I Would Probably Flunk the Test

February 17, 2013
First Sunday in Lent


GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 4:1–13 [The Temptation of Our Lord]
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:” ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
P: This is the Gospel of our Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

Today’s Gospel reading is the “Temptation of Our Lord,” but it was really more of a test. The devil was testing Jesus to see if he could really be the Messiah who could save us. Did he have the qualifications? Jesus was both God and Man, so could he remain sinless and carry out the plan of God without giving in to human emotions and needs and ambitions? Jesus passed the test. He passed it because he relied on the word and promises of God.

This passage in the Bible has a couple of purposes. First it shows us that Jesus is truly the Son of God. And second, it shows us how to resist the devil because we are sons and daughters of God.

These temptations by the devil are the same temptations that Christians face everyday. Our faith is tested when we have problems concerning our everyday needs like food and health and all the things that humans need to live in this world. Our faith is tested when we have ambitions in this world and wonder whether or not it is worth while to be a Christian. And our faith is tested when we want to test God, when we ask for a sign to confirm our faith or to confirm God’s love.

If the devil were to come and test my faith, I would probably flunk the test.

If I were out in the wilderness for 40 days, those stones would begin to look like loaves of bread, like cookies, like donuts. And with the devil’s temptation, I would start to eat them, breaking my teeth, upsetting my stomach, and killing myself. Some people give up something for the forty days of Lent. A couple of times I tried to give up coffee, but gave in after three days. I wanted my coffee. The real problem is when we want something that is sinful. The problem is when we want something that is harmful. The problem is that we do not trust God to give us our “daily bread.” That is when it becomes a test of our Christianity. Do we believe that God will provide us with what we really need, or do we think that we know better than God what is good for ourselves? When Jesus was tempted, he answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’” Man lives on the Word of God. That word is the Word of God’s love and promise. It is the promise that we demand that God keep! “Give us this day our daily bread!” God, Keep your promise! Parents know how important it is to keep the promises they make to their children. God know how important it is for him to keep his promises to us: the promises of life and salvation and eternal love. In that we can resist the temptations of the devil.

Then there is the test of ambition, success, and meaning in life. The devil thinks that he is the king of the world. There might indeed be more people in the world loyal to the devil than to God. When you see the evil and greed and corruption in the world, perhaps the devil is the ruler of this world. The temptation of the devil is for Jesus to switch his loyalty. Jesus came to this world and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Jesus had to defeat the devil and then people could come into the Kingdom of God. But to defeat the devil Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross. Jesus could escape all that agony and pain simply by worshiping the devil. Jesus could rule the world! The trouble is that Jesus would have to follow the devil if he were to worship the devil, and the world would still be in sin and evil. Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Jesus knew whom he should serve. Jesus knew his mission. He knew his purpose in life.

For us too there is the test of ambition, success, and meaning in life. We may not use the words “to worship the devil,” but we might say “to compromise” our morals or ethics or principles. We say that “the end justifies the means.” “It is okay to cheat if you do not get caught.” It is being a hypocrite or a traitor or betrayer. But that is not the plan of God. The plan of God is that the love of God would fill our lives. That is the meaning of life. The meaning of life is to know the love of God and then to live-out that love in our lives, to put that love into action. We know that love when we worship the Lord our God. Our lives become service to him.

The third test of the devil was to test God. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:” ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” And later that test will come again at a more opportune time when Jesus is on the cross. His hands and feet were pierced. It would seem that the angels did not save him. People said, Mt. 27:40, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 43, “He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Had he wanted to, Jesus could have safely jumped off from the roof of the temple and could have jumped off from the cross. But rather he stayed on the cross and took the descent into death and hell. From there the Father did save him and on the third day he arose again. Jesus knew the plan of God and so he did not have to test God.

Of course we know the plan of God to save us and take us to heaven. That is clear in the Gospel message. But we do not know the details of God’s plan for our lives. When we do not know what to do about our future, we want God to tell us. We want God to give us a sign. We pray for God’s guidance. We pray that the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom to make the right choices in life. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask “Your will be done.” That is a prayer that fully trusts God our Father. But when we do not see the love of God, when things are going bad in our lives, we want to test God. We want to make sure that God loves us. We want to see a sign. We want to see a miracle. We want proof that God will take care of us. The only sure sign and miracle that shows God’s gracious love is the resurrection of Jesus His Son. That shows His gracious love for all his sons and daughters. We trust God so much that we do not need to put him to the test. And yet, without asking for signs, we see signs of his love every day.

The devil is clever. Therefore we pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” And when we are tempted, we trust God to deliver us. And when we fail, we trust God to deliver us. We trust God to forgive us.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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