Jesus was not sent to satisfy himself but to feed the hungry.  Jesus was not sent to pull off crazy stunts to get everyone's attention.  He was sent to be the source of all life, joined with the God Creator in unison bringing about a new thing.

As followers of Jesus, that is what we are called to do as well.  Therefore, we face the same temptation: to throw over our loyalty and trust in the Creator God and join the secular team of this world.

Makes giving up a little bread look a lot easier, right?

The devil? You've go to be kidding me.

Perhaps it is the red suit and the horns, but reasonable, educated people don't talk about the Devil.  Of all the things we are willing to talk about: how you spend your money, your sexual identity, how you raise your children, we don't like talking about the devil.  I'm not sure why because most of us truly do believe that evil is powerful, it is present in our world, and we have experienced it first hand.


The Bible has no such problem.  The serpent in the Garden of Eden takes on the role of the tempter, the sly one who manages to turn the heads of Adam and Eve with disastrous and long lasting results.  When we get to the New Testament, Jesus himself is tempted by Satan (the tempter or tester) both at the beginning of his ministry and during Holy Week when the end is frighteningly close.

So what are we talking about here?  We're talking about powers that want nothing to do with God and God's mission of life and well being.  We're talking about powers who try their best to turn our heads away from the reality of God's love for us.....who try to convince us that we are better off without God and God's notions of love for others and building community.

We're talking about that whisper that says to you: "You are not enough."  You are not smart, pretty, rich, tall, strong, talented.....you fill in the blank.....enough.  Press forward.  Push your way to the top.  Be the winner of all.  Don't listen to that God who claims you as a child of God and calls you beloved. Don't be fooled.

We're talking about that voice which assures you that you are entitled.  You are entitled to the extra money, the front row seat, the fancy title.  You are entitled to have so much food you throw 20% of it away as scrap.  You are entitled to own 10 pair of shoes, or 3 homes, or 4 winter coats.  You are entitled to it.....so pay no attention to that God who calls you to love your neighbor and to care for them.

We're talking about that voice that says...go ahead.  Be snarky, take more than your share, make fun of that weakling, ignore the system that incarcerates too many minority folk, give no thought to the ones who are hungry.

That's the devil.......who wants you to forget the God who created you, loves you and invites you to live a full life which includes life for all.  Good old Satan....he's a me, me, me kind of guy who works to shade the truth, grab your attention and leave you in the dust when it's all over.

Jesus, on the other hand, calls you brother and sister and who, by the time it is all over, will take the cross for the sake of love.  You are a baptized child of God.  Cling to that reality in the face of all.  Amen

Why God....when I've won the lottery?

No matter how you define, 'winning the lottery' I wonder how quickly God fades away once the prize is confirmed.  We are talking about when things are more than good, they are great! Why should I call on the name of the Lord?

You are going to pay off your mortgage.  Buy your mother a house.  (My mother doesn't need one but that is popular choice).  Buy yourself a bigger house.  Retire.  Give money to your kids. Buy a boat; a BMW; a new snowmobile.  Why would you need God?

Did you wonder if this (new money, great job, deal of a lifetime) was the great temptation that would finally push you beyond your faith zone? That a handful of dollars was all it would take to empty your faith of meaning?   In your previous life you thought of  yourself as generous and compassionate and far from greedy....and then all this wonderful stuff falls into your lap.  You don't 'turn evil' you simply make different choices; choices that, up until the Lottery Office called, weren't even possible.

Then a shadow appears.  You begin to avoid certain people because they expect a hand-out.  You fall out with certain relatives because they feel entitled to a 'gift.'  When you have coffee with your friends you are always expected to pick up the check and it gets a little old.  You are sure the church is looking at you like a hungry wolf looks at a lamb.  It seems everyone wants what is yours.

What happened to God?  You are willing to call yourself blessed but not even conscious that it takes someone to give a blessing....and who might that source of blessing be?  New York State?  What happened to your call to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

Generosity is a hallmark of a life of faith.  Love of God.  Love of neighbor.  Caring for the widow and the orphan.  Feeding the hungry.  Clothing the naked.  That wonderful prize that just fell into your lap is just another tool to faithfully life out the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.  Too much of anything often becomes the great temptation to turn away from the life of faith.

Need some biblical references to check this out?  Try the rich man and his barns (Luke12.13ff) , or the young man who seeks eternal life (Mark10.17), or that old camel trying to get through the eye of the needle (Matthew 19.23ff).  Not everyone gets it wrong; Joseph of Arimethea was a rich man who gave his tomb to Jesus for his resting place, although in 3 days Jesus didn't need it any longer.

Temptation your name is ......

Switching from Noah in the Old Testament to the gospel rendering of Jesus' baptism and temptation in the wilderness, moves us from water to desert.  Since we are in the year of Mark, we have already heard the baptism story at least once if not twice and this is the sparsest rendition of the temptation scene among the gospel writers.  (John has no early temptation/wilderness scene at all).

Temptation is such a good topic to start Lent with.  We all know it, intimately.  We all can name it (I would name it 'chocolate').  We all wonder about its pull on us.  Why can't we just walk away?

Mark's wilderness story has no dialogue between Jesus and the tempter (devil??).  But note that it is the Spirit, which Jesus received at his baptism, that drives....yes, drives.....him out into the wilderness for 40 days among the wild beasts.  Angels are mentioned as well.  Apparently there is some important work that Jesus needs to accomplish.

Without all the details that Matthew and Luke give, we are left with this simple fact:  after baptism comes temptation.  Coming to terms with temptation is an important - maybe even essential - part of Jesus' preparation for ministry. 

Perhaps that is all we need to know.  Following baptism, we will come face to face with temptation.  What we do, how we respond, where we take our failure to be 'strong' when we succomb to temptation....perhaps those are the more important questions.  For as Luther teaches us, we are all both saint and sinner.  The water of baptism makes us saints, beloved children of God.  But we will have one foot in this world until we lay down for the last time, and so we continue to experience and practice sin each day.   Temptation is our constant companion.

And we don't get to face these temptations out in the wilderness when perhaps we are able to give it our full attention.  Oh no.  The temptations comes when the laundry needs to be done, groceries bought, year end reports completed, taxes filed, a baby's diaper changed  (you get the idea). 

So maybe it isn't the wilderness that makes the temptation, but the temptations that make the wilderness.  Perhaps if we give in to every whim and desire that comes alone, without thought, without calling on the name of the Lord, then we will surely end up in our own wilderness - where we will thirst after God's presence and the Spirit's power. 

Now that would be a wilderness I would want to avoid.    Peace.