As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church
In
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As the first week of Lent comes to an
end, we are presented with the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.
Sometimes we might feel as if we are always living in the wilderness. And the
devil is lurking everywhere. The gospel passage in its English translation
often uses the word temptation and test interchangeably since the Greek word
peirazo, can be used for either meaning. Even though our images of temptations
and tests differ, either way, temptations can often be tests.
I don't know how many of you remember the
days when seatbelts for cars were being introduced and auto manufacturers ran
TV ads showing cars being crashed into walls to demonstrate how the seatbelts
could save lives. Of course, people weren't convinced, so states began passing
laws requiring drivers to use seatbelts and fining drivers who were caught not
wearing their seatbelts. When air bags were introduced the same process was
repeated. The auto makers tested seatbelts and airbags and other equipment
because they wanted to be sure that the equipment would stand up to the road
challenges cars would confront.
So, Jesus, after his baptism, heads off
to the desert, led by the spirit, where Satan puts him to the test. As we
heard, the devil takes three different approaches to seduce Jesus from his
path. Change a stone into bread, test whether or not God is really supporting
him, worship the devil and gain power over all nations of the world. These
tests all fail to derail Jesus from his mission. Now, how does this apply to
us? Life is constantly confronting us with tests. And the three tests Jesus
faced can be viewed as symbols of tests we all face.
Changing a stone into bread might be a
metaphor for our desperate efforts to try to change our reality into something
other than what it really is. But we cannot live a false reality without
suffering from psychological, emotional and spiritual anxiety. We need to face
our true reality and understand that the ultimate change we need to make in our
lives comes from listening to the word of God and putting it into practice. And
the word of God comes to us in many forms in addition to scripture, and often
connected with our conscience. When these messages come we need to face them
and accept their truth and not try to avoid them.
The second test is
about expecting God to fix everything for us. If this is a perfect world, then
what good is God if he cannot fix everything? But this approach to God puts our
relationship with God backwards. It says that God exists to do things for us as
if God is our servant. We decide what we need and let God know. When in reality
our task is to be open to the spirit and will of God. Or as Jesus says, ours is
not to put God to the test, but to do the will of God.
The third test is about power and
control. Our liturgical prayers often warn us about the danger in our desire to
control everyone and everything. Our culture never tires of placing before us
enticing illusions about exceptional opportunities to control outcomes. The
simplest example fits into a marketing strategy that says if you buy X it will
enable you will get Y, which could be health, wealth, power, fame, connections,
and more. For those folks who delight in warning us about the slippery slope,
this ranks as one of the slipperiest. Jesus replies: worship the Lord your God
and he alone. But instead, we worship so many other things, so many other gods.
This gospel story is also found in a
brief passage in Mark and in an expanded passage in Luke. The end of Luke's
passage offers us a telling reminder about the tests of life. Luke says [LK
4:13] "Satan left him for a while." Ah yes, there will be more tests
in Jesus' future. And likewise for us. We pass a test and we think we are home
free. But just around the corner is another test. Did the first test help us to
better meet the next one? This Lenten passage is our training ground for the
tests of life. It is to help us learn how to face, process and respond to the
challenges of life. The practices and exercises of this period are not ends in
themselves, but rather opportunities for us to cultivate the inner strength to
weather the inevitable storms of life. Let us make the best use of this
opportunity.
Glory
be to Jesus Christ!
