03-13.2011
“Temptation”
Matthew 4:1-11
Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing I can’t resist is temptation.”
Temptations are a way of life. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, what you do or anything else temptations will come your way. They may be subtle or more overt, but they will come and often at our weakest moments.
After Jesus had been in the wilderness for 40 days, the devil comes to tempt him in to taking a short cut to reach his goal. He tempts him with three things that in actuality are good. Just like the temptations in the Biggest Loser, those temptations that come to us are often good things or things we enjoy.
The first temptation is for Jesus to turn the stone into bread. What a great way for the devil to start. After all Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, so he had to be very hungry. He had to be at a point where the physical need for food was overwhelming. Yet Jesus is able to resist the temptation to use his powers for his own benefit in making bread.
The first temptation is to fulfill our own desires.
For Jesus the temptation is to turn stones into bread to fulfill his hunger. For us it isn’t just physical hunger that we need, but something deeper. We all have a desire to be loved and appreciated for who we are and who God created us to be. The temptation for us is to fulfill those desires by being something that God didn’t create us to be.
When I was at Greensboro College, we took a group of students to Camp Tekoa for a weekend retreat. On Saturday morning, we did some of the ropes course and then went to go across the lake on the zip line. For those of you who have been there you know the zip line is 30 to 40 feet in the air at its highest. Everyone was going across. One young man got all strapped in and just before he was about to go he decided not to. The others who were there didn’t ridicule him but encouraged him for who he was and what he knew. I will always remember their willingness to accept him and support him for who he was.
What Satan was asking of Jesus seemed relatively harmless; just turn the rocks into bread. What could be wrong with that? Nothing in itself, but Jesus knew that wasn’t what he was supposed to do. Ultimately, that’s how we need to view things, what God would have me to do? And if we are going to do that then we need to believe that God has the very best at heart for us, and he isn’t just a Grinch intent on taking all the pleasure out of life.
The second temptation of Jesus is the devil asking Jesus to throw himself down from the top of the temple and the angels will come to save him before he hits the ground. The second temptation is for power.
Many equate power with wealth. The temptation is to do whatever it takes to be wealthy.
Some have taken money from the retirement accounts of the elderly for their own benefit. Recently a man in Greensboro is accused of taking millions of dollars from one account to use for his personal benefit.
Most of the problems in the world today come from a quest for power. This country wants power over that country, this political party wants power and control, this business wants to have all the power. I know that most of us will never have that kind of power or wealth, but we have power in our own way.
This kind of wealth and power most of us have is simply pride and selfishness in disguises. Power to harm people with words of gossip or ridicule. Power to harm people by ignoring their needs. Power to harm a child with verbal or physical abuse. It is being resentful when someone snubs us or patronizes us or shows off. It means smarting under every slight, challenging every word spoken against us, cringing when another is preferred before us. This kind of power harbors grudges, nurses perceived injustice and wallows in self-pity.
We fall to this temptation when we think that we should have gotten that job or promotion or raise. It is our temptation to think that what we want is more important that what God wants. I went to a workshop on Ministerial Ethics this past week and the bishop reminded us that our worth as ministers is not found in the size of the church or the ministry we have or where we live, but in Jesus Christ.
Daniel Otega said, “If we do not cling to riches, selfishness, or greed – then I believe we are getting close to God.
In the third temptation Jesus is offered all the kingdoms. All he has to do is worship the devil. The third temptation of Jesus is for fame.
This seems to me would be the most difficult temptation. If Jesus had been given all the kingdoms he wouldn’t have had to walk the countryside, or be beaten and eventually crucified. Jesus could have stepped into the role that God had planned for him without the pain or struggle. Satan simply tells Jesus to do this one little circus trick and he can be famous.
In some ways we would all like to be famous. I would bet that most of us at some times have dreamed of being famous in some way or another. Andy Worhal once said we will all have 15 minutes of fame, but we would like something longer, something more lasting. But fame is a relatively fleeting thing. What some would consider famous is only temporary. For example who won the Super Bowl 16 years ago. What won the Oscar for best picture four years ago. We often believe that this is what it means to be famous. The temptation is to do what we have to do to be famous. We would all like to be remembered, but at what cost. In truth people will come and go and often the next generation will not remember them.
Ultimately we will all be tempted in one of these three ways or others. It may not be for the kingdoms of the world, but it may be our own little kingdom. It could very well be for our soul. The question ultimately is how will you respond?
John Stokes tells a story of going to a soccer game with 5 and 6 year olds playing. The teams were evenly matched as the game went on but the coach of one team took out all his best players except for the goalie. I guess learning was more important than winning. As the game progressed it became obvious that the players on the second team were much better than the second string of the first team. Soon the goalie was overwhelmed and no matter how hard he tried the other team scored. At first he became enraged running around doing everything he could to stop them from scoring.
His parents were in the stands urging words of encouragement, telling him to hang in there to keep trying. But it didn’t seem to matter what he did they scored again. After the fourth goal he took the ball out of the net and handed it to the referee with huge tears coming down his cheeks. His father started out on the field as the mother tried to hold him back saying he would embarrass his son. He tore lose from her and even though he wasn’t suppose to go on the field he did, suit, tie and all to pick up his son. He hugged him, kissed him and cried with him and as they got close to the stands others could hear him tell his son, Scotty, I’m so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son.” “Daddy,” the boy sobbed, “I couldn’t stop them. I tried, Daddy, I tried and tried and they scored on me.” “Scotty, it doesn’t matter how many times they score on you. You’re my son, and I’m proud of you. I want you to go back out there and finish the game. I know you want to quit, but you can’t. And son, you’re going to get scored on again, but it doesn’t matter. Go on, now.” The boy ran back on the field and you know what, they scored on him two more times, but it didn’t matter because he knew he was loved.
Temptations are going to come, sometimes no matter how hard we resist we are going to fail. Others may laugh, but we go to our knees and confess our sins and our Father comes to pick us up, hold us, cry with us and tell us we are forgiven.
Pray that God will protect you, keep you from all temptation and give you the strength to endure.
