By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
The Temptation of Jesus
v1 1And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness v2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. v3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” v4And Jesus answered him, 2″It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
(Read: Luke 4:1-14)
“Let us therefore observe a holy Lent by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.” This is part of the Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent in the service of Ash Wednesday. This first Sunday of the Lenten Season we are invited to meditate on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The temptation of Christ is a biblical narrative detailed in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days and nights of fasting in the Judaean Desert. At the time, Satan came to Jesus and tried to tempt him.
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Twenty-six years ago I had the opportunity to stand at a vantage point in the Holy Land overlooking the Judaean Desert. This is a wilderness full of breathtaking views that are constantly changing. Mountains, cliffs and chalk hills stand alongside plateaus, riverbeds, and deep canyons. It is close to Jerusalem and relatively sparsely populated. The few settlements that are there were established at its perimeter. The desert is known for its rugged landscape, which has provided a refuge and hiding place for rebels and zealots throughout history, as well as solitude and isolation to monks and hermits. During the days of the Maccabees (about 2,000 years ago) large fortresses such as Masada and Horkenya were established in the desert. During the period of the great rebellion against Rome, the last battle of the Jewish zealots was fought on Massada, and during the period of the Second Temple, members of the Judean Desert cult lived there. This is the kind of place where the Holy Spirit led Jesus to fast and pray for 40 days and nights.
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For forty years, the Old Testament people of God wandered through the desert before reaching the Promised Land. According to the Book of Deuteronomy, these forty years were a time of testing and temptation (Deut.8:2-5). Moses spent forty days on the mountain (Ex.24:18). The wilderness and the number forty evoke key moments in the history of Israel which the Son of God now relives and draws to
a successful conclusion. The temptation scene is a picture of the whole of Jesus’ life and affirms his commitment to his Father’s will right down to the end. While the Gospel of Mark contents itself with saying that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Mk.1:12), both Luke (4:1-15) and Matthew (4:1-11) give some detail on the type of temptations that Jesus endured.
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The Gospel reading from Luke (4:1-13) depicts Jesus’ physical and spiritual journey in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place in which one could easily get lost and die from thirst or hunger. Most of us have not experienced that kind of deprivation in our lives. Our “wilderness” today might be the Internet, or the Malls! Strange to think of places of plenty as wildernesses, but what they promise and offer never truly fill our longing and craving. The three temptations of Jesus are ours as well. Commanding stones to become bread is the temptation to make something into what it was never intended to be. Stones are stones, and bread is bread. Making sexual objects out of people comes to mind as a modern example. People are not objects, but when we make them into idols and objects they become less than human.
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Offering power over the things we don’t control is the second temptation. There are moments when we would all like to run the world, but this temptation is subtler than that. Much of modern success and motivation is based on how to get others to do our bidding. We can look better, feel better, and learn to think better all with the object of getting what we want. Jesus’ reply to that is to expose the humbug in it and remind us to worship the Lord, and serve only him. Anything else is a waste of time, his and ours.
The third temptation is of being protected from suffering and harm. It is not for nothing that Jesus journeys to Jerusalem and faces the worst evils we know: betrayal, beating, and crucifixion. Jesus’ journey stands as a stark reminder that our Lenten journey is not soft or quiet. We are always faced with contradiction and suffering. But in the recesses of our minds, in the time of our faithful prayer, we know that because Jesus did do these things for us we are never far from his gracious help and goodness.
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Most people, even Christians, don’t understand the significance of temptation. To expect a life without temptation is the most extreme naivety possible. Temptation brings out the real you. You are what you are today because of the temptations you have faced. You either failed or succeeded. Some have suggested that we learn more from our failures than our successes. That is a possibility, but if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again something is wrong somewhere. There is a common denominator to every temptation. First, there is the allurement factor. Something on the inside of me is attracted to something on the outside. This is where the temptation aspect begins. Something on the outside is alluring me in a certain direction. To add the spiritual spin here, it usually is leading us away from Christ and the things of God. Second, is the consequence factor. Every temptation, no matter how big or small, has a consequence attached to it if yielded. For the most part, when we are being tempted we don’t give much regard to the consequence. The temptation is far too tempting for us to think through what happens if we yield to that temptation.
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Most of the time the allurement factor overshadows the consequence factor but the consequence is always there. A moment of fun can produce a lifetime of consequences. The questions that are never asked is, “Is it worth it?” “Was it worth it?”
Let’s look at temptation from a positive side. Our temptations will never compromise our relationship with God, but will bring to the surface God’s amazing grace for us in times of need. With every temptation comes a stream of God’s grace flowing in our direction. “v13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The apostle James sheds some light on this matter of temptation. “v12Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. v13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. v14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (James 1:12-14).
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Here is a humorous story how temptations could complete its work. Jim Grant in Reader’s Digest a few years back told about an overweight businessman who decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he showed up at work with a gigantic coffee cake. Everyone in the office scolded him, but his smile remained nonetheless. “This is a special coffee cake,” he explained. “I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a host of goodies. I felt it was no accident, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffee cakes, let there be a parking spot open right in front.’ And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was!”
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All of us know what it is to enter the wilderness of temptation. Temptation is part and parcel of the human condition. And we ourselves do an injustice as Christians when we overlook the seriousness of this topic. Temptation is like a wedge. In the world of physics, the mechanical world, there is hardly a more powerful application than a wedge. Once you get its thin edge in, it’s just a matter of time and force how far that wedge will be able to split things apart. The hardest stone, the toughest bit of wood, no matter what, is not able to resist the power of a wedge to drive things apart. That’s what temptation is like — the wedge that seeks to drive us apart from God. But the good news is we do not have to give in to temptation. There is One who has faced the tempter and defeated him. One who stands ready to come to our aid; One who promises to strengthen us in our times of temptation.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be
tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted
by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of
each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect, First Sunday in Lent, BCP)
