Readings: Psalm 32, Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, on February 26, 2023
Every time we say the Lord's prayer, we use the phrase “Lead us not into temptation.” In our reading from Matthew this morning, being led into temptation is exactly what happens to Jesus. Following His baptism by John in the River Jordan, Jesus is found in the desert traveling through a 40 day period of prayer and fasting. It is during this intense preparation for the ministry, that the Devil is pictured coming to Him with three distinct propositions, the refutation of which would shape the ministry He would offer to the world.
In Matthews gospel the temptations appear to escalate in their attractiveness, beginning with satisfying personal hunger and culminating in world domination. Words of Scripture play an important part in each, indicating that words are precious, especially God's words. Words are easily twisted and taken out of context.
What did these temptations mean for Jesus? How can they challenge us, both as a church community and as individuals?
The tempter came to Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
Jesus appears to be secure in the knowledge of who He was. The tempter twice uses the phrase “If you are the Son of God” in a way that suggests... “Hey Jesus, You know who you are... but do You really think anybody else is going to believe it? You are going to have to do some spectacular things if anybody is ever going to swallow that one!”
From the outset Jesus makes it clear that He had come to lift up the poor, heal the sick and feed the hungry. On several occasions, such as the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 He shows that He wasn't beyond using unusual methods to meet people’s immediate need.
But turn stones into bread? That wasn't going to happen. Jesus places Himself among the ordinary people of God. For Jesus, being the Son of God meant accepting His humanity and depending, like the rest of us, on God for daily bread. He quotes the scripture “Man shall not live on bread alone...” indicating that His mission was going to be about more than satisfying peoples physical needs.
For a church community the plight of the needy is always before us. We are doing a good and great thing whenever we seek to meet people’s physical needs. But we need to balance that, by also proclaiming that there is a Savior whose name is Jesus Christ and He alone can satisfy the deepest needs, not just of stomachs, but of souls. Throughout church history there has always been a tension between what has been called the “Social gospel” and the “Spiritual gospel”. But it should not be an either/or choice. If we are to be the body of Christ, we will seek to embody both.
We live in a society that is blessed beyond measure in terms of physical provision. Many of us have never experienced real physical life threatening hunger. Yet we can be so desperately empty in our inner life and seek a myriad of solutions to meet such emptiness. 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' To really “live” the abundant, fruitful life that God invites us to we need the Word of God.
We need to worship. We need to pray. We need to be in community with other believers. And we need to understand the temptation to deny that need is a Devilish suggestion that Jesus rebuked.
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. 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.' " Jesus answered Him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'
After his first failure to lure Jesus into misusing His status, the devil tries again, taking Him to Jerusalem, to the very highest point of the temple. This time the devil challenges Jesus to prove His identity by throwing Himself down and letting the angels rescue Him. If you’re so dependent on God, he seems to say, why don’t you take it a step further? You trust God to feed you. Do you trust God to protect you from harm?
Again, Jesus appears to have no lack of confidence in either His own identity or His Father's ability to take care of Him. He is not called to display, with or without angelic help, super-human flying abilities. Such would not only be a denial of His humanity, but more significantly, it would be an abuse of the power and authority invested in Him.
Notice about these temptations that although they present themselves in the wilderness, they come back to challenge Him again and again. Peter would try and talk Him out of going to the Cross and Jesus would tell him, “Get thee behind me Satan.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus pleads with His Father, “Surely there has to be some other way than this cup of suffering...” In the end He resists taking another way and declares “Yet not my will, but thine be done.” And that's why there is a cup, representing the blood of Christ and the New Covenant brought about through His death, on the communion table. His power and authority were harnessed to service and doing God's will.
Sadly, over the centuries, the church has often stepped over the line when it has come to authority. There is a reason why, in this land, you expect a separation of church and state. Religion has power. A famous quote attributed to Lord John Acton. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Whenever a church community starts to perceive themselves as gatekeepers and power-brokers rather than disciples and servants it seems trouble is not far behind.
On a personal level maybe, for us, it comes around to this. We are all people of influence and power. This is Suffolk County! Happening people, decision makers, and change-bringers are our neighbors. We have a voice that others will listen to. We have a say. We have a vote. We have wealth that allows us to make choices about everything from where our children are educated to where we spend our leisure time. We are a privileged people.
And with great privilege comes great responsibility. We can abuse that power. Power can create false feelings of superiority and pride. We can feel that somehow our opinions matter more than others because we are at the top of the food pile. We can see the needs of the world around us and rather than seek to do something about them, complain to God, “Am I my brother's keeper?” We can presume that because we are already blessed, God will, naturally, continue to bless us.
What was it Jesus said? "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' Jesus was given a place of authority and influence in order that He may serve. He became the Servant King who washed His disciples’ feet and told them, “As I have done for you, so do unto others.”
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.' "
The final temptation of Jesus points to the subtle attraction of doing the right thing using the wrong means. The devil was saying to Jesus, “Hey, c'mon, we don't have to be enemies. Achieve your objectives by facing reality. The reality is this world operates by my rules. You give in a little, and I'll give you the whole thing. Let's cooperate. Why make it hard on yourself?” But Jesus says “No deal. No way. ” "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.' "
What's going on? The devil is saying to Jesus, “You can accomplish your goals, you can win the world, you can fulfill God's purposes, but do it my way. Do you have to be so honest and candid all the time? If you are going to get along in this world, you need to compromise now and then. If you are in business, you must cut corners sometimes to make a go of it. After all, that is the way most of the world does business. If you decide to be a person of integrity one hundred percent, you may lose the shirt off your back.”
The challenge for the church is as to whether it will do its work in the spirit of Christ and in response to the demands of the kingdom of God, or will it operate by the policies and practices of this world? Is any style or method of being the church acceptable as long as it attracts a greater following? Do the ends justify the means?
How we treat each other, how we treat those who use our facilities, how we treat our employees and how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves speaks far more than the words can say about where our true priorities lie. Are we God-serving or self-serving?
The price that Jesus would pay for His unwavering obedience to God was incredibly high. It would cost Him His life. Why was He prepared to take such a risk? There was no question in the mind of Jesus. He would remain steadfast in His absolute obedience and surrender to the will of God.
The Devil challenges the very first commandment. “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind and soul” by adding a little get out clause that says... “Well, at least most of the time.” That's the temptation right there. See how far you can push it. Acknowledge that if you want to get on in this world you are prepared to play the game. You can have it all if you want it. "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.' "
Then we read “The devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.” We should pray not to be led into temptation because temptation is quite capable of finding us without needing our help! And the temptations Jesus faced, and which the church in every age has to face are not dissimilar to those we face every day.
• We are tempted to live by bread alone and dismiss our need for the things of God, for worship and fellowship and prayer. But we cannot live by bread alone. When we try, we forget who we are and lose sight of our status as daughters and sons of the most High God.
• We are tempted to misuse the privilege, power and authority God has placed in our hands, by using it to serve only ourselves, rather than harness it to task of building God's Kingdom. We are presumptuous of God's grace and blessing and act as such are a right, rather than true privilege.
• In the light of the ways of this world we easily compromise on our faith and fail to live with integrity.
Take courage. We will be tempted. We will fall. We are not the first to fail. Christ died for our sins that we may start over again. Set free. Made new. Clean. Fresh. Righteous. Not through anything we have done, but through His death upon the Cross for us.
Consider these words from Hebrews 4:15-16 “ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”
To God's name be all glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
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