The First Sunday in Lent --- 9 March 2014

Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you,' and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil

• We've all faced temptation in one way or another. It's a common human experience. Some temptations are specific to a person or a certain age. Others are more widely found. What tempts me might not tempt you at all and vice-versa.
• To find that Jesus was tempted should not strike us as strange. After all as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
• Sinless does not mean untempted. Our Gospel reading stands as evidence of this.
• This story can be taken as a way to comfort ourselves by remembering that Jesus was tempted as we are. But this might not be quite so true. Jesus' temptations were his own. I hope that none of us have been tempted to throw ourselves off the highest tower around where-ever we've lived.
• No, Jesus' temptations were unique to him and he was tempted. The story contains a number of interesting things.
• Matthew, Mark, and Luke all place Jesus' temptation in the desert just after his Baptism by John. They note Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It seems that Jesus' baptism was of vital importance to his mission as was his time in the desert.
• The three temptations – to fulfil common needs like food, to recklessly believe that God would shield us from the consequences of our actions, and to desire power and status – are common to all of us, but have a special place in Jesus' temptations. In truth, temptations are always tailor-made.
• The words the evangelist places in the devil's mouth seem to imply that Jesus is not sure of his status: If you are the Son of God... If we change the “If” to “Since” (which can be done without too much trouble in Greek), the temptation changes somewhat.
• What is then at issue is not whether Jesus is really God's son, for the devil appears willing willing to concede that. The temptation has to do with how God's son should act.
• Should God's son act in ways that benefit only him? Should God's son dare things that others would not because he is special? Was the mission of God's son to bring all the world's powers and nations under his sway and control... even at the cost of worshipping the devil?
• Some of these temptations are false because the devil is a liar and the chief of lies. For example, does the devil own and control all the nations and powers of the world. He doesn't! Psalm 24 says:

                                     The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
                                the world, and those who live in it;

• These temptations have more to do with what kind of Messiah Jesus would be and they have to be taken as real and powerful temptations. The temptation to be a “bread king” returns when Jesus multiplies loaves and fishes. The temptation to be rescued from hardship and even death by divine intervention might find an echo in Jesus' words in Gethsemane and on the cross, “Why have you forsaken me?” Finally the temptation to have the world acknowledge Jesus' power is seen here.
• The temptations are very real and they could have led to a change in the mission of salvation. Had Jesus done something else and followed a path of temptation, his mission might have failed. Had he become a “bread king”, a magician and escape artist, or an earthly king with perfect intentions, grace would have been lost to us... and we would be lost. Any of these outcomes would deny grace to us. Only the mission of Jesus to proclaim the Father's love even to the point of dying on the cross shows and allows grace, and without grace there is no salvation.
• Matthew wants to say that Jesus is the son of God in being obedient... (and) by keeping the basic commandment of the love of God. This understanding of sonship with God opens up a perspective for human existence: The Son of God lives in an exemplary way from God’s word alone and obeys God alone. One might say that the entire Gospel of Matthew unfolds what this sentence means for the disciples.
• It is Jesus' obedience to the Father that makes the difference. His path of obedience is our way as well. For us, obedience takes on different shapes. For us, obedience is repentance, openness, love, and humility.
• One of my favourite quotes on this comes from an ancient Christian text. It is about the life of Anthony of Egypt who is also known as Anthony of the Desert. In a time when devotion appeared to be growing cold, Anthony followed the call he heard to live the Christian life deliberately. It goes like this: Anthony said, "I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, 'Humility.'”