Temptation. Every year the gospel lesson for the first
Sunday in Lent is about temptation, and the temptations of Christ
in the desert in particular. What's wrong with turning stones
into bread (if one can do it) to feed the hungry? Later, Jesus
will turn five loaves of bread and a couple fish into a feast for
5000. What's wrong with believing scriptures so strongly that he
trusts the angels to protect him? Later, Jesus will walk on
water, perhaps only slightly less difficult than floating on air.
What's wrong with the King of kings and Lord of lords assuming
control over the kingdoms of the world? Isn't that what we are
expecting at the end of time anyway?(1) More about those
temptations in a bit.
To be honest, I doubt that any of us have ever been
confronted with those particular enticements anyway. Ours are
more in line with the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of
Eden - the temptation to do something that kicks over the traces.
A zillion generations have heard the tale, ever since some
ancient Hebrew child asked a grandfather or grandmother why
people can be so bad sometimes and got the response, "Well, let
me tell you a story." Adam and Eve had it good. All they had to
do was a little light gardening, no big deal. They were young
and healthy. Interpreters of the story tell us that Adam and Eve
walked around naked because they were innocent. One of my
cyberfriends adds that they also walked around naked because they
both had the kind of metabolism that burns calories like a
bonfire. Which was a good thing, because just around the corner
from the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil was the tree of chocolate. Milk chocolate, white
chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate mint truffles with pecan and
caramel innards - yep! Paradise. Adam and Eve had it all. They
were in Eden.(2)
But they blew it. God said, "Don't eat the fruit"; they ate
the fruit, and the rest is history. They might have been
immortal. They might have stayed in the garden forever, but no.
Their curiosity got the best of them. God gave them a test and
they flunked. "You are dust, and to dust you shall return."
That is the sentence God pronounced on them that day, and we have
inherited it from them, along with their curiosity and a few
other things.
But Adam and Eve are not our only ancestors. There is
someone else who has claimed us as his kin, and it is his story
that we focus on today. I am certain that the gospel writer was
intentional in placing the story of the temptations immediately
after Jesus' baptism and the voice from heaven declaring, "This
is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." It is
certainly true that no one has so far to fall as the one who is
on top of the world. Ironically, we are most vulnerable when we
feel most strong.
The story begins with Jesus being led to the wilderness to
be tested by the devil. An aside here about the devil. In the
New Testament, this evil cosmic being who opposes God is
sometimes called "the devil" (diabolo, 37 times), other times
"Satan" (satana, 36 times), and twice "the tempter" (peirazon);
all three of these names are used in Matthew's version of the
temptation scene. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew noun satan,
which is best translated "adversary" (or sometimes "slanderer"),
can be used of cosmic beings OR humans. By the time the New
Testament was written, however, it usually refers to a single
supernatural being who is at cross-purposes with God in the
world.(3) In our generation, we are less likely to personalize
evil and thus to excuse ourselves from wrong-doing by saying "the
devil made me do it," than to recognize the existence of evil in
the world and realize our complicity in maintaining it.
Back to the story. Jesus is out in the boonies for some
rest and reflection. As part of his spiritual discipline he does
without food. The Bible says it is a fast of 40 days and 40
nights (in scripture, 40 is not necessarily always literal - it
can simply mean a long time). He is hungry and the temptation is
offered to turn stones to bread. Jesus, you are incredibly
powerful; use that power to meet your own needs. If you do not
take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of
anyone else. On top of that, if word gets around that you turn
stones into bread, think how many folks would follow you.
Everyone can use a little extra bread. Who could have blamed
Jesus for doing something like that?
The second temptation was equally enticing. "If you are the
Son of God, throw yourself down [from the highest point of the
Jerusalem Temple]. For it is written: "'He will command his
angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" How
about that? The devil quotes scripture like a preacher (and let
that be a lesson - just because someone knows the Bible chapter-
and-verse does not mean that person is up to any good). The
temptation for Jesus is to let folks know beyond the shadow of a
doubt that he is THE MESSIAH, the Chosen One of God. What a
spectacular stunt to leap from the Pinnacle of the Temple, drop
the 450 feet straight down into the Kidron Valley, and land
unharmed. God's angels will protect. People will SURELY listen
to the message when they hear this. Would anyone legitimately
reproach Jesus for deciding to take that course?
The third temptation was enormous - unchallenged political
power to right all the wrongs...all the kingdoms of the world.
How incredibly simple, Jesus: you can ORDER folks to listen. You
can ORDER justice and an end to all oppression. What a wonderful
opportunity! All it will take is a tiny compromise. You do not
have to stop worshiping the God of heaven, just spread that
worship around a bit. Jesus, this is the offer you cannot
refuse. Who could have blamed him for accepting?
The three temptations of Christ. No doubt there were more.
It is hard to imagine that more than fifteen years have gone by
since Martin Scorcese's film The Last Temptation of Christ was
released. The furor was incredible. People were horrified that
the camera would suggest that Jesus had sexual thoughts or could
harbor notions of abandoning his mission or have fantasies about
marrying Mary Magdelene and settling down. There were marches
and demonstrations. Remember?
