“Confronting Temptation”
Sermon Presented February 21, 2010
First Sunday of Lent – Year C
Luke 4:1-13
Most of us heard our parents, teachers, and ministers warn us against succumbing to the temptation to sin. And these warnings were specific. Don’t lie; don’t steal; don’t curse; obey your parents and teachers – admonitions that became embedded in our internal wiring. Some even had a mental image of an angelic figure sitting on one shoulder and a red horned figure with a pitchfork on the other – each vying for attention. When we didn’t do as we understood we should do, we were plagued by guilt – sometimes so overpowering that we would confess to something we had actually gotten away with. If you came from a conservative background as I did, temptations to sin were vast and ever present.
But what about temptations that don’t seem bad in themselves – possibly they even seem good? Or how do we resist temptations that come when our defenses are down, or when we’re physically or emotionally spent?
That’s the position Jesus is in. After his baptism – a spiritual high when he hears God acknowledge to him that he is God’s beloved son, he goes without food for 40 days. Then the temptations intensify. These aren’t all temptations to do what we might consider sinful. On the surface, two of the three appear to be good because what is promised has amazing possibilities for good.
Let’s look at our text from Luke 4:1-13.
Lori Brandt Hale, a professor at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, tells the story of her son who was almost four when this occurred. He had attended Children’s Church while Lori was in the regular worship. Following worship, he asked her: “Hey, Mom, what do you know about the devil?” Not wanting to offer more information than was being sought, she turned the question and asked him what he knew about the devil.
He replied: “Well, the devil talked to Jesus. The devil was mean. If we were in a store, and you and Dad were in one aisle, and I was in another aisle, and there was candy…” He paused for effect. “The devil would say, ‘You should take some!’”
Lori thought about all of the theological points she could make, but decided to ask: “Honey, if we were at a store, and Dad and I were in one aisle, and you were in another aisle, and there was candy, and the devil said, ‘You should take some!’ What would you say back to the devil?”
A genuine sweet grin lit up his entire face and without hesitation he replied, “Oh! I would say thank you!” (Feasting on the Word Year C Volume 2, pp. 44, 46, 48)
Our Lenten story from Luke is about more than avoiding temptation to do what we consider to be sinful. It’s about the power of temptation and the choices Jesus made to be obedient to God. It’s about the nature of evil and the nature of Jesus. It’s about understanding God more fully and then following that understanding.
The temptations that came to Jesus held many benefits! If Jesus could turn a stone into bread for himself, then he could do the same for many hungry people. He could be a new Moses and provide “manna” for the people. AND if through one seemingly harmless act Jesus could rule the whole world, it would be Jesus and not Caesar who would be in charge; and justice would come to the earth. By telling this story, Luke shows us that Jesus understands his tempter and won’t be lured away from God’s will for his life through acts that appear to be innocuous. (ibid Sharon H. Ringe, p. 47)
During his time of testing, Jesus has choices to make. He’s not a programmed robot. He has been alone with God for 40 days and now is tempted to take charge of his own life. He emerges victorious from this time of testing, but he also understands that his testing isn’t over – just postponed until another time.
We – like Jesus –will face temptations all of our lives. Will we avail ourselves of the power of the Holy Spirit to fight our temptations, or will we act alone and make the wrong choices? We tend to do both!
What tempts one person isn’t necessarily a temptation for another. We hear public apologies from prominent sports and entertainment figures concerning their addictions to drugs, alcohol or sex. We’ve heard private apologies from loved ones about how their addictions have hurt themselves and others. I visited with a young college student in Kansas who is addicted to gambling. He said that when he drives within 50 miles of a casino, he seems to lose control and ends up at the casino. Addictions are real, and the temptation for addicts to succumb to their addictions is much greater than it is for someone who doesn’t have their problem.
Jesus’ temptations occurred in the wilderness. In what ways have you experienced wilderness? Was it through a broken relationship, medical crisis, or an addiction? Did you sense God’s presence in the wilderness? Were you tested beyond your strength? Were you able to change course quickly or was that desert experience extensive?
We often enter the wilderness because we make the wrong choices. The lies that confront us on a daily basis have the ring of truth – whether they come from advertising, politicians, investment strategists, the pulpit or the media. Do we take time to understand the nature and truth of our temptations? Do we put them to the test of what God might want us to do or do we allow our personal desires to hold sway? Do we allow our wants to masquerade as needs?
We more easily recognize temptations to do things we know are wrong for us than when the temptation is to do what is good or natural to us. It is often the temptation to do what is good that causes problems in our relationship with God, family or friends. So what do we do?
First we must recognize that everyone has temptations – even Jesus. To be tempted is not a sin! To discern, as Jesus did, the nature of the temptation and the correct response to it is our goal.
In order to face temptations, we need to understand how we define ourselves. When we identify ourselves as a child of God, we claim identity and our source of support. We tend to look at things differently. We also gain insight into the driving forces of our lives. When God reveals our masks of self-righteousness, resentment, or the desire to manipulate others, we can discern our temptations more easily and recognize our need for God’s help to change our lives.
Another question we need to ask ourselves is: do we take enough time to be alone with God? When we spend time with God in the wilderness, we can begin to untangle the voices within and recognize God’s voice above the din. God calls us into ourselves so we can then move out to love and serve others and ourselves more authentically.
We need to invite the Holy Spirit to be present in our discernment process. The text says that the Spirit led Jesus in the wilderness while he was there. Help was available for Jesus and is available for us. We must claim it!
But what happens when we misinterpret the voices? We all make wrong choices at times. Some people believe there is only one right choice concerning whom to marry, what job to take, what college major to pursue, what house to buy or any number of decisions that we face. They also believe that if a wrong choice is made, we pay the consequences of that wrong choice for the rest of our lives and can never lead a fulfilled life.
There are consequences to wrong choices, but God is gracious and helps us to work within our decisions. God will help us make things right when we are committed to follow Jesus.
This brings us back to discernment. The path of discipleship isn’t predetermined or clear-cut. We become enlightened as we walk daily with God. During this Lenten journey let’s practice the art of discernment – of listening for the voice of God in the wilderness of our hearts. Let’s confront our temptations in the presence of God – where there is guidance and peace.
02/21/2010