One Sunday, as the congregation I was serving at the time
was filing out after the service, a well-dressed young man came
to the church door obviously looking to speak with me. In his
hand he held a petition and a plan of action for me to use to
help prevent the distribution or showing of The Last Temptation
of Christ. I said, "Thanks, but no thanks." I had not seen the
film and would not condemn it on the basis of hearsay evidence.
I would make my OWN decision after seeing it. He asked, "Do you
want to SEE it?" I said, "Of course." I finally did see it
(after it came out on video - I'm cheap). For the most part the
movie struck me as silly, but, in it's own silly way, it did
reaffirm the truth of scripture where we read, "He was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."(4)
What tempts you? I doubt that turning stones to bread or
jumping off a cliff have ever been issues. Certainly not for me.
Generally, I find myself tempted by GOOD things, not evil. It is
no struggle for me to not do the things that we would all agree
are wrong. No, my struggle is between the GOOD and the BEST. I
find it SO tempting to be satisfied with the status quo, which
for me is pretty good. But then I am reminded of the famous line
attributed to Edmund Burke two centuries ago: "The only thing
necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
As you know, this past week President Bush announced his
proposed budget for 2006. He said it "is a budget that sets
priorities," and that is what every budget should do, including
yours and mine. But in examining those announced priorities
there are some disturbing notes. For example, one of the
proposed spending cuts would make it harder for working families
with children to receive food stamps, ending aid for about
300,000 people. Another would deny child care assistance to
about 300,000 children, again in low-income working families.
That would be problem enough for me considering all that
scripture has to say about our responsibilities to the poor.
Meanwhile, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
informs us that even as the administration demands spending cuts,
it will proceed with the phase-out of two little-known tax
provisions - originally put in place under the first President
Bush - that limit deductions and exemptions for high-income
households. More than half of the benefits from this backdoor
tax cut would go to people with incomes of more than a million
dollars; 97 percent would go to people with incomes exceeding
$200,000. Well, it just so happens that the number of taxpayers
with more than $1-million in annual income is about the same as
the number of people who would have their food stamps cut off
under the Bush proposal. But it costs a lot more to give
a millionaire a break than to put food on a low-income family's
table: eliminating those limits on deductions and exemptions
would give taxpayers with incomes over $1-million an average tax
cut of more than $19,000.(5) Hmm.
Now, I know scripture well enough to know that budget
priorities like these would cause the prophets of old to go
ballistic and rise up in righteous indignation. Our nation
deserves better. I know how wrong this is, but the temptation
that haunts me is the one that says, "Let it alone, David;
somebody else can raise the issue - don't get involved." Then
Edmund Burke shouts in my ear again: "The only thing necessary
for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Should I or shouldn't I? I know scripture perhaps TOO well
in this case. The letters to Congressional representatives and
Senators and the White House will go out this week. I do not
know what good they will do, but I cannot in good conscience keep
silent.
By the way, did you notice Jesus' defense against his
temptations? Scripture. After each of the temptations was
offered, he quoted scripture. Was it a case of simply finding
the right scriptural weapon and lobbing it at the devil like some
sort of biblical bomb? Was it like, "Okay, here comes the pride
temptation; where is that Bible verse that conquers pride?"
Oops, here is anger; what's the memory verse to overcome anger?
You have seen lists like that. But scripture verses are not
magic formulas. They did not "work" for Jesus like some magic
charm. Nor will they for you or me either.
So then where is the power? Did you notice that Jesus was
in the wilderness for a long time - 40 days and 40 nights - in
prayer and meditation before this confrontation began. News
flash. You spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, meditating,
studying, and spending time with God, and dollars to donuts, you
will be in fairly good shape to handle whatever life throws at
you.
Should I or shouldn't I? It is a question that goes all the
way back to Adam and Eve. As we begin our Lenten pilgrimage,
this unique period during which we are called to self-examination, we can note that temptation is common to us all.
Yes, and even in our pretty good lives, there WILL be wilderness
journeys - times when we experience physical or emotional hunger,
times when we are tired of being ignored and wish someone would
notice us, times when we are frustrated at not being able to make
a difference in our own life or anyone else's - the same
temptations that Jesus felt. The answer is as simple as the Boy
Scout motto: "Be Prepared." Jesus was.
Yes, there is evil in the world, and yes, we are always in
danger of being caught in its snare, even if our only temptation
is to do nothing. But we know one thing more, and this one thing
is the most important of all: we are not alone in our struggle.
We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, "nothing living or dead,
angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or
unthinkable - absolutely NOTHING can get between us and God's
love" in Christ Jesus our Lord."(6) And that is good news indeed.
Amen!
1. Brian Stoffregen, via Ecunet, "Gospel Notes for Next Sunday," #10927, 2/6/05
2. Barbara Bundick, via Ecunet, "Sermonshop Sermons," #4850, 2/11/05
3. http://www.homileticsonline.com/
4. Hebrews 4:15
5. Paul Krugman, "Bush's Class-War Budget," New York Times, 2/11/05
6. Romans 8:38-39 in Eugene Peterson's paraphrase, The Message, (Colorado Springs:
NavPress, 1995)
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